Wall Creek Cabin
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- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:36 UTC
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located at the east base of the Gravelly Range, Wall Creek Cabin is a small dwelling that gives guests access to prime elk and deer viewing, as access is through a state Wildlife Management Area. It is typically open to the public from mid-May through November, offering ample opportunity to explore southwestern Montana. Built in about 1930, the rental cabin was originally a crew quarters/warehouse/garage. The compound served as headquarters for the Wall Creek Ranger District, later the Madison District, until the 1940s. Keep reading
There are currently four log buildings at the site, including the small rental cabin, a barn and a main "Ranger" cabin and it's woodshed. The barn and corral and main cabin are used by grazing permit holders. Only the smaller cabin with a small holding corral is available for public use. Though usually quiet, there may be work activity associated with grazing management, with cowboys, horses and dogs living at the site, and their days often start early. The site can easily be reached by vehicle though roads may be muddy or snow covered. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
Recreation
Big game hunting is by far the most popular activity enjoyed by visitors to the cabin. The area and surrounding wilderness is thick with wildlife. Hunters must have appropriate licensure to hunt in the state of Montana, and hunting is only allowed in designated areas. Wildlife viewing is popular, as animals often come near the cabin. Hunters often park and walk through the site to access a trail behind the cabin and barn. A variety of hiking and horseback riding trails are available in the area, as well as trails for off-road vehicles. Motorized trailhead access is about a mile north of the cabin on Bucks Nest and the non-motorized Hyde Creek trail is just north of the administrative site.
Facilities
The primitive cabin is small, with a single room with an entry room which was formerly the garage. It is equipped with two sets of bunk beds with foam pads and can sleep up to four people. Other amenities include a 2 burner propane cook stove, propane lantern, table and chairs, cleaning supplies, basic cooking utensils, cooking pots and a wood stove for heat. Firewood may be stacked against the fence to the west of the cabin, but the firewood supply cannot be guaranteed. Split wood is stored in the box in the porch. A primitive outhouse with vault toilet is located 100 feet north of the cabin. The only water that may be available is at a spigot at the horse trough. Primarily for stock use, the water must be properly filtered, treated or boiled for drinking or cooking purposes. Propane is not provided for the cook stove or lantern, so guests will need to bring small disposable propane canisters. There may be minimal cell phone service in the area. Other items to bring include sleeping bags and pillows, matches, flashlight, food, toilet paper, cleaning supplies and garbage bags. Guests are expected to pack out all trash and food and clean the cabin before leaving. The firewood supply in the wood box should also be replenished.
Natural Features
The cabin is located on the edge of the Madison River Valley and the Gravelly Mountains at an elevation of 6,150 feet. It sits in an open, grassy area backed by forested slopes. This is a popular destination for big game hunters and for wildlife lovers who want to view elk in the fall, due to its proximity to the Wall Creek Wildlife Management Area, which is also home to deer, moose, antelope and bears (learn more about bear safety ).
Nearby Attractions
Yellowstone National Park is about 60 miles southeast. Wade and Cliff lakes are about 30 miles south. The Madison River is a couple miles away and the Lee Metcalf Wilderness is just across the valley in the Madison Range.
What the agency tells you
This facility is located in a remote and wild area; before making a reservation, become aware of bear, water and weather safety (including avalanche danger)
Water may be available seasonally from a horse trough spigot and must be treated or boiled before using
The cabin remains locked; key code will be available with your paid receipt
Everything else this campground posts · 12
A mandatory food storage order is in effect annually between March 1 and December 1 to ensure all food is properly stored and unavailable to wildlife; please contact the Madison Ranger District for more details
Guests' horses are allowed only within the small holding corral at the southeast corner of the cabin. Horses are not allowed within the cabin fence, the large corral at the barn or grazing within the administrative site. Horses may be picketed ouside of the administrative site, near the Hyde Creek trailhead.
All garbage and food, water, beverages and packaging must be packed out
Guests should be aware that there is a risk of exposure to hantavirus when visiting remote cabins; click here to learn more
Rodent poison may be used in the cabin; please take proper precautions with children and pets to avoid ingestion
Learn more about the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.
Be aware that this facility is not cleaned between user visits and need your cooperation. Please bring cleaning supplies as renters are required to clean the facility before leaving. We are doing the best we can to keep facilities open and available to the public
Earliest check in time is 3:00 PM and latest check out time is 11: AM
Hunters and hikers may walk through the administrative site to access a non-system trail that leads into a popular hunting area beyond the cabin.
Maximum occupancy is 4 people. Tents or camping units for additional people are not allowed within the administrative site. Dispersed campsites are available about 1/4 mile away.
There is a 7 day maximum stay rule within a rolling 30 day period. Making additional reservations under the name of another member of the group is nit permissible. The same individuals may not exceed the 7 day limit no matter who's name is on the reservation.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…in the porch. A primitive outhouse with vault toilet is located 100 feet north of the cabin. The only…”
- Firewood
- Mentioned
- Stay limit
- 7 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek
- Biking
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Wildlife viewing
- Cell signal · Cell signal · Forest Service says
- Spotty
Full this Saturdayread 16:36 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
The one site on offer is taken this Saturday. 1 is free on Mon, Oct 19. read 16:36 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 14
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:36 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| AREA WALL CREEK CABIN | 001 | cabin nonelectric | 297 ft | $45 |
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Black Butte CabinBeaverhead National Forest · 8.7 mi
West Fork Madison CampgroundBeaverhead National Forest · 11 mi
Riverview CampgroundBeaverhead National Forest · 11 miFrom Ennis, take US Highway south for about 18 miles to Indian Creek and the McAtee Bridge fishing access site. Turn right and go nearly 1 mile to junction just beyond bridge. Turn left and travel toward Wall Creek Wildlife Management Area for 2.7 miles to T junction. Turn left and stay on main road for 2.5 miles, through many twists and curves, to another T junction. Staying on main road, turn left and travel for about 2 miles. Turn right, through gate, at Wall Creek Station sign, and travel a half mile to another gate. Go through gate, entering the administrative site, and cabin is just beyond. Route is signed once leaving highway. Maps (Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest-South) may be purchased by calling the Madison Ranger District.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Big Sky, MT
Typical weather
Typical October night 31°F, day 55°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 14°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Wall Creek Cabin is in Montana’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Ryan Zinke (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyRyan K. ZinkeU.S. Representative · Montana’s 1st district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationSteve DainesU.S. Senator · Montana
- Your senator, on the same appropriationTim SheehyU.S. Senator · Montana
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Wall Creek Cabin, Beaverhead National Forest, Montana
Dear Ryan K. Zinke, I’m a constituent in Montana’s 1st district. I tried to camp at Wall Creek Cabin, Beaverhead National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Wall Creek Cabin are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Wall Creek Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Wall Creek Cabin. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Wall Creek Cabin (Beaverhead National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Wall Creek Cabin, Beaverhead National Forest, Montana
Dear Steve Daines, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Wall Creek Cabin, Beaverhead National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Wall Creek Cabin are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Wall Creek Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Wall Creek Cabin. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Wall Creek Cabin (Beaverhead National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Wall Creek Cabin, Beaverhead National Forest, Montana
Dear Tim Sheehy, I’m a constituent in Montana. I tried to camp at Wall Creek Cabin, Beaverhead National Forest, Montana, and couldn’t. All 1 sites at Wall Creek Cabin are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, the one site recreation.gov was offering there was already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Wall Creek Cabin keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Wall Creek Cabin. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Wall Creek Cabin (Beaverhead National Forest, Montana) via campanac.com
How we know this · 4
How we know
every fact on this page, and where it came from
“…small disposable propane canisters. There may be minimal cell phone service in the area. Other items to bring include sleeping bags and…”