Added by Crissy Bauman
Have you ever wanted to rent a mountain for a night? For $20 a night (plus a $9 fee) and a one mile hike up about 800 feet, you can stay in a historic fire lookout and have the whole mountain- and amazing view- to yourself!
Reservations for Hornet Lookout are obtained via Recreation.gov, and can be made up to six months in advance. Consider a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle with some clearance if available, as the forest service roads aren't always well maintained.
Although the hike is short, it is all switchbacks up to the top and you need to carry enough water to last for your entire stay (including cooking and cleaning).
Plan this trip as you would a backpack (minus the tent or hammock) and consider the shelter a bonus. There is an outhouse, and the lookout has a couple of cots, a wood burning stove (more for cooking than heating), a propane stove, a few pots and pans, and some other basic supplies.
Be sure to bring warm clothes and bedding because it does get quite cold in the wee morning hours, even in the middle of summer.
Inside the lookout is a ladder that leads up to the cupola. There isn't much room for maneuvering up there, but the views are amazing!
You can book it here: http://www.recreation.gov/camp...
Go Pro.
We're committed to building a better, more inclusive home for the modern outdoors. Go PRO to support our mission and get benefits like gear deals, no ads, and more!
Join the communityReviews
Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!
Leave No Trace
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on.
Stay Nearby
Flathead County, Montana
Ninko Cabin
, Montana
Schnaus Cabin
, Montana
Hornet Lookout
Flathead County, Montana
Wurtz Cabin
Nearby Adventures
Camp at Kintla Lake
Summit Lake Mountain and Nasukoin Mountain
Backpack to Link Lake
Backpack to Waterton Lake
© 2021 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy