Diamond Butte Lookout, Ashland, MT

Diamond Butte Lookout is located in the Ashland Ranger District, Custer Gallatin National Forest (3 hrs 14 min east of Billings, MT) with an elevation of 4,256 feet. The site is open all year. There is a fee of $45.00 per night. Activities include biking, horseback riding, hiking trails.

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Campsite Reviews (25)

4.8 out of 5

5 star		84%
4 star		12%
3 star		0%
2 star		4%
1 star		0%

@StephenJ144546 · Camped on Feb 9, 2024 at Campsite #1

It was dirty and no firewood! Other wise it was fantastic as always!

@DANIELL7634709 · Camped on Feb 3, 2024 at Campsite #1

Great location and well stocked lookout. The reason for the low review is mainly the price. A couple of years ago it was 25 a night. Now it's 45 a night plus fees. 8 additional dollars just to make the reservation. To me thats a ridiculous price for something that is already owned and to be enjoyed by the public. Our tax money goes to supporting our public lands and is the whole reason that lookout is there even to begin with. Seems to me the Ashland Ranger district is now just getting greedy but I guess that is on par with what the Forest Service typically does.

@AlexF8358570 · Camped on Apr 25, 2023 at Campsite #1

The pictures on Recreation.gov do not do it justice. Absolutely beautiful views for miles in every direction. The tower is equipped with just about everything you would need, propane stove, refrigerator and lights, if it had running water and electricity i don't think you could get me to leave. Despite being 16ish miles down a dirt road in the middle of a National Forest you also get amazing cell reception around the tower.

@DanielC8838163 · Camped on Feb 10, 2023 at Campsite #1

Good place. Heater worked wonders. Stove worked. Fridge worked. Car got stuck in mid-shin deep snow at the first hill and had to hike 0.5 miles in from turn onto road

@WyattJ6536193 · Camped on Oct 23, 2022 at Campsite #1

Incredible place to stay. So much to see during the day, and the stars are amazing during the night!

@JohnH6042358 · Camped on Sep 18, 2022 at Campsite #1

We had a wonderful time at the lookout. Everything was as advertised, we have another trip planed for Granit Butte lookout very soon.

@DougM2170925 · Camped on Dec 24, 2021 at Campsite #1

Nice place to spend Christmas. We had some snow and lows in the teens with gusty winds at times, but also some clear skies during the day and night. The propane heater is great - we kept it set to 1 (out of 5 total) and stayed toasty warm.

@DougM815 · Camped on Dec 24, 2021 at Campsite #1

@JimH467 · Camped on Nov 23, 2021 at Campsite #1

Our family loved our stay. We will book it again!

@JimH4011279 · Camped on Nov 23, 2021 at Campsite #1

Our family loved our stay. We will book it again!

@BrandonD515430 · Camped on Oct 16, 2021 at Campsite #1

This is, hands down, the NICEST lookout we have ever stayed in. Propane fridge/freezer, cooking and heating stoves, lighting...very comfortable. And don't let the pictures fool you - the views are amazing. A couple of notes: It can get very muddy, and I'm not talking fun splashy mud. This is some kind of alien technology built to encumber human movement. Don't plan on driving up when there's snow on the ground. We made it up to the cattle guard and hiked in the rest of the way because of knee-deep snow over the road. Turn the main propane line on that to the right of the downstairs door as you are walking up. It'll save you a trip. Follow the directions on the fridge to a T and everything works great. Keep an eye out for gypsum crystals and fossilized wood. Theyre everywhere. Theres a cool thermal vent just down the hill at the right hand side of the stairs. Hot mud. The visitor logs are in the drawers in the table. Have fun! We loved it!

@BrandonDeanM72 · Camped on Oct 16, 2021 at Campsite #1

@RobertP6375002 · Camped on May 14, 2021 at Campsite #1

See my last review. Thank you to whoever cancelled so I got to spend two days here instead of one! I also was the last renter to pay $25.

@RobertP952 · Camped on May 14, 2021 at Campsite #1

See my last review. Thank you to whoever cancelled so I got to spend two days here instead of one! I also was the last renter to pay $25.

@RobinR8800618 · Camped on May 2, 2021 at Campsite #1

Great stay. Our visit was May 2-5, not hunting season, so very quiet. Only saw a few cars pass the entire time we were there. Follow the Forest Service directions not any Google or Waze. We came from Colorado and made the mistake of thinking we had found a quicker way, but were rudely surprised by a bridge closure near Broadus causing a backtrack of an hour. The scenery was more dramatic than we expected. Like being on a Colorado fourteener. Mountain ranges in the distance. Pronghorns grazing. There was quite a bit of wind but that's too be expected at the top of a ridge. Great hiking around. We had brought our ebikes along and had wonderful roads to ourselves. One day a lone antelope raced alongside my husband husband. What a sight. Another afternoon a quick moving rain storm treated us to a double rainbow that we could almost touch it was so close. The accomodations were clean and well cared for considering the amount of use the lookout appears to receive as noted in the logs. If you hike across the meadows watch out for ticks. Spray before you hike, and check for ticks on return. It was warm enough that we did not need the heater, but nice to see it there. Also a propane refrigerator and stove. This is a special place. We hope others that rent it will also appreciate it and treat it with respect. Thanks Forest Service for keeping these available for all to enjoy.

@RobinR796 · Camped on May 2, 2021 at Campsite #1

@KellyB8439114 · Camped on Apr 30, 2021 at Campsite #1

Absolutely divine. The wagon is a great help getting things up the hill. The views are insane. What a peaceful place. Lookout is clean and conscientious. Can’t wait to get back!

@KellyB233 · Camped on Apr 30, 2021 at Campsite #1

Absolutely divine. The wagon is a great help getting things up the hill. The views are insane. What a peaceful place. Lookout is clean and conscientious. Can’t wait to get back!

@TaitS988 · Camped on Mar 19, 2021 at Campsite #1

So, so quiet. So beautiful. What a special place.

@HeathN187 · Camped on Dec 21, 2020 at Campsite #1

Amazing views.

@FelixK848 · Camped on Nov 24, 2020 at Campsite #1

Isolated location like we expected. The lodging quarters were just fine. The stove area was greasy but not everyone cleans things to the same degree so no big deal. The heat was plenty while temps outside were 16-30 degrees. Great place for us.

@TammyW959 · Camped on Mar 26, 2020 at Campsite #1

We had a wonderful time! It is a beautiful view of the Big Horn Mountains.

@AndreyaT607 · Camped on Dec 22, 2019 at Campsite #1

The lookout was amazing. Clean, had everything we needed, safe, comfortable. We were lucky to have nice, unseasonably warm weather. The propane heater kept us warm when the temps dropped at night. We cooked delicious meals on the propane stove. There was a propane fridge and oven that we didn't use. The futon was surprisingly comfy.

@KaraK524 · Camped on Nov 30, 2019 at Campsite #1

We planned our visit for right after Thanksgiving, as it is tough to get a reservation during the summer if you don't plan ahead. It is a very popular place with great sights and hiking. Even if you come in winter there is still great hiking and sights to see. However, in order to get to the lookout, there is a very steep path you must go up to reach the tower. During our stay, this path was covered in ice and was extremely slippery. We could not even use the wagon as it would just slide around and pulling the wagon through the grass on the side hill was not ideal either due to snow and not wanting to ruin vegetation. It is a great experience and we loved the 360-degree view. We will be back, hopefully when it is not so icy!

@DavidG534 · Camped on Nov 4, 2019 at Campsite #1

This is a very well kept lodging, warm and comfortable in all ways inspite of the very cold muddy period we were there. Others should treat themselves to the high altitude experience.

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