West Fork Butte Lookout, Missoula, MT

West Fork Butte Lookout is located in the Missoula Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest (58 min west of Missoula, MT) with an elevation of 5,315 feet. The site is open all year. There is a fee of $55.00 per night.

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Campsite Reviews (36)

4.6 out of 5

5 star		81%
4 star		11%
3 star		3%
2 star		0%
1 star		6%

@KatieOEE0DD24A · Camped on Aug 29, 2024 at Campsite #1

Stunning views! Ladder-free, so definitely a more kid-friendly fire tower choice. GPS makes it a bit confusing to find keep going after youve arrived for a quarter mile or so, hang left, and look for the gated road! Such a well-preserved and special experience.

@McKenzieP917A7 · Camped on Jan 9, 2024 at Campsite #1

Overall the lookout was in good shape. It was about 20 degrees the night I went with quite a bit of wind, and it took over 12 hours to warm things up to a comfortable temperature. The woodstove is lovely, but small, so I had to be careful to stock it every 2 hours throughout the night in an attempt to warm things up. There were no broken windows, but snow had still blown in and piled up inside the lookout. Great experience, just be very prepared to keep yourself warm - even with layers under a down coat and down pants I spent most of my time huddled in my sleeping bag. Plenty of firewood in the shed down by the outhouse, hauling split logs up to the lookout is a great way to warm up! Parking area is right off the highway and the hike is a gradual but constant 7 miles up with approx 2,300ft of gain.

@AmyL5692681 · Camped on Nov 17, 2023 at Campsite #1

Quite chilly but great views!

@Elizabeth38460 · Camped on Aug 23, 2023 at Campsite #1

Are we the only people who didnt know? Once you enter the padlock combination you push DOWN on the hasp and it will pop open. We keep trying to pull it open and were about to give up! Cabin was very clean and orderly. Someone left both upper pads on the bottom bunks - genius! We augmented with camping pads but not sure we needed to. You really do have to go to the propane shed and open the valve in order to cook. There were plenty of matches, not sure if they are still dry enough to work, but the lighter seemed out of fuel. Plenty of TP in the cabin and in the rather disagreeable out house -much of it shredded by the creatures. Still it wasnt too terribly unpleasant, but not a plus by any means. No evidence of mice inside cabin. Chipmunks will get in your food as you unlock cabin. The windows are covered on three sides with the door uncovered and the view (least interesting by far) out the big windows of our cars, well stocked wood shed, and the toilet. We picked huckleberries 100+ yards down the blue trail #320 (the only real trail we could find) . West Fork Butte Trail #320 intersects Road 17122 IN 7 miles, per wooden sign. There is a reason no one raves about hiking from this lookout. The trail heads down hill in a pretty forest but we turned back due to lack of interest.We sat on our camp pads on the rocks for sunrise and sunset. Sublime. Smoke made for interesting sunset and did not register as a negative during our stay.

@TiaS7788542 · Camped on Jul 7, 2023 at Campsite #1

Beautiful views! This is lookout number nine for me and the most "rustic" that didn't bother me a bit, but just be prepared if you're used to the more lavished lookouts. It would be a good idea to bring a sleeping pad, as the previous reviews mentioned. A family of packrats is living under the lookout and will talk all night long! Make sure to close up your personal belongings inside the lookout before bed because there will be fresh mouse poop on all the surfaces when you wake up. Most of the lookout windows remain boarded up, which is disappointing because it obstructs the 360 degrees views that are typical at a lookout. Lolo hot springs are nearby, and the town of Lolo is an hour's drive from the lookout. Check out the brewery if you want an excellent huckleberry beer! I had two visitors during my stay, but I'd expect more as the huckleberries are beginning to ripen around the lookout.

@FrancesC333452 · Camped on Jun 6, 2023 at Campsite #1

This was our 2nd visit in 3 years. Two sides of the lookout windows remain covered by plywood which was OK (keeps the cabin cooler). Especially being there in the early season we brought a mouse trap but didn't need to use it. Happy to see the new wood shed which contained lots of firewood still and a very good axe although we didn't use the wood stove. The cabin did not have any appropriate cleaning supplies for washing the very dirty windows. We did the best we could w/antiseptic wipes. For absolutely stunning views of the Bitterroot Mountains of which only a few are visible from the lookout, a side drive to the Ward Lode mine site was stunning. An appropriate FS map is recommended. For older bodies the provided sleeping mats are really hard; recommend to bring cozier mats to place on top. Would also be helpful for someone to bring lock oil to lubricate the gate lock which is a nail breaker so difficult it is to turn the numbers. The lock on the cabin functions much better.

@MartinJ8056623 · Camped on Dec 23, 2022 at Campsite #1

14x14 standard issue lookout, gas stove works, wood stoves keep the place warm.

@PatrickB523191 · Camped on Oct 4, 2022 at Campsite #1

Wonderful spot for sunrises and sunsets! Well stocked with cooking and a few cleaning items. Wear good shoes/confident in mobility because I could see walking on the rocks to be difficult. Overall great experience!

@DwayneM6159284 · Camped on Jun 24, 2022 at Campsite #1

Gets a lot of visitors through the day because it's right on a hiking trail. Other than that it is well equipped and taken care of with some amazing views of the surrounding area. The sunsets and stars are also worth the trip.

@RichardS712869 · Camped on Jun 9, 2022 at Campsite #1

do not understand why 2.5 sides of the lookout windows are still blocked by wood decreasing the view. lookout is in great shape.

@BarbaraP899344 · Camped on Mar 18, 2022 at Campsite #1

Wood well stocked, tidy, plenty of propane. Mattresses kind of hard thought. Would bring my own air mattresses next time.

@EmilyC1289829 · Camped on Feb 7, 2022 at Campsite #1

We backpacked in. I underestimated the difficulty level. Once we made it into the lookout we had a fantastic time. Everything you need is there. The constant fierce winds took some getting used to. It was truly spectacular and humbling experience! Wonderful!

@GaryG8138589 · Camped on Jan 30, 2022 at Campsite #1

great but cold and windy

@KyraB8132781 · Camped on Jan 8, 2022 at Campsite #1

Absolutely GORGEOUS! The views were flipping incredible and worth every mile. But ...be warned.... if you ski up it is a very steep 7 miles with 2,310 feet of elevation gain which took us 4 miles to complete. Luckily we followed a snowmobile track so we didn't have to break trail. We got a late start so if we had to break trail we wouldn't have made it. There was a woodbox full of wood so plenty for several nights, however, we didn't see or find any more cut wood to restock. If you are a snowmobiler it would be great if you could bring some wood in to carry some extra weight for us leg powered machines 😄

@KyraB846 · Camped on Jan 8, 2022 at Campsite #1

@SierraL5118151 · Camped on Dec 18, 2021 at Campsite #1

Wonderful Cross-country skiing experience!!

@SierraL943 · Camped on Dec 18, 2021 at Campsite #1

Wonderful Cross-country skiing experience!!

@AlexanderL108 · Camped on Dec 17, 2021 at Campsite #1

Awesome little fire lookout, we had to cut a fallen tree out of the road up but other than that it was smooth sailing

@Alexander38113 · Camped on Dec 17, 2021 at Campsite #1

Awesome little fire lookout, we had to cut a fallen tree out of the road up but other than that it was smooth sailing

@kateM120 · Camped on Sep 30, 2021 at Campsite #1

Get away by yourself, it is so good for your soul.

@CharlieD753 · Camped on Sep 28, 2021 at Campsite #1

Spectacular view, amazing location. Blowing snow in late Sept - well equipped cabin and previous guests + usfs have thoughtfully cared for it.

@KristenK216 · Camped on Sep 20, 2021 at Campsite #1

The views are incredible! What a wonderful experience!

@FrancesC203 · Camped on Sep 8, 2021 at Campsite #1

Had a relaxing time with mostly obscured views due to fires but that was OK anyway. I served on this lookout nearly 40 years ago having then never experienced the wind like we had one night of our stay this time. Appreciate the log book and extra amenities such as lanterns and games. Enjoyed hiking the trails below the lookout to enjoy fall colors beginning. And yes, everyone mentions the friendly ground squirrel which fed from my hand & would have come in if allowed. Enjoyed improving the rocky walk-up by rearranging & stabilizing some of the rocks. Beware; one needs to have an agile body, good eyes (and flashlight if arriving after dark) to operate the keypad at the upper gate. Thank you for the wonderful experience.

@STEVET937 · Camped on Aug 16, 2021 at Campsite #1

Everything worked as laid out in the instructions. The rocky uphill makes this experience worthwhile but tough to carry heavy ice chest etc. A really vintage facility.

@NoahB644 · Camped on Aug 10, 2021 at Campsite #1

Great place! The stove and lantern worked perfectly. Fairly well stocked with basic kitchen items and things such as toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Be prepared to hang your food to keep away from critters!

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