How to Camp in a Hardcore, Yet Relaxing Way
Tent camping is great.
Sleeping on the tops of mountains and waking up to astonishing,
beautiful views. Peaceful seclusion from the rest of the world
is yours. But it has its downsides
too: no matter how good your gear is,
sleep is never as good, rain can make the whole trip miserable. Having dogs or kids on your trip can compound
the misery and lack of sleep. If you’re
packed in somewhere or don’t have a portable grill, your food options start to
sound like bomb shelter food. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite
memories involve some of this misery (aka hardcoreness), but I don’t want every
trip to be mountain-man boot camp. I
suppose someday when I’m rich and famous I’ll get a fancy camper, but right now
it isn’t in the budget. If only there
was a way to be in a secluded beautiful area, but have just a little more
comfort than tent camping provides.
You can
rent cabins and even lookouts from the Forest Service. I had no idea it was an option until last
winter. Having stayed in two now, I can’t
believe what I was missing. Last
February three of us skied six miles into a cabin, had a roaring fire, cooked
eggs, potatoes and steaks. We slept on
relatively comfortable mattresses and skied out the next day. This fall my wife and I drove up to a lookout
on top of a mountain. The lookout had a
360 degree view of the Cabinet Mountains, windows on every side and even a
catwalk around the building. We even saw
a bull moose and a mountain lion cub while on a mountain bike ride. Both were spectacular and fun locations, made
even better by the fact that we had a dry place to sleep and cook delicious food.
All the cabins and lookouts are located in relatively
secluded, rugged forests and wilderness areas.
Some you can drive to and some you have to hike, ski or snowmobile to. Most were used or are still used seasonal by
the Forest Service so they typically have some basic amenities. They are not hotels or vacation rentals but
there’s always a stove to keep you warm and real mattresses to sleep on. Many have cooking stoves and modernized
outhouses (no splinters on your butt). But
perhaps the best part is the price: typically $35 per night or less.
A few things to consider if you do rent a cabin or lookout: You definitely want to double check what
amenities the cabin has. I assumed the
lookout we rented had a cooking stove and we ended up having to cook our food
on the wood stove. This meant a roaring hot fire and open windows for several
hours. You have to reserve some of the more popular locations months in advance
or be willing to go on weekdays, but you can’t reserve more than 180 days in
advance. Many locations are only open
during specific times of the year. In
the winter, some cabins can only be reached by skiing or snowmobiling. Running water is almost never an option. www.recreation.gov is the site you have to
rent them through. Once you have
selected your basic search criteria, be sure to select “view as map” under
search results as this will make it easier to select the location you
want. It isn’t the easiest site to navigate,
but it is very informative.
This option isn’t as hardcore as winter camping or sleeping under
the stars in the middle of the Bob Marshall.
But not every trip has to be hardcore and this is the most authentically
Montana way to have a relaxing “camping” trip!
It is True Montana!
