Cabin rental · U.S. Forest Service · Custer Gallatin National Forest · Livingston, MT

Big Creek Cabin

The original Big Creek Cabin was built in 1907 and it still stands on this site. The current cabin, a former guard station, was completed in 1925 and sits right next to the original. Big Creek Cabin is the largest cabin in the Yellowstone District, a 28-by-40 log structure with five rooms and two porches. It offers rustic accommodations with limited amenities. Guests will need to bring much of their own gear and supplies. The cabin is accessible by vehicle when there's no snow, however, four-wheel drive is strongly recommended. In the winter, skis or snowshoes are required to cover the half-mile to the cabin from the plowed road.

Cabin rentalReservable · Recreation.gov1 site
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Big Crk cabinBIG CREEK SummerRear porch at Big Creek CabinSnowy day at the cabin
Photos courtesy of US Forest Service · Recreation.gov
3fires
active
Shenango Pile Rx (prescribed burn) · 19 mi away
2 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Cabins1
This cabin is booked as a single unit on Recreation.gov. The booking page shows which dates are open and how far ahead they release. How the booking window works

Site guide

1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteSurfaceShadePeople / vehiclesFires
01GravelPartial11 / 3Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

FeesRequest for refunds or cancellations must be made through the National Recreation Reservation Service, in accordance with their policy. Changes to online reservations can only be made via the NRRS Contact Center: 1-877-444-6777.

The cabin is furnished with tables, chairs and enough beds with mattresses to accommodate 11 people (most are bunk beds). A propane lantern, wood cook stove and wood heat stove are also provided. Please bring firewood or gather from forest during summer. Do not burn provided firewood for outdoor fires, EVER, as it is extremely difficult to replace. Firewood is available during winter months as long as supplies last. An axe and a splitting maul should be available. A mop and bucket are provided for cleaning the cabin. A corral is located across from the cabin, with room for six stock animals. A campfire ring and outhouse with vault toilet are just outside. Water and electricity are not available. Guests will need to bring their own water supply. Garbage bags are needed to pack out trash.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Big Creek Cabin10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 1.83 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.51 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.88 inches of precipitationApril: 2.42 inches of precipitationMay: 2.83 inches of precipitationJune: 3.22 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.25 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.56 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.70 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.77 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.60 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.74 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.2°F averageFebruary: 21.5°F averageMarch: 29.3°F averageApril: 35.2°F averageMay: 44.1°F averageJune: 51.4°F averageJuly: 59.5°F averageAugust: 58.0°F averageSeptember: 50.8°F averageOctober: 38.8°F averageNovember: 26.2°F averageDecember: 18.0°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Big Sky 2Wnw, 20 miles from the campground at 6,590 feet, station USC00240775 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 23 inches a year.

Getting there

From Livingston, drive south on Highway 89 for approximately 34 miles to Big Creek Road and a sign for Mountain Sky Guest Ranch. Turn right at the sign and follow Big Creek Road for about 5 miles to the cabin. High-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles are strongly recommended. In winter, the road is plowed to Mountain Sky Guest Ranch.

Nearest townLivingston, Montana
Coordinates45.3078° N, 110.9233° W · Directions ↗

Good to know

  • Firewood is not available from june 1ST to september 30TH.
  • Propane fuel for the lantern and cookstove is not provided, so it may be necessary to bring extra propane or battery-operated lanterns or flashlights.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Shenango Pile Rx

    19 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    North Bridger Brackett Creek Pile Burning Rx

    37 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Rx Hell'S Canyon

    49 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearGrizzly Outfitters ↗19.1 mi
RV sales & serviceValley Trailer Sales Inc ↗33 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Worth a stop

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Custer Gallatin National Forest begins about 1.1 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Natural features

Big Creek Cabin is located in an area known as Paradise Valley, where the peaks of the Gallatin Range fracture the western sky and the Absarokas rise to the east. The cabin sits in a flat clearing surrounded by spruce and fir trees at an elevation of 5,800 feet. Big Creek flows about 50 feet from the back porch. Bears, elk, deer and moose are frequently seen in the vicinity.

Recreation

A trailhead is located near the cabin that leads to three different trails for hikers and equestrians. One of these trails heads into the Gallatin Range. Good trout fishing is available in Big Creek. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular winter pastimes.

Guidebooks for Montana

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Best Tent Camping: Montana
    Vicky Soderberg and Ken Soderberg, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Montana, Wyoming and Idaho Camping
    Becky Lomax, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Camping Montana
    Kenneth L. Graham, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Big Creek Cabin?

Sites at Big Creek Cabin are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Big Creek Cabin?

Request for refunds or cancellations must be made through the National Recreation Reservation Service, in accordance with their policy. Changes to online reservations can only be made via the NRRS Contact Center: 1-877-444-6777.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Big Creek Cabin?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Big Creek Cabin have?

1 site, including 1 cabin.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Big Creek Cabin?

A trailhead is located near the cabin that leads to three different trails for hikers and equestrians. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Big Creek Cabin?

Livingston, Montana.

Source: Getting there

What if Big Creek Cabin is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Chisholm Campground (11.6 mi), Moose Creek Group Site (12.4 mi), and Hood Creek Campground (12.4 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby