Porcupine Cabin
Porcupine Cabin sits in the foothills of the Crazy Mountains at an elevation of 6,400 feet. It was built in 1914 after a previous structure burned down, and was remodeled by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. Since its construction, the cabin has been used as temporary housing by Forest Service rangers while they were patrolling for timber poachers, watching for fires and monitoring livestock. Today, it is available year-round to outdoor enthusiasts, offering access to a variety of activities. Guests can drive to the cabin in the summer, but a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended due to road conditions.
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Site mix
| Cabins | 1 |
Site guide
1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.
| Site | Surface | People / vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| 001 | Gravel | 8 / 2 |
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
| Fees | 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. |
The 26 x 44 frame house has three rooms and a screened front porch. It has bunk beds with mattresses to accommodate up to eight people. It has a table and chairs, some cleaning equipment and a propane lantern available for use. A wood stove is available to heat the cabin. 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 for indoor use during winter as long as supplies last. An axe and splitting maul should be available. An outhouse with vault toilet is located behind the cabin. A campfire ring is out front. (Please bring wood to burn outside). Water, electricity and propane canisters for the lantern are not provided. Guests need to bring their own drinking water, cooking gear and food, bedding, fire starters (matches and newspaper), extra toilet paper, flashlights, first aid kit, cookware, dishes and utensils, among other necessities. The cabin will need to be cleaned and all trash carried out.
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Weather by month
Getting there
From Livingston, Montana, travel north on Highway 89 to Wilsall. Just north of Wilsall, turn northeast onto Shields River Road. Continue 8 miles to Porcupine Road, turn east (right) and then drive another 8 miles to the cabin. Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended due to the road condition.
| Nearest town | Livingston, Montana |
| Coordinates | 46.1131° N, 110.4714° W · Directions ↗ |
Good to know
- Firewood is not available from june 1ST through september 30TH.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedNorth Bridger Brackett Creek Pile Burning Rx
28 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 gear | Round House Sports ↗ | 28.8 mi |
| RV sales & service | RV Center Montana ↗ | 41.6 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
Explore
Worth a stop
- 12.2 miHalfmoon Picnic Area ↗Day use
Trails nearby
- 0.1 miPorcupine Ibex ↗16.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 0.1 miShields Lowline ↗7.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 1.3 miSouth Fork Shields3.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 1.8 miNorth Fork Elk Creek2.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 2.8 miSunlight Ridge4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 4 miSunlight Lake3.3 mi trail · hiking, horse
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
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest begins about 11.9 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 11.9 miHelena-Lewis and Clark National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 3,177,729 acres
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.
Other campgrounds nearby
Cabin and lookout rentals nearby
Natural features
The cabin sits on a hillside overlooking the grasslands of Shields Valley. This vantage point provides a majestic view of the Bridger Mountains and spectacular star gazing on a clear night. Guests can look out at the northern peaks of the Crazies from the front porch. Porcupine Cabin offers a quiet and fairly isolated retreat, however, there may be some passing traffic from recreational users accessing the nearby trailhead. Deer, moose, bears and elk may be spotted nearby. Several bird species that inhabit this area include bald eagles, owls, jays, western meadowlarks and mountain bluebirds.
Recreation
Guests can access the nearby trailhead for hiking, mountain biking and equestrian use, heading east into the Crazy Mountains. The trails are used by snowshoers and cross-country skiers in the winter.
Guidebooks for Montana
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at Porcupine Cabin?
Sites at Porcupine 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 Porcupine 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 Porcupine Cabin?
Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.
Source: Recreation.gov
How many sites does Porcupine Cabin have?
1 site, including 1 cabin.
Source: Recreation.gov
What is there to do at Porcupine Cabin?
Guests can access the nearby trailhead for hiking, mountain biking and equestrian use, heading east into the Crazy Mountains. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.
Source: Recreation
What is the nearest town to Porcupine Cabin?
Livingston, Montana.
Source: Getting there
What if Porcupine Cabin is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Halfmoon Campground (12.2 mi, first-come), Richardson Campground (32 mi, first-come), and Grasshopper Campground (32.5 mi, first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby