Windy Pass Cabin
Windy Pass Cabin was built in 1934. It provides a rustic mountain retreat with few amenities, so guests need to bring most of their own supplies and gear to make their experience comfortable and enjoyable. The cabin is available from June 16th through October 14th each year. It is accessible via a 2.5-mile hike or horseback ride up the Windy Pass Trail with an elevation gain of 1,300 feet.
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Site mix
| Cabins | 1 |
Site guide
1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.
| Site | People / vehicles |
|---|---|
| 001 | 15 / – |
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
The cabin sleeps four people with a set of bunk beds with mattresses downstairs and two beds in the loft. A wood-burning stove provides heat. A table with chairs, cookware and utensils are available. A horse corral and outhouse with vault toilet are located outside. Drinking water, electricity and firewood are not provided. A spring fed stream runs close to the cabin in spring and summer but may dry up in the fall, another stream flows more reliably 500ft. south of the cabin. All found water sources should be treated prior to human consumption. Trash bags are needed for packing out garbage, and guests are expected to clean the cabin before leaving. Visitors should bring items such as bedding, flashlights or lanterns, matches and extra toilet paper.
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Weather by month
Getting there
There is no motorized access to this cabin. From Bozeman, MT: Drive west towards Four Corners, then south towards Big Sky/West Yellowstone on US Highway 191 for about 35 miles. Turn left (east) onto Portal Creek Road, FS 984. Travel for 3.5 miles to the FS Road 6959 and FS Road 984 junction.
| Coordinates | 45.2653° N, 111.1014° W · Directions ↗ |
Good to know
- A cook stove is not provided.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedShenango Pile Rx
15 mi from the campground
- PrescribedRx Hell'S Canyon
41 mi from the campground
- PrescribedNorth Bridger Brackett Creek Pile Burning Rx
41 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 | Grizzly Outfitters ↗ | 10.1 mi |
| RV sales & service | Valley Trailer Sales Inc ↗ | 33.7 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
Explore
Worth a stop
- 8.1 miTwin Cabin Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 12 miBuffalo Horn Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 13.8 miYankee Jim Picnic Area ↗Day use
Trails nearby
- under 0.1 miMoose Creek ↗6.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 0.2 miWindy Pass Cabin1 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 0.5 miEast Windy Pass2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse
- 0.5 miWindy Pass2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 1.4 miGolden Trout Lakes2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
- 1.7 miHidden Lake Cutoff1.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
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
Lee Metcalf Wilderness begins about 5.4 miles away, and it is the closest of these.
- 5.4 miLee Metcalf Wilderness ↗Wilderness · BLM/FS · 242,068 acres
- 8.6 miCuster Gallatin National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 3,412,203 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
On the National Register nearby
- Carbella BridgeStructure · Gardiner · 10.6 mi
- Crail Ranch BuildingsBuilding · Gallatin Gateway · 10.7 mi
- John Hepburn PlaceBuilding · Emigrant · 13.2 mi
Natural features
Windy Pass Cabin is located near the Gallatin Crest at approximately 8,900 feet in the Gallatin Mountains. A small stream flows just below it. High alpine meadows dotted with evergreens surround the cabin and fill with colorful wildflowers in July. A short walk to the top of the Gallatin Crest offers views of the distant snow-dusted peaks of the Absarokas and the Yellowstone River to the east and the Madison Range to the west. Grizzly bear, gray wolf, mountain lion, deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and the Canada lynx are some of the wildlife that inhabit this area. Birders may see a wide variety of bird species.
Recreation
The Windy Pass Trail passes by the cabin and takes hikers and equestrians along the ridge and down through the Gallatin Range. Several other trails crisscross the area, including the Gallatin Crest Trail. Hunting in designated areas is also a popular activity.
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 Windy Pass Cabin?
Sites at Windy Pass Cabin are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.
Source: Recreation.gov
What time is check-in at Windy Pass Cabin?
Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.
Source: Recreation.gov
How many sites does Windy Pass Cabin have?
1 site, including 1 cabin.
Source: Recreation.gov
What is there to do at Windy Pass Cabin?
The Windy Pass Trail passes by the cabin and takes hikers and equestrians along the ridge and down through the Gallatin Range. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.
Source: Recreation
What if Windy Pass Cabin is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Moose Creek Group Site (6.9 mi), Moose Creek Flat Campground (7.2 mi), and Swan Creek Campground (8.1 mi).
Source: Campgrounds nearby