Cabin rental · U.S. Forest Service · Flathead National Forest · Hungry Horse, MT

Ninko Cabin

Ninko Cabin is located 45 miles north of Columbia Falls, in northwestern Montana. It is an ideal rental for winter sports enthusiasts. Open only during cold months, the cabin provides a rustic, cozy setting with a good chance for pristine snow-capped scenery. It also provides access to a variety of recreational activities. The cabin can be accessed via a 12-mile hike, snowshoe, ski or snowmobile trek from North Fork Road. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
NINKO CABIN interior - oldNinko in the fallNinko Cabin - winterNinko exterior
Photos courtesy of USFS - J. May, Barbara Timms - USFS, USFS, USFS - B Timms · Recreation.gov

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.

SiteEntryShadeWaterfrontPeople / vehiclesRating
01Pull-throughPartialSprings7 / 2Preferred

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 0:00 AM.

Amenities & rules

FeesThe rental fee is $50 per night and there is a maximum stay of three consecutive nights with a total of seven days per calendar year. Federal Pass discounts do not apply.

The rustic cabin sleeps six with two bunk beds and two single beds. Amenities include a propane cook stove, lights, wood stove for heating, and a vault toilet. Pets are allowed, but cleaning up after them is required. No water is available. Renters should pack their own bedding, drinking water, food, matches and all basic camp gear.Guests will need to clean the cabin, carry out all trash and replenish cut firewood supply prior to departure.

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

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Ninko Cabin20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.77 inches of precipitation, 9.1 inches of snowFebruary: 0.70 inches of precipitation, 5.9 inches of snowMarch: 0.80 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowApril: 1.16 inches of precipitation, 2.1 inches of snowMay: 1.88 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowJune: 2.78 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.58 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 0.92 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowNovember: 1.25 inches of precipitation, 7.9 inches of snowDecember: 1.06 inches of precipitation, 9.3 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.8°F averageFebruary: 27.3°F averageMarch: 35.4°F averageApril: 43.3°F averageMay: 52.8°F averageJune: 58.8°F averageJuly: 66.8°F averageAugust: 65.2°F averageSeptember: 55.8°F averageOctober: 43.2°F averageNovember: 31.8°F averageDecember: 23.0°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Fortine 1 N, 15 miles from the campground at 3,000 feet, station USC00243139 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 41 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Columbia Falls, travel north on Nucleus Avenue and turn east on Railroad Street at the stop sign. The road becomes the North Fork Road as it travels about 45 miles and over the railroad overpass. Turn left on Whale Creek Road 318 and park in the plowed pullout.

Nearest townHungry Horse, Montana
Coordinates48.8581° N, 114.5975° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗25.9 mi
Outdoor gearRunnerUp Sports ↗33.1 mi
RV sales & serviceBish's RV ↗50.4 mi

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

Explore

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 →

Kootenai National Forest begins about 13.6 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

The cabin sits in a mountain valley, near Whale Creek, at an approximate elevation of 4,600 feet. Surrounding peaks include Hornet Mountain and Mount Thompson-Seton. The Glacier View Ranger District is bordered on the east by the Middle Fork of the Flathead River and Glacier National Park. To the north is Canada and west is the Kootenai National Forest. A variety of wildlife make its home in the area.

Recreation

Cross country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing are popular activities enjoyed by visitors to the area. Reaching the cabin on the 12-mile journey is part of the snow-sport fun to be had when visiting the cabin.

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 Ninko Cabin?

Sites at Ninko 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 Ninko Cabin?

The rental fee is $50 per night and there is a maximum stay of three consecutive nights with a total of seven days per calendar year. Federal Pass discounts do not apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Ninko Cabin?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 0:00 AM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Ninko Cabin have?

1 site, including 1 cabin.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Ninko Cabin?

Cross country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing are popular activities enjoyed by visitors to the area. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Ninko Cabin?

Hungry Horse, Montana.

Source: Getting there

What if Ninko Cabin is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Tuchuck Campground (4.5 mi, first-come), Grave Creek Campground (13.4 mi, first-come), and Big Therriault Lake Campground (13.8 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby