Garver Mtn. Lookout Rental

The road to Garver Mountain ends at a gate on Forest Road 5857, and then it goes on. Beyond the gate the track runs about 3 miles more to a parking place, where renters may leave up to two vehicles. From there a signed trail climbs about a quarter mile, steep for a short distance, to the lookout. The Forest Service puts the summit at 5,874 feet. The National Historic Lookout Register gives 5,820. The mountain stands in the Yaak area of the Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, Montana. From Troy the way runs 9.5 miles west on Highway 2, 30 miles north on Yaak Highway 508 to the town of Yaak, then on Yaak Highway 92 to French Garver Road 276 and right to the junction with 5857. Access depends on the weather.

A room on a timber tower

The lookout rents to as many as four people at $45 a night. The Forest Service describes it as 144 square feet and 40 feet tall. A combination lock secures it, and renters call the Three Rivers Ranger District before arrival to confirm the numbers. Inside are two twin beds with four mattresses, a wood stove, a table and chairs, a shovel, a bucket and cleaning gear. Because of vandalism, the Forest Service says, none of these is guaranteed.

There is no electricity and no water. Renters carry their own water for drinking, cooking and washing, along with sleeping bags, pillows, matches, food, cooking utensils and toilet paper. A pit toilet stands outside. Nobody cleans the place between parties. Each one cleans on arrival and again before leaving, and packs out its trash and food. Check-in and check-out are at 2 p.m., and stays run no longer than five consecutive days.

The lookout sits on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, and the district tells renters to expect that through-hikers may stop in.

Grizzlies, elk and Garver Creek

The Yaak country around the mountain holds grizzly bears, wolves, elk and deer, and a variety of smaller mammals and birds. Garver Creek runs near the lookout and offers trout fishing. The Yaak River and its tributaries hold cutthroat, rainbow, brook and bull trout, and lakes lie scattered at varying elevations for hikers and fishermen. Day hiking is the common pastime near the lookout. Recreation.gov also lists bird watching, hunting and snowmobiling.

The log house of 1929

The first lookout still stands on the site. It is a one-story log cabin from 1929, the year Garver Mountain became an observation point for spotting forest fires. The National Historic Lookout Register singles out this log ground house and describes it as still in relatively good condition. Three years after the cabin went up, a 48-foot pole tower with a 6-by-6-foot wood cab and catwalk was added beside it.

The sources disagree on the present tower. The Forest Service says it was built in 1963. The Register dates it to 1964, together with a helispot, and describes it as a 30-foot timber tower with a 14-by-14-foot flattop cab and catwalk. The Forest Service gives the height as 40 feet.

The mountain was used for fire detection until 1979. On May 12, 2000, it entered the National Historic Lookout Register as US 343 and MT 25. The Register’s entry, last updated in 2016, says the cabin and the lookout were being restored and would be placed in the Kootenai National Forest rental system in 2002. Luke Channer photographed the lookout in 2013, and one of his pictures shows the inside of the old log cabin.