The Long Way
Missoula County
A small white wooden lookout cabin sits atop a rocky mountaintop under a cloudy blue sky.
Plate I. West Fork Butte Lookout cabin. From fs.usda.gov
A fire lookout building stands on a rocky mountain summit.
Plate II. West Fork Butte Lookout cabin. From recreation.gov
An old white lookout cabin sits atop a rocky peak against a clear blue sky.
Plate III. Cabin structure, West Fork Butte Lookout. From fs.usda.gov
A small cabin sits on a rocky mountain summit under a clear blue sky.
Plate IV. West Fork Butte Lookout from parking area. From recreation.gov
A view of forested mountains from a rocky summit.
Plate V. Scenic view, West Fork Butte Lookout. From recreation.gov
Interior of a cabin with a stove and table against large windows looking out to a forest and mountains.
Plate VI. Interior view, West Fork Butte Lookout. From fs.usda.gov
An interior view of a room with wooden bunk beds and a folding chair.
Plate VII. Interior bunk beds, West Fork Butte Lookout. From fs.usda.gov
A small wood-burning stove sits on a tile hearth inside a room with wood floors and stacked firewood.
Plate VIII. Stove area, West Fork Butte Lookout. From recreation.gov

West Fork Butte Lookout

Seeley Lake, Missoula County, Montana. Cabin Nonelectric; Open June 1- March 31.

Details

Map. Seeley Lake, Missoula County, Montana. Larger map
Where
24 FORT MISSOULA ROAD MISSOULA, Seeley Lake, MT 59804. Directions
Getting there
From Missoula, travel south on Highway 93 to Lolo. Turn onto Highway 12 and continue west for 17 miles, following Lolo Creek to Forest Road 37.
Fees
$55 per night.
Access
West Fork Butte Road (FR 37) is closed December 1 - April 30. Renters will need to ski, snowshoe or snowmobile 7.5 miles to the lookout. Outside of these months the road may be muddy, snowy or icy.
Walk-in or reserve
The lookout remains locked. Upon reservation renters will receive gate and cabin combination codes via email.
Phone
406-329-3814
Managed by
Lolo National Forest.
Coordinates
46.735122, -114.415872.

West Fork Butte Lookout is an ideal place for guests to experience the mountains south of Missoula from a unique vantage point. The facility provides near-360-degree views of the surrounding area.

Notable Events

  1. 1943Missoula resident Dortha Stritch worked at West Fork Butte Lookout in 1943 during World War II. historicmt.org
  2. 1967The Forest Service downgraded West Fork Butte to an emergency lookout before 1967. historicmt.org
  3. 1990sVolunteers under the direction of Missoula District personnel replaced the lookout's cedar shingle roof in the mid 1990s. npgallery.nps.gov
  4. 2001A new door was built for the lookout in 2001, using a historically accurate pattern per the nomination. npgallery.nps.gov
  5. 2012James Davis from the Missoula Ranger District conducted preservation maintenance: priming and painting the exterior walls and shutters and repairing, re-glazing and repainting the lookout windows. npgallery.nps.gov
  6. 2018The West Fork Butte Lookout was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on 1/25/2018 under NRIS Reference Number MP100002043. npgallery.nps.gov

People

  • Clyde Fickes, Created the Forest Service standard L-4 plan used for the lookout (1931).
  • Dortha Stritch, Lookout staffer (1943).
  • C. D. Blake, Associate Forester who conducted another inspection of the lookout (1940).
  • James Davis, Missoula Ranger District, conducted preservation maintenance on the lookout (2012).
  • R. E. Fields, Forester who inspected the lookout in 1936 and reported it in good condition with a solid concrete and rock foundation (1936).

Sources

  1. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234389
  2. npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100002043
  3. npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a54cc4ac-0869-42f1-92af-639b7179abc9
  4. historicmt.org/items/show/2692
  5. fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo/recreation/west-fork-butte-lookout