Overview

Stony Cabin provides access to Rock Creek, a Blue Ribbon Trout Stream, and is within close proximity to a variety of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Guests can enjoy winter recreation on those same trails when there is snow in the area, typically from December until May of each year. The cabin is available all year, offering the opportunity to experience the backcountry of western Montana in all seasons.

The primitive cabin was built in 1914 and was used as a place for Forest Service employees to sleep while working in the area.

The cabin can be accessed by vehicle through most of the year. There is limited room in the driveway and trailers are not recommended; however, there is additional parking at the adjacent campground. Excessive snowfall may require visitors to walk about a quarter-mile from the main road to the cabin. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.

Natural Features:

Many older maps still refer to this cabin as the Squaw Rock Cabin because the notable Squaw Rock formation overlooks the site. The cabin is adjacent to Stony Creek Road and across from Stony Creek Campground in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Rock Creek runs nearby and the road is lined with aspen trees, making for a scenic drive.

The area is known for its high, rugged and beautiful mountain scenery, as well as the variety of wildlife that makes its home there, including bighorn sheep, elk, moose, deer, mountain lions and bears (learn more about bear safety).

Recreation:

Fishing is available in Rock Creek and anglers might find plentiful brook, brown and rainbow trout. Much of the stream is protected from bull or westslope cutthroat trout fishing to improve the fishery and provide food for grizzly bears. Big game hunting is possible in designated areas. Appropriate licensing is required to fish and hunt in Montana.

A variety of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails and old roads climb into the steep drainages and canyons of the Bitterroot Range. The trail at the end of Forest Road 241 leads to lovely Stony Lake at over 8,000 feet in elevation.

Guests also enjoy snowmobiling, cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the area during the winter.

Facilities:

The cabin is equipped with two sets of bunk beds with mattress pads that can sleep up to four people. It has a wood stove for heat, a propane cook stove and a small table with chairs. Some pots, pans and utensils are provided, but guests may wish to bring their own. The cabin is stocked with firewood, and brooms and mops are provided for cleaning. Accessible pit toilets and drinking water are available at the campground across the road from the cabin.

Electricity and fuel for the cook stove are not provided. Guests need to bring their own propane canisters, sleeping bags, pillows, towels, flashlights or lanterns, matches and lighters, garbage bags and a first aid kit, among other necessities. All garbage and food must be packed out, and guests must clean the cabin prior to leaving. The cabin has external wooden shutters that need to be closed as well.