Mt. Baldy-Buckhorn Ridge
October 2026
About
Overview
The Mount Baldy - Buckhorn Ridge Lookout sits at an elevation of 6,529 feet in the Kootenai National Forest. This location has been used as an observation point for detecting forest fires since 1910. The current lookout tower was built in 1957.
The lookout is typically available from late June through late September, and is accessible by car, though high clearance vehicles are recommended for the primitive roads. Some creature comforts are provided, but guests should be prepared to pack in many of their own amenities.
Recreation
Aside from exploring Mount Baldy, hikers can find a network of trails in the surrounding Yaak Area. The Northwest Peaks Scenic Area, located in the northwest corner of the Yaak Area, offers a variety of hiking trails in beautiful settings.
Hunting is also possible nearby. Wild berries grow in the area, inviting berry pickers.
Facilities
This 144 square foot lookout cabin sits atop a 26-foot tower and is encircled by a catwalk. It can accommodate 4 people and comes equipped with 2 twin beds and 4 mattresses, a table, 2 chairs, broom and dustpan. Propane appliances are provided that include a cook stove, heater and lights. An outhouse with vault toilet islocated nearby.
The lookout does not have electricity or water. Guests must provide their own water for drinking, cooking and washing.
Items such as cooking gear, bedding, lanterns or flashlights, matches, extra toilet paper, first aid supplies, trash bags, dish soap, and towels are not available.
Guests are expected to pack out their trash and clean the cabin before leaving.
Natural Features
The lookout offers views of the Kaniksu National Forest in Idaho, the Cabinet Mountain Range and Rock Candy Mountain. The panorama features endless mountain peaks and evergreen forest. Guests have an ideal location for watching sunrises and sunsets, or for gazing out over the starry night skies.
Kootenai National Forest supports populations of deer, elk, moose, grizzly and black bears, wolves and mountain lions (bear safety). A variety of smaller mammals and birds can also be found.
Nearby Attractions
Yaak Falls is a popular destination just a short drive from the lookout off Yaak Highway 508. Spring and early summer are the best times to visit, when the snowmelt finds its way over the falls.
Amenities
Phone: 406-295-4693
Is MT. BALDY-BUCKHORN RIDGE fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches MT. BALDY-BUCKHORN RIDGE in Troy, MT for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching MT. BALDY-BUCKHORN RIDGE for cancellations is the paid part.