About Castle Butte Lookout
Castle Butte Lookout is a unique cabin perched on a rocky point, 6,659 feet above sea level. It offers breathtaking, 360-degree views of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, the Seven Devils Mountains, the Great Burn area and the deep canyons of the North Fork Clearwater River's upper drainages. A cabin was first constructed on this site in 1916 and was replaced in 1928 with a log cabin featuring a cupola. The current lookout was built in 1950. Access to the lookout is via the Lolo Motorway, a primitive, single-lane road constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s. It is not recommended for large RVs, vehicles with low ground clearance or trailers. Guests should be prepared to walk about 100 feet up steep, rocky terrain to reach the lookout. Castle Butte Lookout is equipped with a few creature comforts, but guests will need to bring some gear and supplies to help make…
- Managed by: Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, FS
- Where: 28 mi east of Pierce, ID · 46.43417, -115.21917
Things to do:
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jul–Aug (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Oct–Apr.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Butte | ATV road | at camp | 1.7 mi |
| Castle Butte | Dirt bike | 0.1 mi | 1.6 mi |
| Lolo Trail | ATV road | 0.8 mi | 92.7 mi |
| Bald Mountain Lake | Dirt bike | 1.3 mi | 0.8 mi |
| Skookum Creek | Dirt bike | 2.7 mi | 4.6 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
AT&T 4G
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way casts shadows and the sky is crowded with stars.
Class 1 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Propane: 24.5 mi
Nearest of each within 25 miles, straight-line.Camps nearby
- Eagle Mountain Trailhead 4.4 mi
- Liz Creek Cabin 4.7 mi
- Liz Butte Cabin 5.6 mi
- Campsite · 29 mi SE of Pierce 7.9 mi
- Wilderness Gateway Campground 8 mi
- Campsite · 31 mi SE of Pierce 8.1 mi