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Bishop Mountain Cabin was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938. The one-room cabin formerly housed Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management employees who stayed there to watch for forest fires. A historic fire lookout tower is nearby. The cabin was used for lookout workers until the early 1980s.
Guests can drive to the cabin from mid-May through mid-November, although about 13 miles of the trip are on gravel roads. During winter months access to the cabin is accessible by snowmobile on an ungroomed portion of the road for the remainder of the year. The cabin provides several conveniences, but guests should be prepared to bring some of their own supplies and gear for a comfortable stay.
Guests at Bishop Mountain Cabin can participate in numerous recreational activities. Nearby logging roads are suitable for mountain biking. Hiking, snowmobiling and horseback riding trails are nearby. This area is also popular with hunters and berry pickers.
Guests will find two sets of bunkbeds with mattresses, a dining table and chairs, cooking pots, dishes and tableware. A wood stove is available for cooking and heating, and firewood is provided. A vault toilet is located in a separate building. Running water and electricity are not available. Guests must bring their own water supply as well as trash bags for packing out garbage. Bedding, matches, lighting and first aid supplies are not provided.
The cabin sits at 7,800 feet on the summit of Bishop Mountain, which is covered by pine trees. This mountain sits on the western border of Henry's Fork Caldera, an 18-mile long, 23-mile wide caldera located just west of Yellowstone National Park. Visitors are awarded scenic views of the surrounding mountains. Wildlife in this area includes black bear, wolf, elk, moose, mule deer, and grizzly bears.
Harriman State Park is approximately 14 miles east of Bishop Mountain and open year-round. It lies within a wildlife refuge that's part of the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Visitors often see moose, elk, sandhill cranes and trumpeter swans. Anglers can find some of the best fly-fishing in the nation, and there are numerous multi-use trails.
From Ashton, ID, travel north on Highway 20 for 16 miles, then turn left (west) on North Antelope Flat Road (#168). Travel 7.5 miles to Bishop Mountain Road (#120) and then turn right (north) and travel for about 5.4 miles. The road dead ends at the cabin.
On the road up, it's best to use 4wd or other off road vehicle. Interseting location, some great views. You can rent the cabin...
I stayed here a lot with my family when I was a kid. You have to book it about three months in order to reserve the cabin for the weekend, but it’s well worth it! The view outside is beautiful, the air is crisp and clean, and there are bunk beds and a kitchen area inside with an old wood burning stove. It’s a great place to stay if you just want to get away for a bit with nobody else around but you and whoever you bring.
It was cool to read about and visit a piece of history at this cabin. The view off the mountain top was breathtaking. Nobody was staying at the cabin, so we were able to go up to it and walk around it.
You can walk in if people are there which is nice, but the campers seem to think you aren’t allowed. Not sure what the discrepancy is since the sign legitimately says walk in access is allowed but privacy of campers is required.
Also there is very little information on the government websites about actually going to visit the tower not just staying in the cabin.
1. Our unlifted Yukon was able to get all the way to the gate.
2. The tower is fenced and locked off. There is no time during the year that it is open since the stairs are deteriorating. However, supposedly you can get up it if you scale the fence.
