Castle Butte Lookout in ID -- Campground & RV Camping in Idaho
Castle Butte Lookout in ID
U.S. Forest Service allows overnight stays only at the designated sites here.
Castle Butte Lookout sits atop a rocky pinnacle at 6,659 feet, providing unobstructed views of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the North Fork Clearwater River canyons. Built in 1950, the cabin sleeps four on two twin beds with foam mattresses and two cots. Furnishings include a propane cooktop, heater, lights, and a table with chairs. A pit toilet is located in an outhouse outside. The lookout requires a 100-foot walk up steep terrain from the single-lane Lolo Motorway. Guests must haul in all drinking water, bedding, and supplies, as well as pack out their own trash.
Road difficulty 4 of 5 -- a difficult drive in. Recorded as maintained only for high-clearance vehicles, dirt, pitching to 10%, 100% of it on a shelf. Flat ground is scarce -- under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
Cabins and shelters rather than pads -- most of them shaded. The nearest town, Kamiah, is 41 mi off.
September normals 37–60°F, 2.1″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Set by U.S. Forest Service. Stage 1 and 2 orders change within days -- check the current order before you build a fire.
fs.usda.gov