Diamond Butte Lookout in MT -- Campground & RV Camping
Diamond Butte Lookout in MT
CampgroundUSFS
42 mi from Lame Deer
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- Road difficulty 4 of 5: a difficult drive in.
- Recorded as maintained for high-clearance vehicles, dirt, pitching to 16%, 100% of it on a shelf.
Campground details
Setting
Diamond Butte Lookout sits atop a 30-foot masonry tower on Diamond Butte at 4,245 feet in the Custer National Forest. Accommodating four guests, the cabin is furnished with a twin bed, double futon, cot, table, chairs, propane heater, propane lights, and a propane cook stove with an oven. An outhouse pit toilet is located at the parking gate 200 feet below the tower, along with a wagon to help haul gear up the steep hill. No water or electricity is provided, so guests must pack in all drinking water and supplies.
Getting there: From Ashland, Montana: travel east on State Highway 212 for approximately 3 miles. Turn south onto Otter Creek Road hwy 484 and travel 20 miles. Just past the Fort Howes Work Center, turn east onto Taylor Creek Road and travel 12 miles to Sonnette Divide Road. Turn north onto the Sonnette Divide Road for 2 miles then turn east on the Diamond Butte Lookout Road. Travel 1 mile to the lookout.
- Well separated here, a single-site campground with the nearest through road 0.7 miles off.
- Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
- Open country, with nothing named rising within 30 miles.
- Cabins and shelters rather than pads.
- Diamond Butte Reservoir Number One lies 0.7 mi off.
Climate averages
October normals 32–59°F, 1.5″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 98 of 100.