Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

Green Flat Campground

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 their stay enjoyable. The panoramic view guarantees a memorable stay.

Recreation

Hikers can follow the paths of the Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark on the historic Lolo Trail. The Lolo Motorway is popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Click here for an Idaho OHV safety message.  

Huckleberries are abundant in the summer, offering good berry picking opportunities.

Facilities

Castle Butte Lookout can accommodate four people and comes equipped with two twin beds with foam mattresses, two cots, a table with two chairs, mop & bucket, a propane cook stove, propane lights, propane heater and propane. A pit toilet is located in a separate building outside. Click here for additional cabin details. The cabin does not have electricity or water. Guests should bring their own water supply as there is no close water source. Guests must provide their own emergency lighting, garbage bags, bedding, matches, toilet paper, cookware and cooking utensils. The cabin should be cleaned before departure.

Natural Features

The lookout is surrounded by a rocky landscape that quickly gives way to dense forests of lodgepole and ponderosa pines.  

This unique facility offers an ideal vantage point to watch sunrises and sunsets, and gaze at the stars. Wildlife enthusiasts may spot eagles, bears, moose, elk, deer and mountain goats.

Nearby Attractions

The Lolo Motorway stretches for 100 miles through scenic mountain landscapes. Summer visitors can see meadows and hillsides blanketed in colorful wildflowers. Travelers should be prepared for rough, sometimes treacherous conditions. No services are located along this road, so travelers should have plenty of gas, food and water for the drive.

ADA Access: N



Castle Butte Lookout

At mile marker 135.3 on US Hwy 12, Idaho’s Northwest Passage Scenic Byway,&nbsp;along the Wild and Scenic Lochsa River, a majestic wooden trail bridge forms part of the Eagle Mountain Trailhead, offering hikers, backpackers and those on horseback an opportunity to experience the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Once across the bridge (don’t forget to take some pictures!), the trail follows the river and then a ridgeline as it winds into the wilderness. Hitch rails and some parking are provided at the trailhead.



Eagle Mountain Trailhead

Stanley Hot Springs - Backcountry Dispersed Campsite

Wilderness Gateway Campground provides direct access to the Wild and Scenic Lochsa River. Visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities, including world famous whitewater rafting. Hiking and horseback riding trails abound in the nearby Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, which is the 3rd-largest in the lower 48 United States. This large and unique campground offers respite for a variety of campers, including those with horses, horse trailers and RVs.

Recreation

The Lochsa River is world famous for its exciting whitewater rafting opportunities. Visitors do not need a permit to float the Lochsa, but technical expertise is a must. The river is also a destination fly fishing experience for cutthroat and rainbow trout, chinook salmon and steelhead. There are a number of river access points near the campground, along Highway 12. Highway 12, also known as the Lewis and Clark Highway, winds along the narrow river canyon through evergreen trees and large rock outcroppings. Visitors to the area enjoy the scenic drive and historic sites along the way. Elk, deer, moose, bear, cougar and mountain goats make the steep canyon country their home, as well as other wildlife. A variety of birds are also active in the area. Boulder Creek cascades down into the campground on its descent from the neighboring 1.5-million acre Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area. Several trails head into the wilderness from the campground, including the 15-mile Lochsa Peak Trail and the 27-mile Boulder Creek Trail. A 1-mile birding trail loops around the campground and the half-mile Downriver Trail leads to a scenic river overlook. All trails are open to hiking and the wilderness trails are also open to horseback riding. The Lochsa Historical Ranger Station, a living history visitor center, is located one mile southwest of the campground.

Facilities

The campground offers dozens of accessible, single-family campsites and a large-group site, available for tent and RV camping. Utility hookups are not available and parking surfaces are paved. The group campsite can accommodate up to 208 people and 52 vehicles. If the group campsite (Loop A) is reserved, a combination code will be provided in your confirmation email to gain access to the site. Loop D hosts equestrian sites, which provide access to hitching rails, a watering and feeding station and staging area. Please only reserve Loop D if you have stock you intend to bring with you. From April until June 1 of every year, individuals with boats or campers are allowed to camp in the site. After June 1 - no other campers are allowed.   

All campsites are equipped with tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets, flush toilets and drinking water are provided throughout the campground. Firewood is not provided, nor is it always available at the campground. Some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.   

An adjacent, accessible group shelter is also available and can accommodate up to 200 people. If reserved, a combination code will be provided in the confirmation email. the code is needed to access the utility room which has a converter plug for the use with your personal generator. Access to the utility room is required to run the lights and electrical outlets in the pavilion. The pavilion is equipped with a stone fireplace and multiple tables. The Accessible flush toilets and a parking area are adjacent to the pavilion.

Natural Features

The campground is located in heavily wooded forest in north-central Idaho at an elevation of 2,100 feet. It is adjacent to the Lochsa River. Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning "rough water." The 70-mile river and its tributaries have no dams and flow is unregulated from its headwaters near the Powell Ranger Station in the Bitterroots, to Lowell, where it joins the Selway River to form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. The Lochsa is one of the world's best for continuous whitewater.

Nearby Attractions

*1 hour from access to the National Historic Lolo Trail Corridor *1 mile from the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station and Visitor Center

ADA Access: N



Wilderness Gateway

This facility is no longer reservable.

Recreation

Facilities

Natural Features

Nearby Attractions

ADA Access: N



Liz Butte Cabin

Liz Creek Cabin was built in 1929 in the remote backcountry as a Forest Service guard station and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. An extensive restoration that was completed in 2014 brought the cabin back to life as a rental available to the public. The small single room cabin has a loft and a covered porch. Although there are several entry points to the area, the site is only accessible by the single track multi use portion of Weitas Cr trail 20 that connects 12 mile saddle to the North Fork of the Clearwater River. Visitors are strongly advised to consult the forest website, as well as a map prior to reserving or traveling to the cabin and to call the district information desk for any questions.

Recreation

While remote, this site offers a great chance to explore both riparian habitat and mountain vistas. Along with trail 20 a multi-use motorized trail, that is also open to ATV/UTV from 12 Mile Saddle to within approximately 1.5 miles of the cabin, there are several other trails in the vicinity that offer connection to a host of recreation opportunities to the avid outdoors adventurer with berry picking, hiking, biking, sightseeing, fishing and hunting being the most popular. Recreate responsibly, be sure to check the regulations and rules to educate yourself before you recreate by visiting https://idfg.idaho.gov/ and https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/nezperceclearwater/news-events for up to date information.

Facilities

The small primitive cabin has a loft and a covered porch and can accommodate a maximum of four people. There are sleeping cots, table with chairs, wood heating stove, storage cabinet, and a fire ring outside. The remote site offers no modern amenities, an outhouse with pit toilet is located a short distance from the cabin and a stream provides water that needs to be treated before consuming. Guests must bring their own supplies and gear for a comfortable stay as there are no linens or toiletries provided. Guests are required to pick up after their pets/stock, take their trash and clean the cabin before they check-out with the provided cleaning supplies, under the “Leave it Cleaner than when you arrived” and the “Pack it in Pack it out” policies, so everyone may enjoy their stay.

Natural Features

Situated at an elevation of 3,500 feet at the confluence of Liz and Weitas Creeks, the site offers a panoramic view of the diverse surroundings. The forest beyond the cabin’s meadow varies from old growth conifer trees mixed with huge cedar snags from the great 1910 fires, to steep mountain sides filled with an abundance of vegetation, including Huckleberry, Mountain Maple, Thimble berry and alder. Weitas, and to a lesser extent Liz Creek, have multiple beaver dams unique to the area providing a water abundant habitat full of native flora/fauna, so visitors are likely to have several opportunities to catch a glimpse of the many species in the area. The cabin is an ideal base camp for those looking to reconnect with nature, or as a stopover for a variety of outdoor enthusiasts as they explore the district.

Nearby Attractions

Depending on how you decide to travel into the cabin, there are many attractions along the way including: The historic Lolo Motorway that stretches 100 miles through scenic mountain landscapes with spectacular views as it parallels a portion of the Lewis and Clark and the Nez Perce trails that pass by but not limited to places such as; The Smoking Place, The Sinque Hole, and Spirit Revival Ridge. The North Fork ranger district prides itself on the diversity of world class recreational opportunities ranging from bird/wildlife watching, big game hunting, whitewater rafting, leisurely floats, secluded backpacking/equestrian trails into the high mountain backcountry, to motorized OHV/ ATV/OHV trail systems, providing unique experiences that draws visitors from around the world and of all walks of life. The historic Lolo Motorway stretches 100 miles through scenic mountain landscapes. Summer visitors can see meadows and hillsides blanketed in colorful wildflowers. Travelers should be prepared for rough, sometimes treacherous conditions. No services are located along this road, so travelers should have plenty of gas, food and water for the drive.

ADA Access: N



Liz Creek Cabin

Sleeping up to four guests, equipped with woodstove and propane heater, this historic lookout was originally constructed in 1931, and the timbered structure visitors see today was constructed in 1953. &nbsp;Weitas Butte Lookout is positioned along the the famous and historic Lolo Motorway just 3 miles north of Rocky Ridge Lake. It's remote and peaceful location along the Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and its sweeping vistas of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness makes this lookout an ideal location to spend a unique night or two. &nbsp;



Green Flat Campground

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Nearby Campgrounds

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