Best Cabin Camping near Cooke City, MT

I camped here twice last summer when I worked in the park as a wildlife research technician studying bats (This cabin may only be available for park staff). The hike in is best done as a through hike with a planned pick up on the other side. The trail is hard to follow in some areas. Starts out flat then you go up Mary Mountain where the cabin is located. The Mary mountain cabin is small but has enough bedding for up to 5 or 6 people. It has bunk beds, cots, tons of sleeping bags and pads. There is a cute porch, pic nic table, fire pit, and a double seated outhouse. Locks up nicely as there are definitely bears in the area. The small lake in front of the cabin is cold and clear. One of my favorite places in the park!

The host was super accommodating. It was raining and she recommended the “cabin” so we were sheltered. The cabin had two cots in it. So used our sleeping bag and pads. Showers were hot. Cleaning drinking water. Portapotty by the “cabin”. Short drive into the town, which is worth a visit! Very cute.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Sunlight Rangers Cabin. I am a huge outdoors person, so coming here was perfect for me. There are some awesome hiking trails that lead you to some great views and scenery. The campground is located within the Shoshone National Forest and near Sunlight Creek. The scenery that surrounds the cabin is beautiful- lots of trees and mountains. The cabin was really nice, clean and well kept. You do have to call ahead of time to make your reservations because they do not take walk-ins. You do need to bring your own food and supplies because the campground does not provide that. You also are responsible for cleaning the cabin before you leave- they did tell us that you will be charged if you leave the place a mess. They do provide some cleaning products. Also, no pets are allowed. Thankfully we asked when we were booking the place, or else we would have brought our dog. We stayed in a 2 bedroom cabin, and had 4 people. The two bedroom cabin was plenty of room for the 4 of us. The cabins have all the amenities you need- a kitchen (table, stove, fridge), full bathrooms, living room (with fireplace), and beds. You do need to bring your own sheets and sleeping bags. During my stay, we hiked both days. We did Bonneville Pass and Jade Lakes. Jade Lakes was a pretty easy hike, however Bonneville Pass was definitely harder. Great views for both! I would definitely recommend hiking at least once during your stay. The Shoshone National Forest offers a great variety of hikes for all levels. I would just do your research beforehand so you don't get stuck doing a hike you can't handle. I would recommend this campground (however, it is about $150 a night, but worth it!).

We stayed in a cabin on the river. One of my favorite spots. It was our first time staying at a KOA and would recommend it.

nice KOA, some cabins are right on the river, we stayed in our motorhome, they have grass and gravel pull thrus and back ins, lots of tent areas, indoor pool. nice and quiet!

Came in late in the rain…they had cabins available for not much more than a tent site. That was a blessing for us since we have been tent camping. Staff is very helpful and friendly!

I was able to snag a kamping cabin the day before for one night on the way through bc the campgrounds off the interstate all said the train was loud. Totally worth the extra 15 minutes one way! River on one side, mountains on the other. Wish I could have stayed longer m

Right in the river this is a great location to base camp. Lots of families but quiet and well kept. We stayed in a cabin right on the river and it was lovely cool and quiet. Drive into pray mt for some awesome bbq and bluegrass music ! Chico hot springs a short drive away as well

I was nervous pulling in since we're glampers, but was so pleasantly surprised. The new owners are the most hospitable, friendly and helpful people we've met. The ample renovations are clearly visible. What a great clean campground near the Beartooth Hwy, Chief Joseph hwy and beautiful Red Lodge. Within hour of Billings or Cody. About an hour and half to northern Yellowstone also. The hook ups are awesome, heated pool, immaculate facilities, and awesome trail off the CG. The only drawback was spotty WiFi and limited channels using antenna. Sites were level, patio sites are beautiful and cabins are new or completely refurbished. We loved our time here and highly recommend a stay here. Don't miss the awesome local businesses. The stores and views are breathtaking

Camped here many times over the years, it was our favorite place in the park. It's a bit more like a National Forest CG because it's somewhat off the beaten path and quiet. It is certainly more crowded these days than it used to be, back then it rarely filled.  

The site are good, some more private than others. It is NOT a place for Big Rigs, I think the length limit was 35' last time I was there (vehicle + trailer or whatever you're pulling) and they strictly enforced that. The volunteers at the entrance cabin actually brought out a tape measure and measured my 4Runner and 17' Casita at 31' so we got in. Many rigs behind us in line were too big and were turned away.

The creeks (Indian & Obsidian) contain small Brook Trout. For supplies, Mammoth is the closest place. 

Have been the in June, July August & September.

The campground is totally on the reservation system unlike a few years ago. No 1st come, 1st serve anymore.

A variety of site types (some great for RV's, others better designed for tents). A huge sand beach with swimming area, docks with boat slip rentals. Campfire programs both during the day and night, plus the ranger station has fishing poles and nature backpacks to check out for kids for free. Camp store with basic essentials and ice cream.

We stayed at Canyon Campground on our 3rd night in the park. It was great for being in the middle of busy Yellowstone! If you have been on a long journey and are a bit tired of using camp suds in a dry sack for laundry then you should swing by at least for the laundry services. There are over 250 sites available and some are available for reservations. There is a general store and restaurant near by as well. Not the place if you are looking to get away from it all but a nice welcome back to civilization after time in the backcountry. It is pricey for a campground coming in at over $25 per night, but cheaper than area hotels by far! Plus that includes 2 free showers each night. The nearby visitor center has a great exhibit about the volcano that will scare the pants off of you LOL It is a quick jump over to the upper and lower falls and the grand canyon of yellowstone. Great location for those looking to get around the are and see a lot while not always being completely stinky and eating dehydrated food out of baggies :)

Getting reservations at Yellowstone National Park is tricky, so unless you've managed to grab a spot one the exact right day about 6 months in advance, you'll be stuck trying to grab a "first-come, first-served" camp site. In larger campgrounds like Norris in Yellowstone, this means getting there around 6 or 7 am and hopefully getting lucky.

Indian Creek, on the other hand, still had one spot left around 11am when we got there. Looking at their booking calendar, that may have been a bit of a fluke for mid-week July (yesterday it says they booked up at 7:30 am), but it's definitely a better bet than other, more popular campgrounds.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

Decent spots, not a ton of privacy, asboluetely beautiful waterflowers, meadows and creeks surrounding the campground. There's pit toilets instead of flush, which matches the cheaper price of $15.

In theory you can have 35-foot RVs here, and the road is nice enough they should be fine, but when we were there is was almost all tents and smaller vintage or canned hams. Generators are not allowed to run at all, so that might be a deciding factor keeping the bigger rigs away.

All-in-all, a nice enough spot if you want to try out the east side of Yellowstone and/or want to get away from the larger campgrounds with more difficult bookings.

nice road getting to, once there the road at campground in a tad uneven and skinny but doable , wouldn’t take a big motorhome, but good for under 30 ft. has 1 vault potty. no showers, elec. water or sewer, it’s a pack in, pack out! very beautiful, right on a creek!

Drive towards Yellowstone and the head east. The road is nice and meanders through ranches and homes, even after turning to dirt. We saw deer as well as an eagle taking flight next to us. Way at the end of the road is Snowbank. The road through camp is narrow and two-way so exercise caution. We were lucky to find a site unreserved for one night. 

Sites have different feels to them. Ours stretches- car then teardrop then picnic table then fire pit and finally extra space for tents. We’re right by the creek and it’s loud enough so we don’t hear that generator down the way. Water is available and there are a number of vault toilets throughout. We got set up just before the thunderstorms. It rained hard and then the hail started. 

A trailhead is just outside the entrance. Tall grass was everywhere and we never saw anyone parked there. We’re assuming that it doesn’t get used as much. 

This is active bear territory and there are ample warnings. This is a beautiful, remote campground that we are enjoying.

10 miles up Mill Creek Rd., well maintained, book in advance because it fills up. A creek runs through the grounds. Stars are amazing at night!