0
Pull-thru
USFSCuster Gallatin National Forest · Montana
Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout
Overview Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout sits on the apex of Garnet Mountain, at an elevation of 8,245 feet.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.8,084ft
Comf.Jun-Sep4 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Bozeman1h43real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 8,084 ft, Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout has a 4-month comfortable window (Jun-Sep). Winter nights average around 8°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Of the sites, 1 walk-in. Within about 4 miles: 4 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and cool nights. Softest on shade.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
Jun-Sep
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
76%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Jun 22
Last spring frost; first fall frost Sep 14.
46°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Bozeman
47 mi
1h43
02
Helena
135 mi
3h19
03
Billings
191 mi
4h10
04
Missoula
241 mi
4h48
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 1.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
1
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
17
Peaks
4
Viewpoints
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
1.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.