A gray 4x4 Sprinter with a roof rack on a two-track through a wildflower meadow, cloud sitting on the mountains behind.

Forest Service cabin or lookout

Cabin Creek Campground

Forest Service cabin or lookout in Custer Gallatin National Forest, Gallatin County, Montana. 6,479 feet. 18.6 miles from West Yellowstone.

Managed by
Forest Service Custer Gallatin National Forest
Elevation
6,479 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
15 15 standard non-electric
Longest rig
29 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Cabin Creek Campground is located near the Madison River, in southwestern Montana. It is just 25 minutes from West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park's west entrance. Visitors enjoy the area for its fishing, boating and hiking opportunities, as well as its close proximity to Yellowstone.

Recreation

The Cabin Creek Trail begins at the campground. The 6-mile trail is open to hikers and horseback riders.

Earthquake Lake can be accessed less than three miles from the campground. Fishing and canoeing are popular activities there. A visitor center is nearby, with interpretive displays and information on the 1959 earthquake and subsequent landslide that formed the lake on the Madison River.

Hebgen Lake is considered Montana's premier still-water fishing lake. Anglers will find a healthy population of brown, cutthroat and rainbow trout. Boating and swimming are popular activities on the lake.

Facilities

The campground offers several single-family sites. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided.

Natural Features

The campground is situated across the road from the Madison River, between Hebgen and Earthquake Lakes. A mature pine and Douglas fir forest covers the campground, where plentiful grasses and summer wildflowers cover the forest floor.

Nearby Attractions

West Yellowstone offers dining, shopping and lodging options. The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is a popular attraction with live grizzlies, gray wolves and birds of prey, and a variety of educational exhibits and programs.

Yellowstone National Park offers unparalleled wildlife viewing opportunities, breathtaking scenery and unique geological features.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • backpacking
  • berry picking
  • biking
  • birding
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • hunting
  • mountain biking
  • mushroom picking
  • photography
  • star gazing
  • water access
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Cabin Creek Campground

The ringed pin is this cabin or lookout; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated September 3, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.