Bend Guard Station

The Bend area offers opportunities for a variety of outdoor recreation experiences including hiking, fishing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and berry picking, in season. The Bend Work Center was once a Ranger Station for the old Cabinet National Forest. The original log ranger cabin which was constructed in 1911 is still on the site.

Current Conditions

Open year-long. Reservations Required through Recreation.gov.

Bend Guard Station

Photos of the Bend Guard Station Forest Service rental cabin on the Lolo National Forest, Montana. (USDA Forest Service Photo)

General Information

This building has four bedrooms in the basement, each with bunk beds and mattresses for four. There are two bathrooms with flush toilets and a shower on the first floor along with a large kitchen and a living/dining area. The kitchen has two electric ranges, a microwave, one refrigerator, basic kitchen implements, and two sinks. Electric heat provided.

Limited to 5 nights per reservation.

$90 per night up to 16 people. Visit Recreation.gov to make reservations.

The Old Ranger House will be ready to rent in 2022, and sleeps an additional 4 people. The fee will be an additional $40.

Getting There

Latitude / Longitude

Latitude: 47.900255

Longitude: -115.043097

Directions

This rental is located approximately 32 miles up the Thompson River Road (County Road 556) from its junction with Montana Highway 200, five miles east of Thompson Falls, Montana. It may also be accessed from U.S. Highway 2 by turning south on the Thompson River Road (County Road 556) between McGregor Lake and Lower Thompson Lake, approximately 40 miles west of Kalispell, Montana. After leaving Highway 2 or 200, area roads are low standard gravel or dirt and are often rough. Area roads also serve logging trucks and should be driven with care.