Lost Horse Guard Station

The Lost Horse Guard Station was built in 1938 by request of George Case, Moose Creek District Ranger, to assist the Forest Service's efforts to administer and manage the high country of the southern Bitterroot Range. Using funds from the Works Progress Administration, the cabin was constructed by Emil Schwartz, from Wisdom, Montana, and known for paying close attention to detail. Its quality of construction is evident through the minimal amount of required repairs and restoration over the 80 years since. It is an excellent example of a Region One standard plan log cabin and guard station, with saddle-notched random-length log crowns, a drive-through porch, native stone foundation and cedar shingle roof. The cabin features two sets of full-sized bunk beds, a wood burning stove as the heat source and a propane cook stove. There is no drinking water at this cabin, so bring your own for drinking, cleaning and the rest. There is no trash service either: pack it in, pack it out. Firewood is only provided January through March. From January through March the cabin must be accessed by snowmobile or other over-snow vehicles via a 14-mile route that may not be recently groomed. Road and snow conditions can change rapidly, so plan accordingly, prepare and check conditions before you go. There are many trails close to the cabin. The Bailey Lake Trailhead is within walking distance; travel one mile to the west to Bear Creek Pass and access the Bear Creek Trail, Lower and Upper Bear Lakes, Coquina Lake, Fish Lake and the South Fork of Lost Horse Creek drainage; travel 2 miles to the north to access the Twin Lakes Trail, the Wahoo Pass Trail and the vast expanse of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Bear Creek Pass and Twin Lakes both feature ramps and hitching posts for riders looking to either take a leisurely day ride or venture into the labyrinth of trails that dissect the wilderness. Motorized boats are prohibited on Twin Lakes, just 2 miles from the cabin, which makes for a great opportunity for non-motorized craft. Along with Lost Horse Creek, anglers can drive or hike to any of the lakes above and expect to find brook trout, westslope cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, bull trout, brown trout and mountain whitefish; some of the lakes in the area are in Idaho, so obtain the appropriate licenses for the state you will be fishing in. Hunters can strike out in search of whitetail deer, mule deer, black bear, elk and mountain grouse species. With routine heavy snowfall, the area is a great opportunity for cross-country skiers, with some areas groomed and lots of wild untouched snow; for over-snow travel, the road makes for an easier ride, but deep powder can be found very easily in a variety of terrain for riders of any experience level. Motorized travel is not permitted in the wilderness area. Opportunities for climbing, bird watching, photography and general nature viewing abound. The cabin resides nearly 18 miles from Highway 93 in the Lost Horse Creek drainage on the west side of the beautiful Bitterroot Valley, reached by the Lost Horse Road, built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The drainages on the west side of the valley differ from the surrounding landscape: these glacially carved canyons are home to towering peaks, craggy granite cliffs, serene alpine lakes, steep avalanche chutes, flowing creeks and cascading waterfalls. These features create a microclimate in the canyon that sustains a dense mixed coniferous forest containing ponderosa pine in the lower and drier sites, Douglas-fir, western hemlock and western red cedar along the creek, and lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce and whitebark pine at the higher elevations. The Lost Horse Road provides access into the Bitterroot Mountains much further than the typical eastern boundary of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, which can be reached at Bear Creek Pass and Twin Lakes, both within 2 miles of the guard station.