Walde Lookout Cabin

Walde Lookout Cabin was built in 1941 to house the employees who worked in the adjacent fire lookout, which was built in 1939. The fire lookout is still in use during the summer and fall, so the cabin is only available from approximately mid-December through late March. This charming, rustic cabin has been restored to its original character. Guests must reach the cabin by snowmobile, skis or snowshoes — a trip of around 17 miles — and are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety. Several trails crisscross the vicinity, ideal for snowmobiling, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, and there are good places to sled nearby. The 14x16-ft. log cabin accommodates four people, with two mattresses in a loft area and two cots. A wood stove heats the cabin, which is also equipped with a table and four chairs, a propane cook stove, propane lights, basic cooking and eating utensils, a smoke alarm, mop and bucket, fire extinguisher and a snow shovel. Firewood is available in a shed just outside. Toilet facilities consist of an outhouse with a pit toilet. There is no electricity or running water. Guests should bring their own drinking water; natural sources can also provide water, although it should be boiled for culinary use. Be prepared to shovel a path to the cabin, shed and outhouse, and to remove snow from the propane tank to turn it on. Bedding, flashlights or lanterns, extra batteries, matches, first aid supplies, toilet paper and garbage bags for packing out trash are not provided. The cabin sits at an elevation of 5,220 feet on the watershed divide between the Lochsa and Clearwater Rivers. This vantage point shows off the western slopes of the vast Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the jagged peaks of the Selway Crags. Dense evergreen forest surrounds the cabin, and the winter landscape is blanketed in deep, pristine snow. Wildlife sightings may include mule and white-tailed deer, elk, moose, gray wolf and cougar, along with a variety of birds.