Wurtz Cabin is a Forest Service rental on North Fork Road in Flathead National Forest, about 46 miles north of Columbia Falls and just a few miles south of the Canadian border. Frank and Ella Wurtz homesteaded this land in 1913, and the two-story log cabin they built after a fire destroyed their first home is now available to rent for $75 a night. It sleeps 12, has no running water or electricity, and has a Wolf commercial range in the kitchen.
History
Frank and Ella Wurtz settled the North Fork in 1913 and raised their family on this stretch of land for decades. The current cabin wasn’t the first structure on the property. Their original home burned down, and the story behind that fire is darker than it sounds: historical accounts suggest the fire may have been connected to the disappearance of two of their youngest children, whose fate was never fully resolved. The Wurtz family continued living on the land through the 1960s, and volunteers later helped the Forest Service restore the surviving cabin to what you see today. It’s listed on the National Historic Register, and there’s a porch plaque that lays out the full history. Plan to spend a few minutes with it when you arrive.
The Cabin
The inside is bigger than you’d expect from the outside. The main floor has a large living room with two full couches, a recliner, a wood stove, and framed historic photos on the walls. There’s a dining area off to one side with a table and chairs, and a private bedroom with a double bed on the main floor. The upstairs loft opens into a wide sleeping area with multiple twin beds across two connected rooms, which means a group of six adults has plenty of space, and a group pushing toward twelve will still make it work.
The Kitchen
The kitchen has a four-burner Wolf commercial range with a griddle and a full oven. In a cabin with no running water, no electricity, and an outdoor vault toilet. Reviewers have been scratching their heads over this for years and eventually just accepted it as a gift. Plan your meals accordingly, because you’ll be cooking on better equipment than most people have at home. The rest of the kitchen has ample cabinet storage, a prep island, and enough cookware and utensils to feed a large group.
There is no water at the cabin at all, so bring drinking water in jugs and bring enough for cooking and dishes too. The bathroom situation is a vault toilet a short walk from the front door.
One thing to know before you get too comfortable in that kitchen: mice are a permanent fixture at the cabin, and the Forest Service says so in their fine print. Trapping supplies are provided. With a commercial range and a full group cooking for multiple days, staying on top of crumbs, grease, and garbage takes some daily attention. Store all food in sealed containers or back in your vehicle overnight.
Getting There
From Columbia Falls, take North Fork Road north for about 46 miles. The road is unpaved, rough, and slow going the whole way. You’ll pass through Polebridge about seven miles before the cabin, and if you’re thinking you’re almost there at that point, you have a bit more road ahead.
A quirk of the location: during summer days, North Fork Road carries a steady stream of Glacier National Park visitors heading to Bowman and Kintla lakes, and all that traffic kicks up dust that drifts right into the cabin yard. Once the day-use crowd clears out in the evening, it goes completely quiet.
The bear country signs start before you even reach Polebridge. This is active grizzly habitat. Bring bear spray, keep it accessible during hikes, and keep all food inside the cabin or in a locked vehicle at night.
Polebridge Mercantile
Stop at the Polebridge Mercantile on your way in, about seven miles south of the cabin on North Fork Road. The huckleberry bear claws are worth the stop on their own, but the snickerdoodles have their fans too. Stock up on anything you forgot and get the baked goods while you’re at it.
Day Trips into Glacier
Bowman and Kintla lakes are both in the northwest corner of Glacier National Park, accessible via the Inside North Fork Road. From Wurtz Cabin, head back south to the Polebridge junction and pick up that road into the park.
Bowman Lake is about 6 miles from the junction. It’s one of the larger lakes in the park and far less crowded than anything along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor. There’s good fishing, swimming, and a 13-mile trail to the head of the lake if you want a full day out.
Kintla Lake is about 14 miles further along the same road. The road gets rougher, the campground has only 15 sites on a first-come, first-served basis, and no motor boats are allowed on the water. It’s the least-visited lake in the park, and it shows.
What to Bring
The cabin provides propane for the stove, heater, and lights, as well as the wood stove and basic cookware. Firewood for the wood stove is available at the cabin between October 1 and May 1. Bring everything else:
- Drinking water, enough for cooking and dishes too
- Sleeping bags and pillows
- All food, packed in sealed containers
- Garbage bags — pack everything out
- Bear spray
- Flashlights or headlamps
Booking
Wurtz Cabin is available year-round at $75 per night. Maximum stay is three consecutive nights, with a limit of seven days per calendar year. Check-in is at 2 PM and check-out is at noon. No pets or livestock are allowed. Book through Recreation.gov.