Bighorn National Forest · Wyoming
Overview Perched atop a forested mountain, the historic Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout offers a unique recreation experience -- one of few fire lookouts in the region available for overnight rental. Constructed in 1950 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) atop Sheep Mountain at an elevation of 9,600 feet, the lookout was historically occupied as a fire lookout until the early 1970s. The lookout is available for rental from June 15 through October 20; however, access to the facility may be limited depending on snow accumulation.
Sites at Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout are reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites here can be reserved in advance through the official system, and they are claimed fast — cancellations then trickle back all season, unannounced, at any hour of the day or night.
| Total sites | 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Buffalo, WY |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Because sites are booked months ahead, a steady share of reservations get cancelled as trips fall through. Each cancellation instantly returns that site and those nights to the official calendar — first-come, first-served, no waitlist, no announcement. Refreshing the booking page yourself, every few minutes for weeks, works in theory. In practice, the people who get these sites are the ones who hear about the opening first.
itOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout around the clock. When a site matching your dates and your vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link to it. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell — your fee pays for monitoring, and openings are first-come, so speed is the whole game.
| Sitting Bull | Cancellation alerts available |
|---|---|
| Boulder Park Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Tie Flume | Cancellation alerts available |
| Lakeview Bighorn | Cancellation alerts available |
| Sibley Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Dead Swede | Cancellation alerts available |
| Prune Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| Tie Hack | Cancellation alerts available |
| Doyle Creek Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Lost Cabin Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Porcupine Campground (Wy) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Bald Mountain Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Shell Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| South Fork (Wyoming) | Cancellation alerts available |
| North Tongue | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ranger Creek Recreation Area | Cancellation alerts available |
| Leigh Creek Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Circle Park Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Island Park Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| West Tensleep Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Hunter Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Middle Fork | Cancellation alerts available |
| Owen Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| Burgess Junction Visitor Center | Cancellation alerts available |
| Hettinger Group Area | Cancellation alerts available |
| Muddy Guard Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Pine Island Group Area | Cancellation alerts available |
| Pole Creek Cabin | Cancellation alerts available |
| Willow Park | Cancellation alerts available |
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Site facts come from the official directory listing for Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.