Located approximately 27 miles south of Big Sky, Trapper’s Cabin is a classic wilderness ranch just north of Yellowstone National Park encompassing 640± acres. Completely surrounded by national forest and within a mile of the designated Lee Metcalf Wilderness boundary. The ranch until very recently has been a coveted family retreat for over 50 years. It is off the grid, but fully functional through a combination of solar panels and a propane generator along with Star Link for internet and communication. Accessible via over 13 miles of gravel road, which closes due to heavy snow in the late fall. Winter access is by snowmobile or snow cat. Lightning Creek, a tributary of the Gallatin River, flows through the property for a mile offering a good small trout fishery. The building compound consists of traditional log improvements constructed with hand peeled logs harvested on the property. There is a lodge, four comfortable guest cabins, and a full complement of support buildings, including an old-style hip-roof barn with corrals. The compound was put together in the 1960s and no expense was spared to create an idyllic family retreat in the style of the day. The property has been well maintained and upgraded recently. The land is primarily timbered with a mix of open meadows used for summer pasture for the owner’s horse herd. The ranch enjoys big views of the Taylor Peaks, many of which rise above 10,000 feet virtually on the ranch boundary. Wildlife in this area and on the ranch is incredibly diverse. In summary it is difficult to imagine a more perfect private setting in spectacular but “user friendly” wild country with easy access to both Big Sky and Yellowstone Park.
The focal point of the property is the Lightning Creek Valley with its riparian corridor, the building compound, and inviting open meadows. The balance of the property is primarily timbered mountain country. Mountain peak views from the buildings are dramatic. There are developed trails which make the property wonderful for riding and hiking. These trails connect to trails in the national forest that take one to alpine lakes and mountain basins that teem with wildlife in season.
Trapper’s Cabin is a rare find not only in today’s market, but in any market. A well improved wilderness inholding with easy access to a resort community of the stature of Big Sky is truly unique. Frankly, it is priceless.
Trapper’s Cabin is in the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin River Valley, along Lightning Creek about 27 road miles south of Big Sky. It is located at the end of a private road just off Taylor Fork Road, about 11 miles west of U.S. Highway 191. A locked gate provides private access off Taylor Fork Road. The ranch is completely private and lies at the base of Taylor Peaks, many of which are over 10,000 feet above sea level. There are many trails into the adjacent national forest that take one to alpine lakes and beautiful mountain basins. One can also ride into Yellowstone Park from the ranch on public land. The winter access is by snowmobile or snow cat as this area receives a lot of snow and the roads are shut off.
The Taylor Fork Basin is a wilderness valley with very little private ownership. Because it is virtually adjacent to Yellowstone Park it boasts an incredibly diverse wildlife population. Everything from wolves and grizzly bears at one end of the spectrum to wolverines, mountain goats, and Bighorn sheep at the other end, plus hundreds of bird species. There is a dude ranch at the lower end of the valley and a couple of other dude ranches in the general area, but otherwise the population is mostly visitors.
Once one hits the main Gallatin River Valley to the east of the ranch a right turn takes one into Yellowstone Park and a left turn takes one up into the Big Sky area and the amazing amount of development that has taken place there in recent years. Big Sky speaks for itself, so no need to try and describe except to say that the prospect of owning a property with the privacy, aesthetic, and wilderness qualities of Trapper’s Cabin only a short drive from Big Sky and all it has to offer should not be taken lightly.
The ranch sits between 7,700 and 8,600 feet above sea level. Annual precipitation is estimated to be over 25 inches with a very short frost-free season and over 50 percent of the precipitation coming in the form of snow. The ranch is characterized by a riparian valley with timbered slopes rising on each side.
The Gallatin Canyon area has abundant evidence of native peoples in the landscape well before European settlement, including numerous hunting campsites where tributary streams enter the West Gallatin. The types of projectiles show a history of occupation from the end of the last major ice age until wickiups likely dating from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Trappers, traders, and explorers encountered the Tukudika, or Sheep Eater, Indians hunting in the high valleys during summers. Just south of Taylor Fork, the Bannock Trail was a route for tribes of the Intermountain West (eastern Idaho) to reach buffalo hunting areas just east of the Rocky Mountains. People primarily of European descent have come to this landscape in several waves. Early trappers, traders, and explorers harvested animal furs and traded with Indian tribes, but tended to come and then depart. Longer term settlement occurred as ranchers brought cattle and sometimes sheep for summer grazing in the Upper Gallatin Basins.
In the spring of 1941 Dr. Caroline McGill, a prominent Butte physician, conservationist, and owner of the 320 Ranch further north on the Gallatin River purchased over 3,000 acres of land in the Taylor Fork from the Burlington Northern Railroad, including what is now Trapper’s Cabin. Dr. McGill felt that this beautiful grizzly and elk country needed to be protected from development. While Dr. McGill did not add any infrastructure on Lightning Creek, when she passed away in 1959 at the age of seventy-nine, she left what is now Trapper’s Cabin to her friends and ranch managers Jim and Patty Goodrich.
Robert and Virginia (Ginny) Martin purchased the full 640-acre section in 1965 from the Goodrich’s, after their son Sandy journeyed up the Taylor Fork and fell in love with Lightning Creek. They named the property Trapper’s Cabin after Tom Lincoln, a trapper, who had built a small cabin on the property in the winter of 1910.
Two years after purchasing the property, in the summer of 1967, the Martin family built the original five buildings using logs cut from the property. All of these original buildings still stand today in addition to other cabins and outbuildings that the Martins built over the last 50 plus years as their family grew. The ranch was continuously occupied by the Martin family every summer since the original cabin was completed in 1969. In 2000 the Martin Family placed 610 of the 640 acres into a conservation easement with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust to conserve the landscape forever.
After deciding to sell the ranch, the Martin family approached Crosscut Mountain Sports Center and offered to work with the nonprofit organization to preserve the land as Ginny Martin’s lasting legacy to the whole community. Given its legacy, the hope is to find a buyer that will honor that legacy.
The original five buildings were built in the late 1960s to 1980s mostly from logs that were cut on the property and hand peeled. They were well built at the time and have been lovingly maintained by the Martin family and additional structures have been added. Since the sale to Crosscut, it has been upgraded and remodeled.
MAIN LODGE: The 2,400± square foot main lodge is the largest building at the ranch built between 1967 and 1969 from hand peeled timber found on the property. In 2022 this building was renovated and expanded using the same hand peeled methods with trees from the property. This expanded the great room and added a screened-in porch, creating a large space that can comfortably accommodate 50 plus people. The lodge has a large, fully equipped kitchen, three bedrooms, a loft, and two bathrooms. One bathroom is shared and one is private, attached to a bedroom. The great room has a large fireplace that serves as a focal point for this spacious room, as well as a wood stove that provides heat during the colder months. The windows look out at the Taylor Peaks. Glass French doors lead out to the screened-in porch. A recent remodel also included a new roof with Class A shingles which are fire resistant.
HIGHLIGHT CABIN: Highlight Cabin (1,302± square feet) is the second largest building at Trapper’s Cabin. Originally built in the 1970s and renovated in 2023, the cabin has an open gathering space, with a living room, dining table, large fireplace, and kitchen. There are two private bedrooms on the main floor with a large loft upstairs that sleeps five. The cabin has two bathrooms; one shared bathroom off the kitchen and one shared between the two bedrooms. The cabin’s screened-in porch offers a beautiful view of Taylor Peaks, including Woodward Mountain.
SUNSHINE CABIN: Built in the 1980s, the 600± square foot Sunshine Cabin is a traditional open-space cabin with two sets of bunk beds in the main room, an open sleeping loft above, and one bathroom. The cabin’s main room features windows overlooking the nearby meadow and woods where moose are often seen.
WILLOW CABIN: The 396± square foot Willow Cabin, completed in the 1970s, is the smallest of the cabins. This cabin has an open floor plan with one room that includes bunk beds, a full bed, and a small round table that can seat four. The cabin also has a small kitchen and bathroom. Willow Cabin is located close to the Main Lodge with views of Taylor Peaks and the main meadow.
LODGEPOLE CABIN: Centrally located, the 610± square foot Lodgepole Cabin was traditionally used as the ranch manager's quarters. This cabin has two private bedrooms and a fully renovated bathroom with a stand-up shower, toilet, and sink. The cabin also has a living room and kitchen. Lodgepole Cabin is located close to the main lodge with views of the Taylor Peaks and the main meadow. It is also steps away from Lightning Creek and the barn.
BARN: The classic hip roof style barn includes a storage room and open second story, as well as a full set of horse corrals.
ADDITIONAL OUTBUILDINGS:
OFF-GRID SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM: The 12 kW AC solar power system includes three solar arrays with 18 panels, lithium-ion batteries, and remote monitoring capabilities. There is an insulated shed with a propane heater for winter, which allows year-round use. As backup, there is a new 15 kW propane generator with a remote starter. This system will operate all the lights and outlets in the buildings.
The main water for the ranch comes from a developed spring that is gravity feeds to the buildings from the spring box. In addition, Lightning Creek traverses the property for about one mile before flowing into the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin River. There are also two undeveloped wells.
Seller will convey any mineral rights that seller might own.
Annual real estate taxes are estimated at $2,100.00.
Trapper’s Cabin is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife at various times of the year. Moose, elk, mule deer, mountain goat, and Bighorn sheep, as well as grizzly bear, wolves, lynx, and wolverine are found in the area. Hundreds of bird species are found in the area as well.
The current owners have utilized the property for their organization’s outreach, as well as leased the property to groups with similar missions. Prior to that it functioned as a private retreat for multiple generations of the Martin family.
