Line up Tuesday for last 'cabin day' kickoff event

The traditional early morning lineup and sign-up for forest cabin rentals on the Glacier View and Hungry Horse ranger districts is coming to an end, giving way to a centralized national reservation service.

But early-bird cabin renters can do it one more time - the popular "cabin day" kickoff for next year's rental program will be Tuesday, Nov. 1, with doors to the Hungry Horse station opening at 8 a.m.

The sign-up has evolved into an event, with cabin-rental fans lining up well before sunrise to reserve time at high-demand destinations such as the Ben Rover and Schnaus cabins in the North Fork.

Starting in February, however, all cabin rentals on Flathead National Forest will be managed through a National Recreation Reservation System managed by a private contractor.

Denise Germann, public affairs officer for Flathead Forest, said the change will bring new conveniences and advantages to cabin renters. Specifically, they will be able to make reservations 24 hours a day, either over the Internet or through a toll-free telephone number. On the Internet, they will be able to see dates when specific cabins are available to rent, and they'll be able to get refunds with reservations made through the national service.

But reservations on the Hungry Horse and Glacier View Districts, made from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15, will be nonrefundable. And reservations made during that period will require immediate payments with cash, or Master Card or Visa credit cards. In the past, the forest has taken checks and allowed a 14-day grace period before payment.

Germann stressed that the local ranger districts still will manage cabin rentals. They will continue to clean and maintain the buildings, along with determining rules for each cabin and the dates they are available for rent.

The forest also will continue to retain proceeds from cabin rentals.

That's because "ReserveUSA.com," the company that manages the national rental system, will charge a $9 fee for each reservation.

The company manages rentals for campgrounds, cabins and other facilities on National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands across the country. The Flathead is not alone in switching to the national system - all national forests in Region One are converting to it in 2006.

The Hungry Horse and Glacier View districts have seven cabins for rent, with plans to add the Wurtz Work Center in the North Fork in early 2006.

"Cabin Day" rentals will focus on the Ben Rover, Ninko, Schnaus, Ford, Zips and Challenge cabins, along with the Hornet Lookout. Only one reservation can be made with each phone call, or place in line, and reservations can be made for a maximum of three nights a cabin.

Cabin rentals on the Swan Lake and Tally Lake ranger districts will switch in February to the national reservation system, but those districts do not have an opening day for rentals in the upcoming year. Instead, reservations can be made as early as a year in advance.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.