Region loses dibs on great outdoors

Reservations for U.S. Forest Service rental cabins and lookout towers will be handled by a national computerized database beginning Thursday.

The Forest Service said the switch is expected to make the cabins and towers more accessible to people across the nation. Translation: There will be more competition for the region’s neatest places to sleep.

Dave O’Brien, spokesman for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, said the change opens the cabins to a “bigger pool” of applicants. He framed the action as one that grants fair access to all Americans.

Nine cabins and lookout towers across North Idaho will be booked through the www.reserveamerica.com system. The private company also handles reservations for Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management campgrounds. A $9 fee will be charged for each reservation.

Though the fee adds to the cost of a getaway, O’Brien said cabin and tower rental rates have remained well below market average. Most cost about $30 a night. That includes a fire lookout tower near Sandpoint that sleeps four and has endless views of Lake Pend Oreille and Montana’s Cabinet Mountains. The going rate for a private, secluded lodge on a busy summer weekend likely would be 10 times that much.

Local ranger districts will continue to handle reservations for the popular Red Ives cabin and Clarkia Bunkhouse. A lottery system is used now to dole out reservations for the Red Ives cabin. Lottery applications are due before Feb. 25 and may be obtained by calling (208) 245-4517 or by visiting www.fs.fed.us/ipnf.

Reservations will also be handled locally and through a lottery for the Snow Peak shelter on the Colville National Forest. For more information, call (509) 684-7000.

Lookout towers and rental cabins throughout the Forest Service’s domain are switching to the ReserveAmerica network beginning Thursday. The for-profit company, whose parent is traded publicly on the Nasdaq stock exchange, already handles reservations for many Forest Service campgrounds across the region.

Many smaller Forest Service campgrounds in the area continue to accept first-come, first-serve campers, said Kent Wellner, recreation officer for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The national reservation system simply makes it easier for travelers to plan their adventures months in advance.

“The use has just gotten so high,” Wellner said. “This allows people to line up trips way ahead of time.”

Reservations may be made 180 days in advance with the national system. Forest Service officials expect competition to be fierce for the most desirable sites, and they advise making reservations as early as possible.