Fall is quickly coming to a close. In my garage, the lawnmower has traded places with the snowblower and the rake has swapped hooks with the snow shovel. We’ve all spent November engrossed in various winter nesting rituals, preparing for the blowing snow and bitter cold that characterize most Montana winters. These days, packing up the tent and camping gear has become part of my winter nesting routine, but that wasn’t always the case.

In fact, before I had kids I would happily dig one pit in the snow for my tent and another for a campfire. (To be totally honest, my husband usually did most of the digging, but I happily cozied up on the edge of those fire pits.) Let’s face it, Montana’s summers are just too short. Those who want to sleep under the stars for more than three months a year have to be willing to camp in the winter. Actually, I think the stars sparkle brighter in a winter sky, and nothing is more peaceful than the hush of the forest during a gentle snowfall.

However, in order to really enjoy the serenity of winter camping, you have to have the right gear. Camping in any season can be dangerous if you are unprepared. If you don’t have a camper, you need a good four-season or single-wall tent that traps the warm air generated by body heat inside the structure. It is important to make sure that sleeping bags are rated for the cold temperatures you’ll be experiencing; sleeping bag liners are an excellent way to add warmth to your sleeping bag if needed. It is also a good idea to wear layers of warm, but breathable, clothing beneath waterproof outerwear. Few scenarios are more dangerous than being wet while out in the cold.

Several State parks, including the Missouri Headwaters State Park in Three Forks, are open to camping all year. They make great places to camp in a tent near your car, so that you can pack all the gear you might need without having to carry it on your back. Of course, any patch of National Forest that you can access through the snow will make a decent camping site as well. If you venture into the backcountry, packing the right gear is even more critical. Carry first aid kits, shovels, and avalanche beacons, and be sure to check the avalanche report before setting out (www.mtavalanche.com).

Comfort in the backcountry during the winter depends on a willingness to channel your inner-MacGyver and improvise. Extra layers of warm clothing compete for backpack space, so some amenities inevitably have to be left behind. It’s best to pack carefully and jettison non-essential items in favor of an extra layer of clothing. Winter camping often forced me to rethink what I considered essential—who needs a pillow when you have a soft sweater to fold under your head? A particularly adventurous friend once made a pillow using an empty pouch of boxed wine stuffed with a hand warmer and inflated. He swears it was cozy and comfortable, but the contents of that pouch surely skewed his assessment just a bit.

While comfort is ideal, warmth is essential when camping in the winter. In addition to keeping yourself warm, it is necessary to keep warm anything with batteries, like cell phones and cameras. Campfires are a good way to warm up, but they can be more difficult to start because snow-covered wood is likely to be moist. Fire-starting equipment must be kept dry. In addition to its first aid applications, rubbing alcohol acts as a great accelerant. If starting a fire proves difficult, winter campers can rely on the insulating properties of snow. A sheet on top of the rain fly will catch falling snow and transform a tent into an igloo.

Of course, making a snow fort is another option for shelter, although I have never been adventurous enough to do so. This sounds like something the husband and kids could really bond over in the backyard while I curl up with a good book inside. My current winter shelters of choice are the quaint and rustic Forest Service cabins sprinkled throughout our area. Most of these cabins were built in the 1920s and 1930s by the Forest Service to house Forest Rangers and serve as fire lookout stations. Only a few have electricity, but all of them have wood-fired stoves to cozy up to when the temperatures drop. The Battle Ridge cabin in Bridger Canyon and a few others are accessible by car year round, but visitors have to snowshoe, cross-country ski, or snowmobile in to the majority of them.

Montana Forest Service cabins have mattresses, but no bedding. Chopped firewood is always waiting in a shed outside, and visitors are expected to replace what they burn. Remember to bring fuel, food, and utensils to these Forest Service cabins and enjoy the warmth and safety of shelter while maintaining the feeling that you are roughing it. Kids love these cabins, at least mine do, and I feel better about tucking them into bed inside when the snow is blowing outside. I always do a quick scan for mouse traps and poison when I arrive because the Forest Service often uses both to control mouse populations. Reservations for cabin rental can be made online at www.recreation.gov, or by calling 1-877-444-6777. A search for “Gallatin National Forest Service cabins” on www.fs.usda.gov will retrieve descriptions of and directions to the various cabins available.

Regardless of the shelter you choose, winter camping is something everyone should try. The Montana wilderness has a magical feel when blanketed in snow. Some things just can’t be done in the summer, like using that gear sled as a toboggan once you’ve reached your destination or building a snowman to guard camp. So, bundle up and stay safe out there!

Sarah Cairoli likes to bring watercolor paints when she visits Forest Service cabins because the icicles hanging from the eaves make fun paintbrushes as they melt slowly by the warmth of the fire.

photos Preston Cornutt