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Free Camping Collection

Dispersed Camping

Middle Fork Flathead River Dispersed

31 Reviews

About

USDA Forest Service

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Location

Middle Fork Flathead River Dispersed is located in Montana

Coordinates

48.46353589645803 N
114.07273496634478 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Dispersed

Features

For Campers

Firewood Available
Phone Service
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Big Rig Friendly

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

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Contact

General Info

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Ethan

Scout

Reviewed May. 16, 2024

Area closed!! 05/16/24

High waters led to the camping area being closed when we arrived, relocated closer to glacier

Month of VisitJune

julius

Guide

Reviewed May. 11, 2024

Great and beautiful place to stay

What a great place to stay during your adventure! We had the luck of great views of the northern light

Month of VisitJune

(8) View All

Jennie S.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2023

Beautiful spot. Very bumpy road on the very short drive from road to beach. Beach spots and spaces away from the pebble beach in small wooded area. Exceptionally beautiful. There are maybe 10 other camper dispersed around the site today - late September.

Month of VisitOctober

Cultivating Fire L.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 11, 2023

Fantastic River Site

Even through the road looks scary going in, out 2wd Promaster had no issue and the spots past the rocky bank are pretty sweet - Riverside and quiet! Also, oddly enough there were port a potties scattered about the campsite!

SiteN/A

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Dutchess S.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2023

No big rig (30’ +) access!

The road getting to these are actually great, but the site itself is very bad roads to the river side. You want tall 4x4 vehicles or short ones that can handle being twisted like an ice tray.

Month of VisitAugust

Mandi W.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 5, 2023

Crowded but the river is beautiful

Easy to find, right off the road, we arrived the night before July 4th and as expected it was very crowded. We went across the street to the beach on the other side of the river and stayed 2 nights and were the only ones there, although the last night we had a cop come up in the middle of a rain storm to tell us it was private property but we could stay until morning because of the weather. If not for that incident it would have been a perfect spot. Gets crowded and busy during the day with kayaks/drift boats

Month of VisitAugust

(8) View All

Abby D.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 12, 2022

Pretty

Lots of other campers but there was plenty of room. The porta potty’s were really nice! Some trash and food left by previous campers. Nearby train woke us up a few times in the night.

Month of VisitOctober

Sophia H.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2022

Blankenship Bridge

This is the same campground as the Blankenship Bridge. These coordinates just take you to the road. You have to keep going a ways away. When you get to the bridge you can’t camp on the parking lots on both sides. There are signs for No Camping. You have to go across the bridge to the left, over some potholes (pretty manageable) and then you will park by the river side. It’s beautiful and definitely worth the visit and bumpy road. The directions here are just a little misleading so I wanted to help clarify!

Month of VisitOctober

David L.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 6, 2022

Winter Spot

This is a great little location right next to the river note that the map is incorrect just keep driving until u hit the river. There are pull offs on both sides of the road. The one on the west side of Blankenship road has a vault toilet. both have very small signs stating no camping I didn’t notice them until this morning so be warned you may get evicted I had a glorious evening it clearly is a local lovers hang out I had a number of young couples drive in while I was cooking dinner. They moved on to the other side of the road.

Month of VisitApril

Missette F.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 11, 2021

Weird local activity but OK

Nice for a quick pinch, it’s kind of deep off the main road but it is truly close to Glacier. There was some weird local activity across the river where they kept shining their brights at our van and revving their engines- not sure what the hooplah was about but it stopped around midnight. Pretty river- be careful driving in. Depending on your vehicle you could bottom out pretty severely as there’s a lot of washout.

SiteDispersed

Month of VisitAugust

ashlyn M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 7, 2021

Amazing (be smart where you park)

TLDR; quick & easy drive (minus a little stretch to drive down to the river), beautiful riverside view, pleasant and generous neighboring campers.

Caution: be smarter than your average chump and don’t park on the lose rocks close to the river....but if you do, thank the wonderful locals for being so helpful for the tow.

What a gem, so quick and easy to get to. We don’t like to plan and prefer the “universe is on our side” method, so this was such a fantastic find when we couldn’t snag a last min spot in glacier. It took about 15min to get to from the park exit and we loved being right by the river! The current is obviously strong but there’s a nice nook to take a morning swim.

Month of VisitAugust

matt E.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 2, 2021

Our favorite camp site from our trip out west

Really cool spot right on the river and free and really close to glacier west entrance. Very clean porta potty’s. As some have mentioned it felt like a hippy community but that was okay. There are sites on the rock beach and then if you go past you will find some more spots that are on sand so maybe better for a ground tent. We came in late and we’re able to pick of a a few spots I would suggest getting there before sunset at least tho.

Sitenear the river

Month of VisitJuly

Austin B.

Traveler

Reviewed Oct. 6, 2020

Kinda like a hippy commune but great

I’m not familiar with communes. But hippies are quite common where we are from. This place had the vibe of people just out there living in the outdoors. Locals and travelers alike. All very friendly. Not too loud. It is not regulated here by any means and you can camp anywhere. People seem to give you space though.

We parked in the rocks close to the river. It was beautiful to wake up here in the morning. Serene. Would have stayed longer. It’s close enough to town to get supplies and a short drive to glacier. The river is peaceful here. Plenty of good quality skipping rocks for the kids.

The “road” down to the beach from the asphalt is, well, as described in other posts. Not smooth. We made it though barely. We have. 22’ trailer with NOT good clearance. It scraped a couple times gently to remind us to go slowly. Scout it first if you’re unsure. It’s only 200-300’ of sketchy part but no getting out easy if you change your mind halfway. But if you can make it, do it. The beach area is much flatter and easy to navigate a trailer around once you’re down there. Do it.

Lauren J.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 27, 2020

Perfect for car camping

All reviews here are accurate. Last stretch of dirt road down to the river is a doozy, go super slow... cell service was fine. Loads of people. Clean up after yourself. Super close to west entrance of Glacier. Wish we could have stayed longer!!

Quinn Z.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 25, 2020

Free, lots of sites, beautiful location.

This is a large dispersed camping area with a river-side "beach" suitable for RVs and what not (it's rocky not sandy, so tents might be pretty uncomfortable), as well as a dirt-ground area further in with trees that are great for tents and hammocks. Rock firepits are easily found, although I didn't see much wood around to gather so might want to bring some. When I was there it wasn't too crowded but there we always other people around. Two clean portable latrines when I was there as well - nice plus.

All in all, a great place to settle in and take in the scenery or do some fishing. Not too far from town either, for supply runs, and using Verizon I had perfect reception. Big plus for those of us working on the road!

Month of VisitOctober

Jacob H.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 15, 2020

First timer

If you’re looking for absolute primitive camping, this is your spot! Down by the water, some campfire rings are already built for you out of the rock! I used the drift wood that was washed up to have a fire for myself. Was plenty around. Was quiet at night, but when I arrived around 6-7, it was pretty crowded. Ended up camping on rocks in a tent because all of the good spots were taken. Thankfully I had a blow up pad with me, but still wasn’t comfortable. So, I recommend getting there a little early. Short little trail to drive back, lots of dips and holes! Be careful with a car that sits low to the ground for sure.

If you love a night out away from everything, check it out! Sit by the fire, relax and enjoy the beautiful night sky above you!!! Can’t wait to go back!!

(4) View All

Taylor B.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2020

Glacier Rim DC!!!

So there isn’t a spot marked in Dyrt for where we stayed but it’s quite close to Middle Fork so I’ll leave my review here. If you go about 4 miles north on N Fork rd, Glacier Rim will be on your right. It wasn’t nearly as busy as Middle Fork was. We checked Middle fork first and everyone was on top of each other and the road was rough getting down to. Glacier Rim? A night and day different and we got service!!

We were able to park on the beach, right on the flathead river and watch the rafters go by. We met some awesome locals who shared our fire with us on our last night. We only stayed two days because the air quality became hazardous due to the west coast fires, cutting our glacier trip short. But, at this spot, you can take Blankenship road right to the West Glacier entrance.

(5) View All

Julie

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 13, 2020

Free, primitive, beautiful views on the river

This is not painless getting down to. Once you cross the bridge you take your first left. No sign. It is very rough getting in. We went slow in a crossover SUV (we were in a tent). People were there with R.V.s, and even sedans, but be prepared. When you finally see the park sign at the fork, stay left and take the left driveway if you have a car, straight with a pick-up or R.V. pick a spot on the rocks by the river, sand along the river, or use the road access about 3/4 of the way down on your right for a spot in the grasses and woods. Fire pits everywhere. Two portable restrooms down the dirt road. Otherwise no services. We did get cell service. The sky was gorgeous! The people all around were friendly and quiet. I would advise getting there early and staking your space. You want to set up when it’s light. We would stay again for sure!

Loren W.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

Awesome

The other reviews here are accurate. Access road is ok when dry, otherwise 4wd is probably required. Spacious area for all types of camping, tents, schoolies, Sprinters, cars. Great river side location. Friendly people.

Laura C.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2020

Beautiful.

We really lucked out finding this camp stop! It’s so close to the National Park entrance and a beautiful place to stay. The road is a bit bumpy getting down here but there’s plenty of room for tent camping and RVs. Be careful though! We were told my the national forest rangers that berry bushes grow close by which bears frequent! All this means is put your food and other smelly products (lotion, toothpaste, etc) in your car at night! This spot made our trip!

Denyel B.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2020

OH My Stars

Blankenship is such a beautiful area along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. The stars at night are like nothing else.

These are primitive sites that they purposefully do not upgrade to attempt to keep the numbers down. They put in 2 porta-potty's this season but that is user beware!

Please know that this area is free and heavily used by locals. However, with all the traffic this year from COVID road trips the banks are bursting at the seams. Be respectful, pack in pack out and bury anything that leaves your body. If this spot isn't respected it's going to turn into another pay/reservation only spot or be shut down as it's part of the Wild & Scenic Rivers program.

Alex P.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2020

Really beautiful area, very social time

This was great, right on the river, very rocky, beautiful water. Like everyone says the section of the road to get in was tough, but take it slow and if you’ve got decent clearance you should be ok. We’re in an e350 super duty, 2wd, regular road tires and we’re fine. We did see a few people getting stuck who tried to go left after the road in instead of right, so be aware. Front river spots got packed on a Sunday night and it was very social, some people were still fairly loud a few spots down up until 11pm, at communal campfires. Tons of vans, but everyone was super nice. Good Verizon service as well.

BigRed Overlander O.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2020

Great riverfront spot!

Liked it so much we stayed an extra night as we explored Glacier Ntl Park! I was worried it would be like spring break from the pics and some reviews but we went a bit further down the road in the woods and it was great for our family camping. Easy to find from map. Road in was very bumpy—even with high clearance conversion van we hit bottom once but driving really slow it was all good. There were 2 blue portapotties by our site and husband said they were fine. Saw vault toilet across the bridge too. Loads of sites with fire rings and tons of driftwood makes a quick fire. Not private but appreciated the heavy shade from all the trees. Great to cool off in the river and pretty sunset and sunrise. Had enough AT&T to post pics online.

Blake R.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2020

Fantastic place to get away from everything

This place is incredible. Great views on a river. Great fishing, great people, and a fantastic overall environment. Lots of camping spots on the beach and some more secluded spots as you move down the site. I would recommend a vehicle with decent clearance to get down to the sites but don’t stress too much.

Gail W.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 25, 2020

Super bumpy road, good sites

The road in is treacherous.. but there are both communal sites in the front at the beach and more secluded towards the back (where the roads are even worse) however while we were there it was quiet and most people were respectful. (One idiot left all their trash at their site all over the place!)

Durango A.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 24, 2020

Huge Space

Massive lot right on the river, would not recommend for larger RVs or trailers as the road in gets pretty bumpy.

Kaelin P.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 30, 2019

Awesome river side free camping

The road is nice gravel for most of the way in, but the last 500 ft to the shore is a very bumpy dirt road so trailers might have an issue. But that road leads you to a open expanse of rocks next to the rivers edge you can camp on or drive back a bit into a sparsely wooded area. Primitive camping because it’s free, no amenities. But there is a lot of drift wood to use as fire wood and many perfect fire pits made from the rocky ground.

Bryan B.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 26, 2019

My favorite place to camp in the US

Spent a week here 2 summers ago, planning on another 2 this summer. Road in is pretty rough. The view and place is gorgeous though. Good cell service with AT&T. Pit toilet on the other side of the bridge.

Doug D.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 29, 2018

Right on the river. Lot's of space.

On the SW side of the river is a great stretch of shore for tents, vans or whatever else will get past the very bumpy dirt "driveway". There's not a lot of shade, but enough to survive. It's a very scenic spot to hang out for a few days while you explore West Glacier, which is only a few miles away. I had very good reception with Cricket (AT&T). There's not a lot of privacy.

SiteNo numbers

Month of VisitSeptember

Julia B.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2018

Free, busy, plenty of space, river access

I was traveling to meet up with a group of friends in Glacier NP as a stop along my solo cross country road trip. We didn't set reservations and all the campgrounds were full, so we opted to "dirt bag" it and take advantage of some free dispersed camping by the Middle Fork Flathead River. It's a popular spot for people to do this, as well as for folks to spend a day on the river, swimming and floating etc. There are plenty of large, flat spots to camp so you can usually find a place even late in the evening. A nice location with river access, incredible night skies, easy access via 15min drive to the west side of Glacier NP (photos), flat ground, perfect for a quick camp fix! Of course, it's busy and so not very quiet or private and since it's dispersed camping, there were no facilities - but we're not picky. We took advantage of the space to play some camp games, too.

Month of VisitAugust