Camper submitted image from Makoshika State Park Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Makoshika State Park Campground - 2

Camper submitted image from Makoshika State Park Campground - 3

Roads

Camper submitted image from Makoshika State Park Campground - 4

Animals

Camper submitted image from Makoshika State Park Campground - 5

Facilities

Established Camping

Makoshika State Park Campground

37 Reviews

About

State Park

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Location

Makoshika State Park Campground is located in Montana

Directions

Follow signs thru town on Snyder Avenue in Glendive.

Address

1301 Snyder Ave
Glendive, MT 59330

Coordinates

47.07645458 N
104.69565018 W

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Access

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

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Tent Cabin
Yurts

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Pull-Through Sites

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

(855) 922-6768

Rachel B.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 20, 2023

Easy access, private

Campsites in the main campground were lovely! They had a nice amount of privacy. Verizon service but only 2 bars, only good enough to send texts.

Site3

Month of VisitNovember

Brad J.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 6, 2023

Spectacular geography

Amazing trails, stunning scenery, very cool disc golf course. Would absolutely go back.

Month of VisitOctober

(6) View All

Angie A.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 4, 2023

A beautiful way to wake up

What an amazing place! We arrived in the dark and woke up to the most amazing sunrise! Toilets. No electricity. Only $24 for non-residents

Siteacross from 12

Month of VisitNovember

(4) View All

Doug L.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 3, 2023

Paleontology Abound at Makosika State Park in

This is on of the coolest state parks this side of the Cenozoic Period! They found dinosaur fossils in this park. and you never know you just might find some too! Our campsites butted right up to a cool mountain and the peaks are small enough for you to scamper around on. PLUS the have the coolest frisbee golf course this side of the jurassic Period with embedded holes spread over the ancient cretaceous landscape! How cool is that.

Astronomy wise this is a Bortle Class 4 site SQM: 21.62 mag./arc sec2. I did not get to observe due to smoke and poor weather.

All sites are primitive but there is fresh water in each of the two campgrounds and vault toilets are nearby. Trash pickup id also available. There is no dump-station but one is close by at: Glendive Landfill City government office 801 E Brennan St. (406) 377-9839

Hiking at the park contains easy and tough trails but each one is sure to delight with wonder and discovery on each one.

SiteSite 008

Month of VisitJuly

(20) View All

Marielle W.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 10, 2023

Phenomenal night

Brother and I crashed here late so we drove in in the dark. We were delighted in the morning to find a beautiful park and a super lucky campsite with a bathroom and some trees for hammocking and two tent pads! Would love to stay here again. The out of state fee is $28/night

Sitesite 20

Month of VisitSeptember

aaron S.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 29, 2023

Hidden gem.

Spent a night here while on a road trip. Beautiful landscape and clean, quiet campgrounds. Great place to explore!

SiteA1

Month of VisitJuly

Shana D.

Legend

Reviewed Jun. 26, 2023

Gorgeous park!

The scenery here is incredible! Beautiful views from the campground. Also there is a really awesome disc golf course. I don’t play, but I want to play here!

Month of VisitJuly

(16) View All

Luckybreak R.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 9, 2022

Recommend , would visit again.

Roads are paved, some better than others, sites a mix of blacktop and gravel. Water hydrant and vault toilets. Badlands geography and fossils are the main draw. Wasn’t crowded in September and most folks were quiet.

Site11

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Deb M.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2022

Great views, ok campground

Be careful on the road from the visitor center to the campground - very rough. Otherwise, this is a decent campground with fabulous views of the surrounding badlands. No electric sites or dump station, but there is potable water available at the campground. It’s very close to the interstate, so it makes a great stopover.

Site4

Month of VisitSeptember

MARY K.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 12, 2022

Lovely rock formations

We stayed here one night on our way to Oregon, on a Friday, August 1st. We got there just as the rangers were leaving and were told the sites were full but there was an overflow parking lot where we could stay. Then a ranger came out of the visitor center and said some one had just cancelled so we could have site #5. Huzzah!

The campground is small and there is no electricity. The scenery around you is stunning "Badlands" type scenery with wildflowers and blooming cactus along the road. The sites are crowded together but even though the reservations were full, a couple sites remained empty all night. That irks me because other people could have used them if they had been polite and canceled like the people who did so for site #5. The parking lot area was full too. Met some nice people at the campground though.

There is a nice drive into the hills of the "badlands" and a picnic area with disc golf. Also you can rent a teepee or a gypsy wagon for the night!

Site#5

Month of VisitSeptember

(9) View All

Jesse B.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 11, 2022

Nice and quiet

Stay up too. Rustic with bathrooms

Sitesite 21

Month of VisitSeptember

Sharon

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 24, 2022

Decent Campground, Incredible Scenery

Wow! What planet is this on? We loved our stay at Makoshika and highly recommend a visit to this otherworldly park. Campground is not fancy, but sites are adequate, Plenty of water accessible throughout park. Lots of hiking trails that explore the unique formations that make a visit to this park a must.

Site5

Month of VisitJuly

(6) View All

Alyssa L.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 18, 2022

Such a hidden gem!

This park is so much fun with great easy dog and family friendly hikes. The camp spots and scattered throughout the park and really nice. Water and bathrooms available too.

Month of VisitJuly

(7) View All

Randy

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 16, 2022

Gorgeous view, large campground

The road to the top campsites was precarious, but we parked our 22 foot campervan plus bike rack in the site with plenty of room to spare. The view and sunrise were absolutely gorgeous.

Site29

Month of VisitJuly

Mimi

Legend

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2022

Amazing Place!

This is a gorgeous setting! Stunning views everywhere you look. Lots of great hiking trails for all abilities. Great ranger staff. Very interesting visitor's center. Disc golf course. If it rains, the mud is insane! Thick, really slippery and sticks to everything. No hookups, water is good tasting. Dispersed areas are so beautiful!

Month of VisitJuly

(10) View All

Oscar D.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 15, 2021

Erosion explosion expedition event.

One of Montana's hidden gems, plenty of hiking trails and don't forget your camera. So many majestic views. Camp grounds are basic with water and a very nice Disc golf course to try very skills at.

Site14

Month of VisitJuly

Forrest L.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 29, 2021

Great spot

Absolutely worth a visit on your way to Teddy Roosevelt - push past the steep grade for some great views and privacy or enjoy the frisbee golf near the entrance...

Month of VisitJune

(4) View All

Bryce B.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 7, 2021

Simply Easy

Great spot! Beautiful sites with fantastic views. First come first camped , perfect!

Site20

Month of VisitAugust

kent G.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2021

Great park Badlands without the crowds great trails

Arrived 9pm tired on motorcyle weeknight end of June slept on the bench without tent hiked at 5am and left well worth the ride on my way to Theodore Roosevelt park

Site7

Month of VisitJuly

justin C.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 25, 2021

Busy place but very unique

Got to the campground at dark. Only sites available were up a 15% switchback road, trailers discouraged but we were told by the camp hosts we wouldn’t have a problem with our teardrop. The road was no joke and nerve wracking but once we were up at the top of the hill things were ok and gravel road. Very busy with vehicle traffic from people within the park leaving much after dark.

Site24

Month of VisitJuly

olivia W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 19, 2021

Beautiful views!

I didn’t make a reservation, but was able to find a site just fine! I stayed in site #29, in the Pine on the Rocks area, which was the best site I saw when I was driving around looking for one. Beautiful views right from the comfort of my hammock. The shade and a nice breeze kept me cool until the sun went down. A nice little retreat from my long day of driving.

Site29

Month of VisitJuly

Dustin M.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 2, 2021

Great Primitive Camping

Makoshika State Park is beautiful camping and is about as good as it gets for primitive camping. There's quite a few hiking trials, a small museum and a gift shop at the Visitors Center. The photography options are just about endless. Also, don't let anyone fool you into believing the Diane Gabriel Trail is "easy." I mean, it's not bad … until you have to scale the hill. Beautiful views though.

If you're in a tent or a pop-up, there are some very cool primitive sites up the switchbacks that provide spectacular views of the park. If you have a camper or RV, camping in the coulee is wonderful.

The only negative is the primitive camping angle when there exists the ability for each site to have both water and electric. They added water spigots on each side of the Cains Coulee Campground earlier this year, but if they were running lines, why not run to every site? I understand if it's a water pressure issue, but still. Electric as well. The Camp Hosts now have water, electric and sewer. It'd make sense to bring that to all the sites. Not only would it make camping at Makoshika a 5-star experience, it'd allow everyone to enjoy the peacefulness of the Cains Coulee valley without a bunch of generators running.

Our experience was awesome and we will be returning next year.

SiteCains Coulee Site 7

Month of VisitJune

(5) View All

Kris K.

Scout

Reviewed Jan. 30, 2021

Great views - Convenient

Nice stop or weekend. No power, water at visiors center. Verizon service limited to none. Great trails for hikes. Hosts helpful.

Judy T.

Ranger

Reviewed Nov. 25, 2020

Pine on Rocks campground

This was one of several sites up a winding steep but paved road where trailers are not allowed. We had a very private site #20 with our own clean private vault toilet and garbage can. It was down a single track rutted road but our 24’ pop up truck camper made it with ease. We could see some of the hoodoos if we walked around. There was lots of room to set up a tent and just wander around. Cost was $14. We had groupings of pine trees for shade as it can get hot there even in Late September.

There is a campground for larger RVs but they are on asphalt closer to the entrance. They were crowded and it looked hot there.

Shelly S.

Legend

Reviewed Nov. 16, 2020

This place is so cool!

It seems like I’ve said every campground on my trip was awesome. However it was my first time to the west AND The Dyrt helped me plan my trip so I found some AWESOME campgrounds.

Makoshika Stare Park has a Triceratops on the sign, how can you not get excited about checking it out! Kids would love this park.

The campground I stayed at has a reservable TP , a pit toilet and good sized sites but not much shade. My site ran right up to the edge of a drop off. My Pomeranian , being the bonehead he is jumped right in ! Luckily it was only about 6 or 7 feet.

The hiking was ...well... Awesome! Lol You can actually walk through the hills and on top and around. There were rabbits appearing and disappearing. There were benches in interesting places. Informational markers and interesting spots.

Excellent place to bring the kids.

(23) View All

Jess R.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 24, 2020

Good stop over site with beautiful scenery

Pros: Scenery is beautiful, staff are helpful, fellow campers quiet and respectful. Con: due to landscape and close proximity of sites there is little privacy. Lots of loud generators.

Jim

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 23, 2020

no bad spirits here

this a fantastic park full of geographic wonders and beautiful vistas. we had a wonderful stay here

Charles G.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2020

Awesome Campsite!

I stayed in campsite 31, which is located very deep into the park after the pavement has ended. But it was so isolated and amazing! Couldn’t see another campsite or hear a single other group. And the view was amazing! These photos I attached were taken directly from my site. Sadly the smoke from the fires on the west coast has made its way over, but it was still very peaceful. Only downside was that I had to drive to the toilets, but I highly recommend!

Jess R.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 27, 2020

Hot

Camp sites close together, no privacy due to topography, minimal shade, and very hot. Sites well-maintained and clean. Campers all quiet and respectful. Great camp hosts.

Heather V.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2020

Peaceful

The RV area we camped in had 9 sites, we were on the end in site 9. We put our picnic table on the far side of the RV and felt like we were alone with a beautiful view of the landscape. The sunset and sunrise on the rocks was beautiful and there was a great view of the starry sky at night. It's rare that you get to be so close to nature in an RV site. There's also a disc golf course, and biking/hiking trails. The only negative was that the water was at the entrance, a bouncy mile long road from the site and we didn't know that until we got to the site.