$40 / night

Camper submitted image from Crystal Lake Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Crystal Lake Campground - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Crystal Lake Campground - 3

Water

Camper submitted image from Crystal Lake Campground - 4

People

Camper submitted image from Crystal Lake Campground - 5

Roads

Established Camping

Crystal Lake Campground

6 Reviews

About

National Forest

Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest

Overview

The Crystal Lake Group Campground is located in the beautiful Big Snowies south of Lewistown, Montana, at 5,700 feet. Home to the Crystal Lake recreation area, visitors enjoy hiking and fishing in the Snowies.

Recreation

The lake provides opportunities for swimming, fishing and canoeing. The various trails that stem from the Crystal Lake complex provide excellent views and interesting photo opportunities. One trail displays old hieroglyphs in a cave allowing visitors a glimpse of the past.

Facilities

Water is available via a spring faucet and is just down from the camping site. An outhouse is provided next to the parking area for the group site. There is room for parking behind the gate in a parking area or to have two (up to 35___) campers parked there as well. Asphalt walkways and tent pads are present but room in the adjacent meadow can be used for bigger tents. Two large picnic tables are on site and a metal fire ring.

Natural Features

Settled in the basin of Crystal Lake, the group site offers great access to trails and ta short drive or walk to the lake. Some trees are around the campsite but may not offer much shade.

Nearby Attractions

Ice Caves Trail, Cascade Trails and the lake are all located in the complex.

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Location

Crystal Lake Campground is located in Montana

Directions

From Lewistown, drive west on Montana Highway 200/US 87 for about 8 miles. Turn left (south) on Crystal Lake Road. Continue south, following the well-signed directions to the lake for 20 miles. At the "T" junction, turn left and continue on to Crystal Lake. The last 6 miles is paved and mostly a single lane. On December 1, the paved section is gated, and access beyond the gate is by snowmobile, skis, snowshoes or hiking only.

Address

204 W Folsom ST.
White sulphur springs, MT 59645

Coordinates

46.7965333 N
109.5108583 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
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Group
Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

Picnic Table
Toilets
Pets
Fires

$40

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

Steve P.

Scout

Reviewed Dec. 30, 2021

Sad

This use to be the most beautiful campgrounds in Montana, until the USFS said the trees were dangerous. They had every tree in the campgrounds cut down and hauled off. Not much privacy now as every camp site can be watched by all the other campers in the other campsites.

Month of VisitSeptember

Connie H.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 17, 2021

Crystal Lake 2017

This would have been a 5 star review, but most of the trees that made this area magical have had to be cut down due to beetle infestation. Lake is gorgeous and crystal clear. Hiking trails to an overlook and the ice cave are marked.

Sitedispersed

Month of VisitAugust

Jessica B.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 11, 2021

Beautiful and rustic

Crystal Lake is a beautiful area, very much worth the drive. There is a lot of gravel and one lane roads going in with a few sketchy spots where you are looking straight down off the side. Campground is not kept mowed as well as others we've been too, but really adds to the pristine natural environment around you! We had abundant wildlife sightings with multiple deer right at our campsite.

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

Shy-Anne W.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 14, 2020

Beautiful

I love this place so much. This was my first time camping in Montana. It was breathtaking for me. The lake was so peaceful and clear. The trail around the lake is a nice walk to see all the different views around it. The meadows were full of wildflowers in the summer. The campground is a small loop and spaced out, the lake trail also had a couple of backcountry spots to set up. There’s also a few more trails in the area that were very pretty!!

(4) View All

Brandon N.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2020

Beautiful lake

Crystal Lake is a nice area. To get there it's a mix of about 20 miles of gravel and 1 lane paved roads. The gravel roads are well maintained. The 1 lane paved roads are a little iffy if you're pulling a trailer and its a busy travel day. The lake is beautiful and small enough hike around it if you have a few hours. The surrounding area is gorgeous as well. The campground isn't very big, there's about 20 or so sites in the loop and I believe they are all first come first serve. There is a Group campsite and a cabin which are reserveable. We reserved the Group Site which sits closer to the trail head. ONE thing to know if you reserve the Group site, call ahead during the week and get the lock pass code. We overlooked that requirement and almost had to stay in the regular camping area because the gate was locked. Luckily during the evening the camp host came down to see if we paid the nightly fee and he had the code. That said, the camp host wasn't clearly identified anywhere and apparently they were camped out behind the cabin. It appears that at one point either there was a fire or beetle kill in the meadow that the camp sites are in as there are no trees in the immediate area. Its kind of like an large open area that has a lot of overgrowth. The Group site area has what appears to be a great tent camping layout but the brush is way overgrown and you cant really tell. The regular campground looks the same. Don't get me wrong, the Crystal Lake area is stunning, its just seems like the campgrounds haven't been really tend to in a few years. We saw a few fish being pulled out of the lake, lots of hikers heading up the trails and a few deer passing through the meadow. Overall it was a nice experience. Good hiking trails and beautiful (smaller) lake to play or relax on. One thing it lacked, for us at least, is trees in the campground and area's to ride our SxS.

SiteGroup Campsite

Month of VisitJuly

(5) View All

Hailey L.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2018

Beautiful!

Great area for hiking and wildlife spectating. Great sites.