Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Bitterroot National Forest? Finding a place to camp in Montana with your horse is easier than ever. These scenic and easy-to-reach Bitterroot National Forest campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
The Bear Creek Pass Trailhead has numerous trails to access that all lead into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The most heavily used is the #613 trail which leads to the bear lakes and accesses trail #128 to Fish Lake. Facilities include a vault toilet, hitching rails, and dispersed camping.
Hogan Cabin is a small cabin located on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in western Montana. The cabin was built in the 1920s to provide field quarters for trail crews, smoke chasers, timber cruisers and grazing inspectors that worked in the area. It is a great retreat for snow lovers in the winter, as the cabin provides access to a variety of snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails. Summer and fall months give guests plenty of daylight and moderate temperatures to explore the surrounding meadows, peaks and valleys, as well as fish in plentiful mountain streams. The cabin is only accessible by motorized vehicle during the summer months and until snow closes the road. Guests may have to snowmobile, hike or ski up to six miles, depending on conditions. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
The surrounding hills and valleys are popular for hiking and backpacking in the summer and fall, and for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling in the winter. The cabin sits along the famous Lewis and Clark Trail, which led frontier explorers through the area in the early 1800s. The entire length of the trail covers 4,600 miles, showcasing some of the most beautiful and rugged areas of America. Hunting and fishing are also popular in the area. Mountain creeks and streams run near the cabin, and wildlife is abundant in the surrounding forest. It is also a popular place to watch for various bird species.
The one-room log cabin has bunk beds and mattresses to sleep up to four people. It has a table and chairs, a propane stove, propane lantern, and a variety of cooking, eating and cleaning equipment. A wood stove is available for heat, and firewood and an axe are provided from September 16-June 15. Firewood is not provided from June 16-September 15. An outhouse with vault toilet and a campfire ring with grill are located nearby. The cabin has no electricity or running water. Guests will need to bring water for drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes, as well as small propane canisters for the stove and lantern. Guests also need to bring their own bedding, food, towels, soap, matches and flashlights, toilet paper, garbage bags and other necessities. There is no cell phone service available at the cabin. Guests are required to pack out all trash and food and clean the cabin prior to leaving.
The cabin is situated on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail at an elevation of about 7,300 feet. It is at the southwestern end of the Anaconda Mountains, near the Sapphire Range, in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The Anacondas are home to abundant wildlife, including mountain lions, elk, deer, moose and bears (learn more about bear safety).
$45 / night
Wilderness Gateway Campground provides direct access to the Wild and Scenic Lochsa River. Visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities, including world famous whitewater rafting. Hiking and horseback riding trails abound in the nearby Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, which is the 3rd-largest in the lower 48 United States. This large and unique campground offers respite for a variety of campers, including those with horses, horse trailers and RVs.
The Lochsa River is world famous for its exciting whitewater rafting opportunities. Visitors do not need a permit to float the Lochsa, but technical expertise is a must. The river is also a destination fly fishing experience for cutthroat and rainbow trout, chinook salmon and steelhead. There are a number of river access points near the campground, along Highway 12. Highway 12, also known as the Lewis and Clark Highway, winds along the narrow river canyon through evergreen trees and large rock outcroppings. Visitors to the area enjoy the scenic drive and historic sites along the way. Elk, deer, moose, bear, cougar and mountain goats make the steep canyon country their home, as well as other wildlife. A variety of birds are also active in the area. Boulder Creek cascades down into the campground on its descent from the neighboring 1.5-million acre Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area. Several trails head into the wilderness from the campground, including the 15-mile Lochsa Peak Trail and the 27-mile Boulder Creek Trail. A 1-mile birding trail loops around the campground and the half-mile Downriver Trail leads to a scenic river overlook. All trails are open to hiking and the wilderness trails are also open to horseback riding. The Lochsa Historical Ranger Station, a living history visitor center, is located one mile southwest of the campground.
The campground offers dozens of accessible, single-family campsites and a large-group site, available for tent and RV camping. Utility hookups are not available and parking surfaces are paved. The group campsite can accommodate up to 208 people and 52 vehicles. If the group campsite (Loop A) is reserved, a combination code will be provided in your confirmation email to gain access to the site. Loop D hosts equestrian sites, which provide access to hitching rails, a watering and feeding station and staging area. Please only reserve Loop D if you have stock you intend to bring with you. From April until June 1 of every year, individuals with boats or campers are allowed to camp in the site. After June 1 - no other campers are allowed. All campsites are equipped with tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets, flush toilets and drinking water are provided throughout the campground. Firewood is not provided, nor is it always available at the campground. Some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. An adjacent, accessible group shelter is also available and can accommodate up to 200 people. If reserved, a combination code will be provided in the confirmation email. the code is needed to access the utility room which has a converter plug for the use with your personal generator. Access to the utility room is required to run the lights and electrical outlets in the pavilion. The pavilion is equipped with a stone fireplace and multiple tables. The Accessible flush toilets and a parking area are adjacent to the pavilion.
The campground is located in heavily wooded forest in north-central Idaho at an elevation of 2,100 feet. It is adjacent to the Lochsa River. Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning "rough water." The 70-mile river and its tributaries have no dams and flow is unregulated from its headwaters near the Powell Ranger Station in the Bitterroots, to Lowell, where it joins the Selway River to form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. The Lochsa is one of the world's best for continuous whitewater.
*1 hour from access to the National Historic Lolo Trail Corridor *1 mile from the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station and Visitor Center
For facility specific information, please call (208) 942-3113.
$14 - $280 / night
This campground is located off highway 43 located on a relatively flat ground supporting a dense stand of pole-sized lodgepole pine.
$50 - $75 / night
Currently the forest is open to dispersed camping in most areas. Limited motorized access for dispersed camping or parking may be allowed from the centerline of designated roads (300 feet) and designated trails (100 feet).
Camping in dispersed sites is limited to a total of 18 days use. Camps must be moved to a minimum of 5 miles from the original site to qualify for a new 18-day limit; camps cannot be returned to the original sites within 45 days [36 CFR 261.58(a)].
A few rules may be posted in campgrounds or at popular dispersed sites. The rules are meant to protect the site and the environment and to help you enjoy your camping trip.
The Bear Creek Pass Trailhead has numerous trails to access that all lead into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The most heavily used is the #613 trail which leads to the bear lakes and accesses trail #128 to Fish Lake. Facilities include a vault toilet, hitching rails, and dispersed camping.
Wilderness Gateway Campground provides direct access to the Wild and Scenic Lochsa River. Visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities, including world famous whitewater rafting. Hiking and horseback riding trails abound in the nearby Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, which is the 3rd-largest in the lower 48 United States. This large and unique campground offers respite for a variety of campers, including those with horses, horse trailers and RVs.
The Lochsa River is world famous for its exciting whitewater rafting opportunities. Visitors do not need a permit to float the Lochsa, but technical expertise is a must. The river is also a destination fly fishing experience for cutthroat and rainbow trout, chinook salmon and steelhead. There are a number of river access points near the campground, along Highway 12. Highway 12, also known as the Lewis and Clark Highway, winds along the narrow river canyon through evergreen trees and large rock outcroppings. Visitors to the area enjoy the scenic drive and historic sites along the way. Elk, deer, moose, bear, cougar and mountain goats make the steep canyon country their home, as well as other wildlife. A variety of birds are also active in the area. Boulder Creek cascades down into the campground on its descent from the neighboring 1.5-million acre Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area. Several trails head into the wilderness from the campground, including the 15-mile Lochsa Peak Trail and the 27-mile Boulder Creek Trail. A 1-mile birding trail loops around the campground and the half-mile Downriver Trail leads to a scenic river overlook. All trails are open to hiking and the wilderness trails are also open to horseback riding. The Lochsa Historical Ranger Station, a living history visitor center, is located one mile southwest of the campground.
The campground offers dozens of accessible, single-family campsites and a large-group site, available for tent and RV camping. Utility hookups are not available and parking surfaces are paved. The group campsite can accommodate up to 208 people and 52 vehicles. If the group campsite (Loop A) is reserved, a combination code will be provided in your confirmation email to gain access to the site. Loop D hosts equestrian sites, which provide access to hitching rails, a watering and feeding station and staging area. Please only reserve Loop D if you have stock you intend to bring with you. From April until June 1 of every year, individuals with boats or campers are allowed to camp in the site. After June 1 - no other campers are allowed. All campsites are equipped with tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets, flush toilets and drinking water are provided throughout the campground. Firewood is not provided, nor is it always available at the campground. Some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. An adjacent, accessible group shelter is also available and can accommodate up to 200 people. If reserved, a combination code will be provided in the confirmation email. the code is needed to access the utility room which has a converter plug for the use with your personal generator. Access to the utility room is required to run the lights and electrical outlets in the pavilion. The pavilion is equipped with a stone fireplace and multiple tables. The Accessible flush toilets and a parking area are adjacent to the pavilion.
The campground is located in heavily wooded forest in north-central Idaho at an elevation of 2,100 feet. It is adjacent to the Lochsa River. Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning "rough water." The 70-mile river and its tributaries have no dams and flow is unregulated from its headwaters near the Powell Ranger Station in the Bitterroots, to Lowell, where it joins the Selway River to form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River. The Lochsa is one of the world's best for continuous whitewater.
*1 hour from access to the National Historic Lolo Trail Corridor *1 mile from the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station and Visitor Center
For facility specific information, please call (208) 942-3113.
$14 - $280 / night
This campground is located off highway 43 located on a relatively flat ground supporting a dense stand of pole-sized lodgepole pine.
