Blankenship Bridge - Dispersed Camping

You can only park on the one side of the river and it’s very crowded. Additionally the road going down to the camping area has huge pot holes and and water so you need high clearance to get down there.

Only about 15 minutes away from Glacier National Park Westgate. I was able to stay here for multiple days. Each time was no trouble in finding a place to park. This area is popular for rafting and fishing. The surrounding area is also beautiful. There are outdoor restrooms located nearby. The camping limit for this area is 3 days. I was able to have good Verizon signal. Overall a great spot to camp.

At first it looked crowded but we managed two vans side by side right in the river. Everyone was respectful of each other. Fire rings available. We heard that it can be very loud and crowded on the weekends with groups/parties

It's a good spot right on the river. Rocky Beach that has a somewhat difficult road to get into. Any stock 4 x 4 truck SUV can do it though. Are some sketchy types sometimes in peak season. There are porta potties, but they are not recently pumped out.

i have a subaru crosstrek and the potholes were too flooded to drive down. super unfortunate bc looked absolutely beautiful! only trucks and jeeps were able to make it down the treacherous road.

Great spot but was crowded. Plenty of room and even more towards the back.

Beautiful view! The beach was easy to get to (a very short drive from the road), and there’s a lot of room to find a spot. The water is super clear and perfect for a dip, although it might be cold for some. It’s pretty busy, but everyone is quiet and respectful. Definitely worth a stay.

Lots of space, recommend a taller vehicle to get in though. Water is perfect to swim and at the time of our stay, very little mosquito activity.

Very nice scenic spot, close to the river. Great if planning a visit to Glacier National Park.

The road was a little rough if you wanted to go all the way to the river. Fantastic site where you can tent camp, car or RV.

In this video we review 2 more of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. This time we focus on the Middle Fork Flathead River(Blankenship Bridge) and Glacier Rim River Access Locations. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 3 day stay limit at Middle Fork and 16 day stay limit at Glacier Rim. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO8kY0x0BoY&t=27

Got here around 1700 and had to squeeze in between 20-25 other vehicles. Trash everywhere, people parked right on the water’s edge, and when I started hiking away from the water to dump my dish water it only took about five steps to reach a couple dozen non-buried piles of poop. But the site itself is very pretty.

Make sure to go across the bridge and to the left! The camping spot is not the little parking areas. They clearly state No Camping. You have to go across the bridge and to the left. There are some potholes and then you get to the river side and that is where you are allowed to camp. I almost didn’t stay because I didn’t want to get in trouble but it was just a little further. It’s super cute and the rocks and hills around are very pretty. Don’t park too close to the water tho!

This free camping area has unbelievable breathtaking views especially at sunrise/sunset! The stars are also extremely visible since you’re staying on the rocks right along the river. The only reason I rate this place a 4/5 is the potholes leading up to the camping! There’s ways through it softer than others but almost no way you won’t bottom out. My fiancé and I have a Chevy truck and a 16ft camper and we bottomed out about 3-4 times before reaching the rocks. It’s Worth it I’d say, everyone who’s stayed around us has had friendly pets (cats and dogs) and they’ve all been extremely friendly and welcoming as well! You can stay long than the 3 day limit as well that’s what we have been told, BY LAW you can’t stay long than 14 days dispersed camping but we had been told by a man who visits here monthly that the locals just have an issue with people staying longer than 3 days because they want their own space. Sharing caring, and I’m glad we had the friendly people around us that we did, made the experience so much better. The water was too cold to bathe in so we fished instead! Caught nothing. Locals were jumping off the bridge, lots of flys but not many bugs. All rocky unless you’re staying in the trees where it’s mostly tent camping! Overall we loved this spot! It’s amazing and we are staying longer than expected and definitely coming back here!

I loved this spot! I was able to get a spot back in the trees and shade a bit, but could still just walk down to the river. When I was there they also had porta potties available, because it’s illegal to even bury waste in this location. Super convenient and free spot for anyone traveling to Glacier National Park! I stayed 3 nights and it’s one of the coolest dispersed camp spots I’ve found.

This is a great spot right on the Flathead river. Lots of room. A bit busy. Road coming in has a few hundred feet of bad potholes. My trailer 21’ bottomed out.

This spot is amazing. Arrived at night using the coordinates here. Was surprised no one was there since it’s summer and all reviews talk about how popular it is.

Discovered in the morning that there are No Overnight Camping signs everywhere. Nothing happened to us but camp at your own risk!

Awesome location near the west entrance to Glacier. The road in was muddy and filled with potholes but doable for vans and four wheel drive vehicles. Saw a few cars. It fills up at night but a lot of space. True dispersed camping experience

Perfect location outside of west glacier. 15 min from the west entrance to the park. Option of large open river bank or wooded area to camp. Fires allowed. Entrance is tough, especially after rain, but we saw campers and vans make it down. 3 day max.

Amazing atmosphere. Safe and quiet. Nice neighbors.

Nice camping area with access to the river. Was a bit noisy during the day (stayed over the weekend) as the area is used by non-campers coming to fish, kayak, sightseeing, etc. Cell service is adequate, clean porta-potties, max stay is 3 days. I’m assuming locals don’t approve as some vehicles laid on their horns while crossing the bridge. Overall I enjoyed my stay. The trail coming down to the river is rough but witnessed multiple different vehicles such as cars and trailers. You can camp right next to the river (rocks) or there are camp spots in the wooded area in the back.

The spot was wonderful. When you first turn off the main road there’s about 100 feet of very rough road so go super slow and keep to the left. And then splits three ways I kept the left and it was super smooth and brought me out onto the beach. I drove all the way through the beach back into the forest area for more privacy and that’s where the toilets are located. There were a total of four Porta potty‘s. No other services available. It’s 20 minutes from West glacier and had good enough AT&T service for me to work remotely. I would say they were about 15 other campers when I arrived Wednesday evening. The weekends I guarantee he gets very full but I think you could easily fit over 50 people camping here. I will definitely be back again and would recommend. I drive a Ford transit van and didn’t have issues.

The road down to the river is a bit rough but once you’re down it’s so worth it! There are a bunch of spots to choose from, both out in the open and private with either river access or in the trees. My husband spent hours picking up and skipping the river rocks as they are perfectly flat and smooth, and I spent hours just with my feet in the water enjoying the beautiful views. You will have neighbors but most everyone is quiet and keeps to themselves. There is a parking lot up and across the river where rafters stop and load, so you may hear them and their vehicle engines, but for the most part the sound of the river drowns them out.

The drive in is a little crazy so take a car that is good in mud and on rocks, but the sites are right on the river and the view is stunning. Porta potties available

Happen to run across this spot back in August of 2020 just driving around. Luck would have it I had great neighbors in the campgrounds. The ground is all rock but easily drivable once alongside the river. The entrance is the tricky part. If you have low ground clearance you may have an issue but I saw people that made it in regular sedans. Over all great spot and would camp there again for sure. Plenty of spots but can fill up in the summer very quickly.

A great spot to meet people by Glacier! Rough roads make it a bit tricky to get down, but the area is relaxing and easy for a night or two. Saw a few complaints about trash and such in the area, but we saw 12+ other campers/vehicles and didn't have any issues. Everyone quieted down nice and early and many were already gone before we woke up around 6am.