Crystal Lake Campground

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

Great area for hiking and wildlife spectating. Great sites.