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Facilities

Established Camping

Basin Campground

Basin Campground, near Red Lodge, Montana, is a solid choice for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors with a touch of comfort. This spot offers spacious sites, many of which are conveniently located near a flowing creek, providing a soothing soundtrack for your nights under the stars.

The campground is well-kept and features picnic tables and fire rings at each site, making it easy to gather around for meals or evening chats. Visitors have noted the cleanliness of the facilities, including restrooms that are ADA compliant and well-maintained. One camper mentioned, “The sites are big, close to a creek to lull you to sleep,” which captures the essence of the peaceful atmosphere here.

For adventure seekers, Basin Campground is a great base for hiking, with trails just a stone's throw away. The nearby Beartooth Pass offers stunning views and additional outdoor activities, making it a perfect spot for day trips. While some campers have mentioned that the sites can feel a bit close together, the friendly vibe and beautiful surroundings make it a worthwhile destination for families and friends alike.

Description

National Forest

Custer Gallatin National Forest

Overview

Basin Campground is located 7 miles west of Red Lodge, Montana, along Forest Road 2071, which is paved all the way to the campground. The area is a popular location for hiking, backpacking and fishing.

Recreation

Fishing is a popular activity along the West Fork of Rock Creek and at nearby Wild Bill Lake. The small lake is open to kayaking and canoeing, and an accessible fishing dock is located on the shore. The Basin Lakes Trailhead is just across the road. Silver Run Plateau, West Fork and Timberline Lakes Trails offer access to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Mountain bikers enjoy the Ingles Creek Trail and a variety of loop trails at Silver Run. Biking is also allowed on the Basin Lakes Trail.

Natural Features

The campground is situated on the banks of the West Fork of Rock Creek. The campground and the area surrounding the campground were burned by the Cascade Fire in 2008, leaving an open landscape abounding with wildflowers.

Nearby Attractions

The charming town of Red Lodge, Montana offers a variety of dining and lodging options, galleries, shops and summer events. The Home of Champions Rodeo is held on Fourth of July weekend, Beartooth Bike Rally and Iron Horse Rodeo in mid-July, Mountain Man Rendezvous in late July and the Festival of Nations in early August. The Beartooth Highway was deemed "the most beautiful drive in America" by the late Charles Kuralt. It snakes across the rugged Beartooth Mountains from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Montana, and is the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. Along the way, visitors are treated to sweeping views and plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (928) 537-8888.

Charges & Cancellations

Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This cancellation processing fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).

Fee Info

The first vehicle is included in the basic fee; A second will be charged an extra $10 fee and collected at the campground, if your site will accomodate it.Firewood bundles can be purchased from the campground host.

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Location

Basin Campground is located in Montana

Detail location of campground

Directions

From US Hwy 212 (Beartooth Scenic Byway), travel to the south end of Red Lodge, MT. Turn west on West Fork Rock Creek Road (Forest Road 2071), and proceed approximately 7 miles to the campground entrance on the right.

Address

FOREST ROAD 2071
Red lodge, MT 59068

Coordinates

45.1625 N
109.3916667 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Available
  • T-Mobile
    Available

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

20 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 23, 2022

Close and quiet

The sites are big, close to a creek to lul you to sleep and evrything is fairly level. It is dry camping but plenty of sun in the right places. There are dispersed sites up the road a piece and great hiking at the end of the road.

Site11
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Jul. 14, 2022

Okay

There are a lot of sites here and they are close to each other kinda feels like a fish bowl.

Site18
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 11, 2022

Great stay

We lucked out and found a very empty campground for 4th of July weekend. The recent flooding in the area canceled all reservations and the CG became FCFS until the end of the month

Site15
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Scott V., July 11, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 9, 2021

Easy in/out

Coming through on motorcycles, we got the last spot on a Wednesday. Friendly camp host and some long-stayers happy to chat us up as we setup camp. Quiet enough - could hear some generators early in the morning, tho.

Site15
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 17, 2021

Big campsites

Loved this campground, very large campsites with lots of space. Quiet, close to some good hikes. Loved the location near Red Lodge and the Beartooth pass.

Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jun. 7, 2021

Great Hidden Spot with River

This is a great site due to its upkeep and proximity to a flowing river, which gives you a nice sound at night. The valley it’s in gives great wind protection for tent campers. There is a host who takes great care of the facilities.

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 12, 2020

Ease of Use, Quintessential

Basin is popular for so many reasons - proximity to Red Lodge, paved roads all the way, a wild and crazy small river, great hikes literally across the street, a well laid out and logical arrangement of sites and the knowledge that a small group of enthusiasts will always be there to whoop it up with you. It might seem harsh to only give it three stars, but it’s just that much more crowded, noisy (the road is right next to the sites) and hemmed in compared to Cascade Campground, which spreads out down where the paved road ends.

  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Bjorn S., June 12, 2020
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Bjorn S., June 12, 2020
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Bjorn S., June 12, 2020
  • (7) View All
Reviewed May. 31, 2019

Beautiful scenery with access to great hikes!

We used this as a base camp for heading up to Lower and Upper Timberline Lakes last year and were delighted by the quality of the sites.  While staying here it's also a good idea to head up and over Beartooth Pass if you haven't already by going to Yellowstone!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Alan B., May 31, 2019
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Alan B., May 31, 2019
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Alan B., May 31, 2019
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Apr. 23, 2019

Was clean

Was very clean when I visited last summer a little congested tho.

Reviewed Sep. 30, 2018

Gorgeous!!

Montana is one of my favorite places to visit. The amount of outdoor activities is incredible. We try to visit Montana once a year, and it’s obky because we love being surrounded by the mountains and hiking. Basin Montana Campground doesn’t disappoint. Here are some things I like:

1. Big spacious spaces

2. Close to hiking- beautiful hikes nearby that are hard to beat! Views are gorgeous!

3. Lots of campground spaces- with picnic tables and fire rings. Bring your own wood!

4. Close to some great restaurants.

If going in the summer time I would recommend reserving your spot ahead of time. This is important! They save your spot with a tag so no one else can take it. If you walk up you probably won’t grt a spot. Can’t wait to come back!

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Skylar M., September 30, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Skylar M., September 30, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Skylar M., September 30, 2018
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2018

One of my favorites

Montana offers so many outdoor activities, and I love that mountains surround you everywhere you go. This campground is smack dab in the middle of heaven. Green trees and mountains surround you everywhere you look. This campground is definitely one of my favorites because it is so clean, and the scenery is beautiful. There is a bathroom on site, picnic tables, and fire ring (at your campsite). My family and I really enjoy making smores at night, sitting around the fire and laughing. The campsites are a decent size, but pretty generic. We spend most of our day hiking around the mountains, and finding new trails to explore. There is a lake nearby that we went to and cooled off. We saw people kayaking, swimming and fishing here. The lake was pretty busy, but still fun. The hiking here is amazing. Highly recommend finding a trail that suits your needs and abilities. One morning we got up and did a sunrise hike- probably my favorite thing we did while staying here. I can't remember the name of the hike, but it was about 5 miles roundtrip and not too bad of elevation gain. Recommend getting groceries and food ahead of time, because it is about a 15 minute drive to the store (which isn't really bad, honestly).

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Melani T., August 15, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Melani T., August 15, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Melani T., August 15, 2018
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Jul. 26, 2018

Gorgeous!

This was such a beautiful spot to camp. You see the mountains all around you, which is perfect!! This campground was awesome. The one thing I really liked about this place was that the camp sites were pretty big. It was summertime when we came and it was super busy. We had to reserve our spot ahead of time, otherwise we wouldn’t have received a spot. Even the “walk-in” spots were all taken. Recommend reserving ahead of time in the summer. It was hot, but we made it work. Tons of bugs because it’s close to a river. Bring your bug spray! We enjoyed hanging out hammocks and relaxing by the fire. It was easy to find, and right off the road. We could hear road traffic at night, but it wasn’t too bad. Our campsite was away from the road. We hiked in the mornings, and hung by the water in the evenings! Loved it :)

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Sasha W., July 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Sasha W., July 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Sasha W., July 26, 2018
  • (10) View All
Reviewed May. 2, 2018

Very cool!

Merrywidow health mine is pretty awesome, the spot looks like it has a lot of history.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Kelli D., May 2, 2018
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Kelli D., May 2, 2018
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2017

Beautiful, Clean, Quiet and Natural Environment

We came into this campground on a Wednesday and picked the best of three open sites. There were a lot of reserved sites, but they were mostly coming in on Friday.

The site was beautiful and very close to the river (the sound was great). The vault toilets were very clean. The water was available through a easy to use hand pump. The camp hosts had firewood for $5.00 per bundle.

We were tent camping and the site had a large pad, a place for my hammock, a nice wooden picnic table, and a GREAT fire ring. The sites were all very far apart from each other.

Site11
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Tonya Y., June 19, 2017
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Tonya Y., June 19, 2017
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Tonya Y., June 19, 2017
  • (21) View All
Reviewed Sep. 29, 2016

Fun camping, kayaking and fishing!

My wife and I were able to stay here for 3 nights. The grounds feature vault toilets, campfire rings, food storage lockers, and even a hand pump for water. There is someone who sells firewood at the camp which makes things easy on everyone. The tent site was level and large. There are some good hiking trails but they are open to mountain bikers so heads up! They may get pretty muddy. The kayaking was peaceful. I didn't catch much fishing but that's my fault not the campsites! We were on the Wild Bill Lake.

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2016

ATV Fun

This is a great area to go out and ride trails for days. The campground is really forested with water running near by. Very peaceful.

Reviewed Jul. 20, 2016

Basin Camp Ground

This spot has been my favorite campground since I was knee high to a grasshopper! There is no drinkable water, must be packed in. Ticks and mosquitos are present in this area, must carry spray, soft spots for tents, cut your own firewood, no access bathrooms. Quiet camp, adventurous. This is where I played in the creek, caught frogs and the best Brook Trout fishing where I first learned to cast. Excellent family camp site!

  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Carla S., July 20, 2016
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Carla S., July 20, 2016
  • Review photo of Basin Campground by Carla S., July 20, 2016
  • (11) View All
Reviewed May. 17, 2015

Great location for fishing

Waterfront sites right on Rock Creek. Great fishing area makes this site ideal for anglers or anyone that enjoys being right on the water with a stunning view.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Basin Campground?

    Camping at Basin Campground can cost between $20.00 and $33.97 depending on the site.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Basin Campground?

    Basin Campground allows vehicles up to 45 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Basin Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Basin Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Basin Campground have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Basin Campground does not have wifi.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Basin Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Basin Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Basin Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Basin Campground?

    There are 31 campsites at Basin Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts