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Camping
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Established Camping

Court Sheriff Campground

CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Court Sheriff Campground, near Helena, Montana, is a picturesque spot that offers a fantastic lakeside experience for campers. With sites right by the water, it’s a prime location for swimming, fishing, and simply soaking in the stunning views of Canyon Ferry Lake.

This campground is known for its clean and well-maintained facilities, including picnic tables and fire rings, perfect for evening gatherings. Visitors have praised the beautiful setting, with one camper noting, “The lake is right against the sites and makes for a beautiful place to stay.” While there are limited amenities, those who are self-contained will find it a great place to unwind.

For those who enjoy wildlife, you might spot deer wandering near the water in the evenings, adding to the charm of your stay. The area also offers plenty of opportunities for exploration, whether it’s a leisurely walk along the shore or a more adventurous hike nearby. Just keep in mind that it can get lively during peak times, so if you’re looking for a quieter experience, consider visiting during the week.

Fee Info

We only charge fees during "Peak Seasons" the 1st weekend of May through the second weekend of September.

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Location

Court Sheriff Campground is located in Montana

Detail location of campground

Directions

Heading north along MT highway 12/287, drive north to Spokane Creek Rd and turn right Yellow flashing light. Follow Spokane Creek Rd for 4.6 mi and turn right onto Co Rd 430/Canyon Ferry Rd and continue on to Court Sheriff Campground. The campground will be on the right.

Address

7700 Canyon Ferry Road
Helena, MT 59601

Coordinates

46.6579361 N
111.7077167 W

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Connectivity

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    Excellent Coverage
    Last on 7/18/25
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon5G
    Excellent Coverage
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T5G
    Excellent Coverage

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Detours Nearby

LOCAL FAVORITES PRESENTED BYToyota Trucks
Goose Bay BLM

Goose Bay BLM

20 min away

Grey Sandy Campground

Grey Sandy Campground

29 min away

Drive Time

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Connectivity

Presented byT-Mobile SatelliteT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More
  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Last on 7/18/25
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon5G
    Excellent Coverage
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T5G
    Excellent Coverage

Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Site Types

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

Features

For Campers

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

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

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Reviews

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67%
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4.5

out of 5

18 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 20, 2025

Some Drawbacks

I am absolutely impressed with the well maintained, clean, nicely laid out/designed campground. I think this is one of the most beautiful recreation spots I’ve found this year. This place gets 10 stars for its cleanliness and layout along the waterline. So fantastic. I arrived after the reservation season so there’s no garbage, host or fees. The water level is down 25 feet so there’s no water anywhere near the campsite edges like there would be in the midst of summer. I will definitely be returning for several summer paid visits. My criticism is there is a road that to my complete surprise had constant traffic at all hours of the night. Those drivers are the squib y troglodytes that roam all hours of the night (God only knows owns what they do during the daytime) and they’re the type that have that loud obnoxious turbo exhaust that they have to slam their gas peddle right next to the campground. My other complaint is folks running generators through the night against posted rules. Extremely loud music, nonstop barking dogs, generators and proximity to vehicles on highway is absolutely sucky . I’ll only return here when there’s a host to squash these types of inconsiderate jerks. The BLM here takes such great care and pride in their district. I am very appreciative.

Site16
Month of VisitSeptember
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Reviewed Sep. 10, 2025

Nice spot in Canyon Ferry

I was very pleased by our stay here! We didn’t want to stay in Helena and looked around the Missouri. This spot was so nice! We had a spot in some shade, and looked right into the water. Toilets were clean, campground had lots of walking areas, and scenery was very pretty. Would definitely come again!

Site12
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Samantha S., September 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Samantha S., September 10, 2025
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Samantha S., September 10, 2025
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jul. 18, 2025

Sweet spot on the lake

I stumbled upon this camp ground on my way to another free dispersed camping spot along the Canyon Ferry lake. I pulled in here to see what the nightly rate was to save myself 30 minutes of driving. It’s right off the main road. It has about 40 spots (maybe a lil more). They have about 4-5 tent camping spots and the rest are either pull through or back in sites. (The different between these and the tent sites are you can park at your site) I don’t think any of the spots have power access. So it’s all dispersed camping. They do have maybe 4 sets of outhouses for the bathroom (the one I used was probably the cleanest and least smelly one I have EVER used). They also Have what I assume is mountain spring water to drink “on tap”. They have water Spickets that said “drinking water”.

The camp host approached me asking if I needed help, he ended up letting me stay the night for free using what I think is an old tent site (or day use site). I only stayed one night. I felt very safe here! The scenery is beautiful. I would say atleast 1/4th or 1/3rd of the park was full with families. You can paddle board and tube on the lake. Some spots you can swim. I seen a lot of wild life. If your interested in booking for a paid site here you will have to do it by phone or online. The camp host can’t take payments.

Siteday use spot
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Jessie S., July 18, 2025
  • sunset time towards the back of the camp ground near the tent spots
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  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Jessie S., July 18, 2025
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jul. 27, 2024

Beautiful and clean campground

We were passing through and needed a place to camp. We were surprised how well kept and beautiful the campground is! The host was amazing and works really hard to keep the sites in tip top shape. The lake is right against the sites and makes for a beautiful place to stay.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Connor D., July 27, 2024
Reviewed Sep. 15, 2022

Lovely setting

Beautiful waterside setting. Stayed just outside season so free. 50% of toilets locked, but only about 4 pitches being used so not a drama. Limited facilities but if you're self contained with water etc this is great.

Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Jun. 27, 2022

Great Water Access

Overall it’s a nice campground and has some nice sites directly on the water. It seems like this is kind of a party place. Most people here were quiet and respectful of quiet hours, but there were a few sites shooting off fireworks and being very loud each night we were here.

Site20
Month of VisitJune
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  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Justin , June 27, 2022
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Jul. 12, 2021

Great place, loved the deer

We were able to get a site for the night in June only because it was a Thursday night. I was told it books up early for weekends by reservation. We got a tent site (parked in lot, walked to site maybe 50 feet). It was perfect with shade and right next to the water. Many sites had little or no shade, though. My son loved finding a few toads in the water. The deer seemed to have a route right next to our site and came out by the water in the evening. It was beautiful. Many places to walk around and explore.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Kristen S., July 12, 2021
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Kristen S., July 12, 2021
Reviewed Jul. 9, 2021

Court Sherriff Campground

Great campground with mix of sites and day use. Lots of shore access for swimming and fishing.

Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jun. 20, 2021

Great location, but campground hosts are rude

Very nice camp sites, with picnic table and fire rings.. over zealous campground hosts though. They're not helpful at all, very authoritarian and down right rude. Doesn't make for a pleasant camping experience.

Site11
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Diane , June 20, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 20, 2021

Great campsite terrible “hosts”

The hosts this year are from out of state. Sounds like AZ. And they are constantly looking for a argument, even after attorneys tell them to choose their battles.

Getting past that this is a epic campsite. Spread out. Great fire rings and picnic tables. All paved. Easy to park.

Site11
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Daniel B., June 20, 2021
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Daniel B., June 20, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 18, 2020

A Gem

We spent two nights & it was perfect. It was easy to find and the road was good. No dirt roads. The campground had large sites & plenty of room to park our car. We have a 20 foot trailer but some here had much longer rigs, & they were fine. It is so beautiful . We will be back. We picked water view sites.

  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Julie A., June 18, 2020
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Julie A., June 18, 2020
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2019

Very nice.

In response to Adrian S, who posted similarly under another name on Google....some facts are being left out.  She stated “after reading the rules about tents” the hosts tried to “extort money from them”. If they read the rules they state camp sites are for one camping unit with one tent allowed for children 17 and under.  When asked about the tent they initially said it would be occupied by adults, when told them about the rules they stated there would be a ch8ld joining them....so it was dropped.  In addition, we wouldn’t ask them to pay more for another adult tent, they would be asked to obtain a second site.  As for stepping in front of her husband....he was speeding throughout the campsite (the two were obviously having a disagreement, but the speeds he was traveling in his anger, could have hurt someone. He did almost hit me as I tried to get him to slow down, but definitely didn’t “throw” myself in front of him....I had to move out of his way....and she wasn’t in site of the occurrence.  When she came walking past I asked if that was her husband and when she confirmed it was, I told her he needed to slow down in the campground and she proceeded to start cussing at me...to which I responded “no problem, I’ll just call the Sheriff.  

I normally don’t respond to criticism...if I’m in the wrong and/or true facts are stated.

SiteHost
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed May. 26, 2019

10/10 would not recommend

This campground had dead animals, dog feces, ant hills everywhere, and the camp host tried to lie about tent policies to try to extort our family out of more money. Not to mention he threw himself in front of my husband who was leaving the campground, even though his passengers corroborated his experience, the camp host later screamed at me that he was going to call the cops and I am disabled due to PTSD. I have been going to this campground for 30+ years and would never go back after this last experience.

Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2018

Nice large campground - good for RVs and Tents

Court Sheriff is a large campground with roomy campsites. All the roads and parking pads are paved. Plenty of Vault Toilets throughout the campground. Site is available year round. No fees in the winter, but also not water and trash service in the winter. Have camped here several times in the winter. Plenty of sites along the lake. A small walk-in tent only area is at the far end of the campground.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Dexter I., August 27, 2018
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Dexter I., August 27, 2018
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Dexter I., August 27, 2018
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Jul. 18, 2018

Find a sunny spot by the reservoir and enjoy the water

Half an hour outside of Helena is a beautiful reservoir lake. Court Sheriff Campground spreads out along its shore. Many sites are waterside and you can see families playing in it. Bring your boat or inflatables and relax.

Our site is not on the water. As soon as we pulled in the camp host hurried over. He was super helpful and directed us to a shady spot. As time goes on, I’m finding the afternoon sun to directly hit our teardrop. There is still plenty of shade for us to relax in. Clean vault toilets are spread throughout camp. Water spigots give good water from the aquifer below. They provide waste bags for dogs! Garbage and recycling are by the entrance.

There aren’t hiking trails nearby but you can drive back to Helena to find some good trails out of city park.

Site4
Month of VisitJuly
  • Drive to Court Sheriff Campground
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  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Art S., July 18, 2018
  • Review photo of Court Sheriff Campground by Art S., July 18, 2018
  • (7) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Court Sheriff Campground located on Canyon Ferry Lake?

Court Sheriff Campground is situated directly on the shores of Canyon Ferry Lake, approximately 30 minutes outside of Helena, Montana. The campground spreads out along the shoreline, with many sites positioned waterside offering direct lake access. Its location provides campers with convenient opportunities for swimming, fishing, and boating activities. The setting offers beautiful views of the reservoir lake and surrounding landscape.

What facilities and amenities are available at Court Sheriff Campground?

Court Sheriff Campground offers paved roads and parking pads throughout the facility, making it accessible for various camping setups. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. The campground has multiple vault toilets distributed throughout the grounds. Water and trash service are available during the regular season but not in winter months. The standard fee is $15 for a single unit, though the campground is free during the off-season. The sites accommodate various RV lengths, with some campers noting successful stays with longer rigs.

What do visitor reviews say about Court Sheriff Campground?

Visitors consistently praise Court Sheriff Campground for its beautiful waterside setting and spacious, well-maintained sites. Many highlight the direct lake access for swimming, fishing, and boating activities. Campers appreciate the paved roads and parking pads that accommodate various RV sizes. The campground is described as having a mix of shaded and unshaded sites, with waterfront locations being particularly desirable. Some mention it can be busy on weekends and holidays with occasional noise. The campground is noted as being well-kept with functional facilities, though experiences with camp hosts have varied. Overall, it's portrayed as an excellent base for enjoying Canyon Ferry Lake.

Are there photos available of Court Sheriff Campground?

Yes, photos of Court Sheriff Campground are available online. These images typically showcase the campground's waterfront setting on Canyon Ferry Lake, the spacious campsites, and the beautiful surroundings. Photos usually highlight the mix of shaded and waterfront sites, paved roads and camping pads, picnic tables, and fire rings. To find the most recent photos, check official recreation websites, social media platforms, or camping apps where visitors frequently share their experiences.