## Overview

 Downstream Campground is located just below Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River in northeastern Montana. Recreation enthusiasts and sportsmen enjoy the beauty of Fort Peck Lake\'s 1,500 miles of shoreline. A variety of high quality outdoor activities are available, including camping, boating, fishing, hunting, sightseeing and wildlife viewing.\_\_ Fort Peck Dam, which impounds Fort Peck Lake is the first dam built in the upper Missouri River Basin. The area surrounding Fort Peck was first charted by Lewis and Clark in 1804, and the pristine natural condition of the river and surrounding area awed the renowned explorers. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Fort Peck project in 1933, thousands of people from all over the country migrated to Montana during the midst of the Great Depression in hopes of earning a living. Today, Fort Peck Lake is a sportsman\'s paradise with excellent fishing, wildlife viewing and other countless outdoor recreation opportunities.\_\_\_\_ For more information, visit the [Fort Peck Project Website][1] or call 406-526-3411. 
## Recreation

 The vast size of Fort Peck Lake and its remoteness from major population centers provide a variety of high quality outdoor experiences. Popular recreation activities include camping, boating, fishing, hunting, sight-seeing, picnicking, biking, hiking, photography, watching wildlife and just relaxing.\_\_\_\_ Fort Peck Lake: Fifteen hundred miles of pristine shoreline serve as a haven for those wishing to get away from the stresses of modern life. There are 27 recreation areas located around the reservoir. The areas near and around the dam offer paved roads, electricity, showers and playgrounds while facilities around the rest of the lake are more primitive with gravel roads, picnic tables and vault toilets. Access roads to many of the remote areas may be impassable in inclement weather.\_\_\_\_ Fishing: Fort Peck Lake enjoys nationwide recognition as a hot spot for walleye fishing. Fort Peck Lake provides excellent boating and fishing opportunities. The lake also offers excellent fishing for sauger, smallmouth bass, lake trout, chinook salmon and northern pike. The introduction of cisco as a forage fish in 1983 proved successful and has increased both the size and number of game fish.\_\_\_\_\_\_ Wildlife Viewing/Hunting: The Fort Peck Lake Area and the [Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge][2] provide superb hunting of deer, elk, big horn sheep, and prong horn. The Missouri River Breaks are known for producing large elk and other game animals.Trails: Three miles of paved nature trails wind along the Missouri River and through the surrounding wooded area. This trail area is a popular birding and wildlife viewing area. Disc Golf Course: A disc golf course \"The Fortress\" was installed in summer of 2021. Discs are available to check out at the gate house.\_\_ Interpretive Center &amp; Museum: The Fort Peck Dam Interpretive Center and Museum offers displays of wildlife dioramas, aquariums, dinosaur fossils and dam construction history. Open Friday through Monday 9am to 4pm. 
## Facilities

 Downstream Campground offers 86 family campsites, 71 of which have electrical hookups; 16 sites are tent-only. One large group campsite is available with electrical hookups. Five day-use picnic shelters are available for reservations, all with electrical hookups as well as two overnight group use areas with shelters.The campground offers flush and vault toilets, showers, playgrounds, a basketball court and horseshoe pits. A dump station and fish cleaning station are located on-site.\_\_ 
## Natural Features

 A shady grove of cottonwoods covers the grassy campground, making Downstream a pleasant place during the heat of the summer. In autumn, the leaves turn a beautiful golden yellow. Three fishing ponds, including scenic Winter Harbor, dot the landscape below the dam. 
## Nearby Attractions

 [Fort Peck Lake][1] is a Montana treasure for its vast size and outdoor recreation opportunities. Six recreation areas within a few miles of the dam provide access for water sports, fishing and hunting.\_\_\_\_ The Fort Peck Interpretive Center and Museum, is located just downstream of Fort Peck Dam. For more information, call 406-526-3493.\_\_ The Leo B. Coleman Wildlife Pasture, located just outside the Town of Fort Peck and Downstream Campground is home to Fort Peck\'s Bison Herd and provides an excellent wildlife viewing auto route.\_\_ \_\_The [Historic Fort Peck Theater][3] is located in the town of Ft. Peck is a popular historic destination in summer months.\_\_\_\_ The 1.1 million acre [Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge][2] surrounds Fort Peck Lake and helps preserve the natural habitat for numerous wildlife species. 
## contact\_info

 For facility specific information, please call (406) 526-3224.
## Charges &amp; Cancellations

 Reservation changes and cancellations can be made on Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.\_\_\_\_ For more information on rules and policies regarding reservation cancellations and changes, please visit: [https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies][4].\_\_\_\_\_\_ 

[1]: https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Dam-and-Lake-Projects/Missouri-River-Dams/Fort-Peck/
[2]: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/charles_m_russell/
[3]: https://www.fortpecktheatre.org/
[4]: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies

Downstream (MT)

Great, well kept campground.  Great views, great walking paths.  Wildlife sightings were abundant!

Reliable hook ups, clean showers. Go back every year!

Great campground!

We love going to the Downstream campground at Fort Peck Dam.

There are tons of shade trees, many different types of camping spots, fishing ponds, walking/running trails all around the campground, and great shower facilities.

Clean, quiet, shady, fun.

Fort Peck Downstream Campground is a real gem.  My son and I were there for four days, 8/29-9/1/2020.  My son is a quad and uses a power chair.  

  

Benefits:  This campground is run by the Army Corps of Engineers, and it shows.  Well paved roads, wide spaces, lots of room between spaces, laid out logically and well, and plenty of power.  The service buildings are clean and well kept, and one of the shower / lavatory buildings is brand new with easy wheelchair access.  Surrounding the camp are roughly five miles of mostly paved trails, perfect for early morning or late night walks.  Night time and clear skies bring out great star gazing.  The campground easily accommodates the largest rigs, with spaces large enough to handle 45' Coaches / Toads / and Boats all together.  There is also a 'group' space that could handle, I'm guessing, around 200 people.  Most electrical hookups are 30A; roughly 1/3 are 50A.  There are tons of things to see, and walking to the town of Fort Peck is ok for those in reasonable shape (I'm 57 and .. eh .. well rounded ... ); if you have a bike it is a snap to get there.  The very small town does have a grocery, restaurant,  and hardware store.  Glasgow is just 30 minutes up the road.  

  

Tradeoffs:  This is not a campground one can just show up at and get in.  Being a Federal facility, it is, of course, a Federal process to 'check in'.  One must, without exception, set up an account with the website recreation.gov ... note it is 'gov' not 'com'.  Next, one must pick dates and location ... a difficult process without any knowledge of the layout of the campground or what sites are close to what ... like playgrounds ... or bathrooms for those traveling without.  It is critical one does this BEFORE getting there ... as cell service is spotty at best and the folks at the gatehouse are not allowed to help or use their phone.  Don't ask how I know this, just take my word for it.  Trying to find cell service on a narrow two lane road in the middle of no where driving a 12 ton bread box is not a good time.  Just saying.  Once in, however, it is great.  This campground is on the high prairie ... it can be very windy, and storms come in fast.  If mountains and lots of pine trees are what you are looking for, this isn't it.  There are, however, lots of cottonwoods and tons of birds.  The campground is at the foot of the largest earthfill dam in the United States, and amongst other things, it produces power.  Which means that, especially at night, one can hear the steady hum of the generators outside.  Being male with selective hearing, didn't bother me a bit.  However, it might bother you.  In the summer, it can be very hot and dry, mid 90's are not unusual.  Night time lows are usually in the low 60's on down.  If you are there in the fall, it may well get into the lower 30's / upper 20's.  

  

Things to be aware of:  Make your reservation before you get there.  (Recreation.gov).  There is no water at the sites, however, spigots are scattered throughout the camp, if one has 50 feet of hose they can probably get to a spigot to 'top off the tank' ...

There is a dump station on the road into the camp, there are no full service sites.  The dump station is at most a mile away, and easy to get to if your teenager takes a twenty minute shower and fills the tank ... be aware that there are nice showers on site, at both ends of the camp.  The camp hosts are very friendly and helpful, even to old cranks like me who show up not knowing about making a reservation.  

  

For those who are in a wheelchair, this campground is a real treat.  There are miles of relatively flat, paved, walkways, including to fishing ponds.  The showers and facilities are handicap accessible, and one shower is specifically set up for folks in wheelchairs.

Large Open Sites

This is an amazing campground on the shore of the Missouri River by Fort Peck Dam. Nice big sites.  Bathhouses are less that 2 years old. Great park like seeing with playground, volleyball net, basketball court and horseshoe pits. They even lend out the equipment you need!  

It's a short walk to a really wonderful interpretive center - definitely worthwhile to visit! And there's a great trail system to walk on and enjoy the views. 

Beautiful! 

**General:** 86-site US Army Corps of Engineers Campground located on the Missouri River in four loops, each with a different name: Lismas, New Deal, Wheeler, and Faranuf. Wheeler is for tent sites, the camper pads are gravel, and there are no electric hookups; the other three loops have mostly 30-amp but several 50-amp sites and the camper pads are paved. Faranuf has pull-thru sites that can accommodate larger RVs. 

  

**Site Quality:** All sites are level and are spaced a decent distance apart from each other. There are some trees for shade but still many are in full sun. 

  

**Bath/Shower House:** The New Deal and Wheeler loops have vault toilets and Lismas, and Faranuf have flush toilets and showers. The restroom in Faranuf is air-conditioned! The one in Lismas appears new (the old one is still standing but roped off) but points off for no soap! Also no hand sanitizer in the vault toilet in New Deal. 

  

**Activities:** There is a paved recreation path that circles the campground and is about 2.5 miles. Other recreation activities include basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, cornhole, disk golf, and two playgrounds (one in Faranuf and the other in the day-use area). Recreation equipment is available to borrow. There is also a wonderful interpretive center where you can learn about the history of the dam, as well as past and present wildlife. In the summer, it is open Friday– Monday, 9 am– 4 pm and the hours are less in other seasons. A must if you have kids! Many in the campground had boats. Kelly, the volunteer at the gatehouse, was effusive about all the area had to offer. 

  

We were only there for one night passing through, but we did visit the interpretive center, and run on the nature trail. The only bummer about this campground was the persistent wasps that made eating and sitting outside challenging.