Itch-Kep-Pe Park, near Columbus, Montana, is a solid spot for those looking to kick back and enjoy some time outdoors. This campground offers a mix of shaded areas and open spaces, making it a comfortable place to set up camp, whether you're in a tent or an RV.

The park is right next to the Yellowstone River, which provides a scenic backdrop and opportunities for fishing and leisurely walks along the water. Visitors have noted the convenience of having potable water and vault toilets on-site, which adds to the overall comfort of your stay. As one camper mentioned, “The river is right there!”—a perfect spot for enjoying nature.

With a relaxed vibe, Itch-Kep-Pe Park allows for up to seven days of free camping, with donations encouraged to help maintain the area. Many campers appreciate the presence of park staff and law enforcement, which adds a sense of safety. While some noted the occasional noise from the nearby highway and train tracks, the overall experience is often described as pleasant and well-maintained. 

If you're just passing through or planning a longer stay, this campground is a convenient choice with plenty of room to spread out. Whether you're here for a quick overnight stop or a few days of relaxation, Itch-Kep-Pe Park has what you need for a great camping experience.

Itch-Kep-Pe Park

Are you in need of a campground near Fishtail, MT? Fishtail is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Fishtail, MT. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.

Fishtail

The Best Camping Near Fishtail, Montana

I stayed here for 10 days and it was nice.  Quiet for the most part except on the weekend when the rafters and partiers are driving in and out of there.  This is dry camping so no hookups but also no fee (they ask for donations).  I wish the maximum allowed time was longer but I understand about them limiting the time so they don't get people setting up house there.  I camped in the front area and didn't get as many bugs as I noticed in the back area but also got more traffic driving by on the weekend.  They drive through pretty fast so be aware of vehicles on the roads.  


Great area for dry camping

Donation based camping with good sized sites and no hookups. we have stayed here quite a bit and always enjoy it. it is a little crowded on the weekends but clears out during the week. it is right on the river and, depending on the water level you can put in or take out here. it is a blast rafting the river and camping out here. 

Nice dry camping close to town

my visit was good , other campers were very loud at night.

itch- kep- pe campground right next to the city of Columbus it has a little river and the campground is free .

We spent 9 days here (8/25-9/2) to work in nearby Billings (40 miles east) before heading to Washington State. The park was quiet and clean and we had no issues with neighbors at all. This is a city park that runs on donations. A nice guy from the local government stopped by once to give us a sheet with the rules and city ordinances. 

Completely dry camping, although we were able to fill our tank at the spigot on the side of the restroom building. Grass or gravel sites with fire rings and picnic tables, with a mix of back in and pull-through spaces. A lot of space for big rigs and tenters alike. Firewood was available near the dumpsters in the middle of the park. 

The nearest grocery store is a few miles away in town and the laundromat was small but clean. A farmer’s market was set up in the park by the railroad tracks on Thursdays (4:00-6:30) that had everything from fresh veggies and homemade goodies, as well as blankets and jewelry and a couple food trucks. 

There is no dump station in the park, but there is one at the nearby Cenex station for a $5 charge during business hours. Otherwise the folks at Mountain View RV Park on the other side of the interstate will let you dump and fill water for $5. 

Full Verizon signal allowed me to work from our rig for a couple days when I didn’t need to be in Billings. 

Nice City Park along the Yellowstone River

Right next to Yellowstone River and in the town of Columbus is a free campground. There are a lot of sites that are well spread out. If the front is full, follow the road next to the golf course and there are more. We camped right next to the restrooms so it wasn’t the quiet spot. However it was the only one left with shade- it seems pretty full today. I agree with the other reviews. This is a nice spot but it’s not exactly what we’re looking for. There are a lot of dogs(some loose) and a lot of people. Traffic noise is higher and campers arrive late and leave early. It’s a great thing that this town offers. Mosquitoes are a bit of a nuisance. The river is beautiful and the river access is all around. 

  

If the crowd thinned out our stay would have been better. We got one of the last few sites and others filled in later. 

  

Near the entrance is a donation post so your contribution can help this continue.

Donation based camping right on the Yellowstone River

Arrive at around 11pm on a Saturday night. The good spots were taken but still plenty of room for our 4Runner + RTT.    We used as a single night stop over driving up to Glacier.   Some of the grass is well kept and mowed and other spots unmanaged.  A lot of tent sites toward the back in a quieter dark area.  Overall for a free site it was really nice.  There were definitely some very sweet spots right on the Yellowstone river.  

Easy decent camp spot

Lovely sounds of the river and beautiful sunsets over the mountains! This dry camp was an excellent 2 night escape from our normal stops in RV parks. Level sites and easy pull through for our 36’ rv and toad. We were able to find a cozy spot right next to the river. The bugs and the dust are a bit much, but we had a blast with the dogs in the river, and enjoyed the peace and quite. Bring your bug spray and sunscreen! 

Beautiful view 

This is a free campsite on the river. Lots of site available but pretty busy. It was windy while we were here and that caused quite a bit of dust to  blow through all the campsites. Overall not bad.

It was alright. 

Nice, easy to get to spot along the river. There are actually two separate campgrounds, each with about 20 sites. There are blue camper signs directing you. The first site has bathrooms with flush toilets but most sites are close but not right on the water. If you drive through the first campground and go about 3/4 mile, you'll come to the boat launch and second campground. Several of these are right on the river but there is only a pit toilet. Although it was mostly full when I arrived just before a holiday, things got quiet after dark. All in all, a really nice place for free

Price is right

We needed a quiet place to get off the road, stop for the night to sleep. This basic free campground didn’t have any sites proper available on the holiday weekend, but we did find a quiet, fairly level spot to park. City park accepts donations and ppl were friendly and quiet at night. 

Basic Amenities

This place was awesome! There’s 2 loops so be sure to check out the second one too! First loop has flush toilets and water outside the building. Second loop has a vault toilet. Over 30 spots between the two loops. Each site has a fire ring and a nice picnic table. Sites are spaced well and varies from shade to full sun. There’s trash bins in both loops and it’s all free! There’s a donation box at both loops. Met a lot of friendly folks during my stay. Just 5 minutes from town and I had 3 bars of LTE via AT&amp;T. Definitely would stay here again!

Big campground right on the Yellowstone River

Stayed one night, got here 8:30 pm and got the last designated campsite. One restroom with water, 2 or 3 big family gatherings with kids and dogs. Police drove through, which gave a safe feeling. Caretaker
 here this morning. Aging site but nice. Quiet,  some tents, rvs  car camping. 
Free but place for donations. 
Place is 5 min off the highway.

City owned right on the Yellowstone 

Lots of sights,any open area some are more private with trees. Surprisingly has a lot of travelers- very friendly w mix or vanners, tents, rvs. 

Pretty- Free -On River

Free camping along the Yellowstone River! Beware, the coordinates that existed on the original listing took me to the wrong place. I used Google to find the right spot. 

There are two loops - I found plenty of open spots in the second loop during my travels. 


Primo Location

I really enjoyed this free campsite I think it’s a great place to regroup on a road trip. All my camp neighbors were friendly and the bathroom was not to bad. They had flushing toilets so that was nice. If I camp there again I would stay off the main road that takes you to the boat ramp. People went fast and kicked up a lot of dust. Besides that it was a positive experience.  

The price is right

So happy we found this little gem! ( to think we WERE parked for the night at a nearby rest area😩) Found a spot ( Wednesday eve) right on the river! Our dog enjoyed a swim before bed, while we watched Bald eagles play right across the river from us!

River paradise 

This campground is extremely easy to get into! 
Nice and spread out. Others running generators so I didn’t feel bad using ours so I could work. 
Making our way to Texas and this was the perfect first stop. 
Close enough to Billings. 

Great City Park!

Easy to navigate roads. Arrived on a Monday afternoon and was able to find a waterfront site. Nice boondocking. Did not use bathroom so facilities so I can't comment. Will leave donation on the way out. Thanks Columbus!

Great site on Yellowstone River

Pretty crowded campsite but the sites are nicely spaced. Lots of vans and RVs, not a ton of tent campers. Quick little walk to the river for gorgeous views. A bit loud at night but not too bad. Clean Bathrooms with running water. No showers. Great spot for the price (free lol). 

Beautiful river views and autumn leaves 

For a city park this is really a nice set up for all us travelers.  I actually heard about this campground from Facebook and I think this is a keeper

Limit 14 days   

Picnic table, pit and flush toilets, water, fire rings, trash, firewood

The campground has 30 tent and trailer campsites, give or take a few.  It is located right along side the Yellowstone River.  It has a rocky bank and a very swift moving water.  There is fishing, swimming and boating but I would be careful of the swift water.

FEE:  Free but they do ask for a donation.  There are no other amenities.  The are is patrolled.  The park has a golf course on one side and the campground is between it and the river.  When you pull in you will find several sites bfut if you travel on down the rod you will come to another section.  This section has more sites, water and a pit toilet.  The boat launch is also in this area.  There are numerous mature trees scattered making some sites fully shaded and other in full sun.  There is also a gun range close and you might hear gun fire.

LNT

BTWYFI

Travel safe

Primitive, Not Totally

Very quiet (it was January) and beautiful.  Easy access from i90. Lots of spots with picnic tables and fire rings. They even had a huge pile of firewood near the dumpster for campers to use. Nice grove of trees that helps buffer the weather and noise from the town. 

Free camping on the Yellowstone!

They create revenue for the city by fining out of towners. Be prepared to lick these cowards boots.

Great camping! Watch out for the clowns in costumes/ law enforcement 

If you removed all other humans and never walked into the bathrooms? It’s pretty nice. Buggy (mosquitoes and ticks) and the train tracks are loud at times. But it’s gorgeous if you go down to the river. My big complaint is something not everyone will experience hopefully but the people, specifically the ones next to me, were massive vibe kills. Yelling at their puppy, threatening to beat it, threatening to leave it behind. Borderline considered calling the cops or animal control or someone. They were not the classiest individuals. I don’t know if that’s the type of crowd that comes here normally but i hope it isn’t for everyone else’s sake. But in the end, it’s free. Won’t be as relaxing and nice as a site that costs $25+. 

Wanna like it but just don’t 

Stayed one night towards the end of October. Plenty of open spots, looked as though a couple RVs may call this place, “home.” Vault toilet, river access, large trees but not exactly spaced for privacy. Each campsite had a fire ring and picnic table.
Very close to the highway, so convenient. At least a handful of times someone went speeding through the camp. LOTS of garbage all around the campsite, and a dumpster that was left open. A police car did drive through at one point but I didn’t see them stop or talk with anyone. Someone in camp was shooting guns, during the early evening and then again around 3:30AM, not very quiet. 
Donation based, so could be a free place to stay if you need, but I recommend donating if you can. 

Donation based quick spot

Nice little place. Bit wet right now but there were plenty of dry sites. There were lots of people when I got there but they all mostly cleared out by night time. Bathrooms are currently closed but there was a Porta potty. 

Only weird thing was about every 30 mins  one of two unmarked suvs would make the full circle of the grounds . I say unmarked because I thought they might be staff but nothing on tbe vehicle told me so. They also moved at a pretty fast clip and splashed mud everywhere. 

They never stopped or even seemed to notice me so I felt plenty safe but I am also almost 6ft and 300 lbs so I don't usually have to worry as much as smaller/ female presenting people. 



Nice spit right off the freeway

Lovely spot by the Yellowstone river! 
We came in late and were very pleasantly surprised! 
Good unsealed road just off the paved right near Colombus. 
No water or waste disposal but free! 

Clean, spacious, quiet

Free potable water. Can’t review the restrooms as we did not use them, but they are available. 
Fishing access. Boat ramp. 

Great free spot!

Fairly full but still sites available. Some shade in the right spots and near the river. If the front is full, keep following it around all the way. Some of the back spots wereore private 

Great free spot

This is a decent spot for a quick overnight if you're passing through the area. We stayed here in July 2023 in our truck camper and there were plenty of spots available in the far section, near the boat put-in. Very buggy and the bathrooms are not the best. Right on the Yellowstone river which is cool.

good for a quick overnight free camping.

There were a few spots available when we arrived a bit after midday. There are vault toilets, but we did not want to use them. Lots of bugs, our car was hunted by wasps. Quite noisy, with people running generators all day and night, the nearby road, and the nearby train 

Free, but that’s the only good thing 

Good little free park, kinda hard to find a spot as some homeless people made their sites very spread out. Overall a good stay 

Nice spot but some homeless here 

Right off I 90, this spot is easy access and well maintained. The camping spots have good separation with a table and fire ring. Close to the Yellowstone. We camped on the second loop and at the end near the boat dock is a trail that follows the river. We enjoyed the walk with our dogs. Lots of folks fishing. The only draw back is the highway on the opposite bank is noisey, as well as neardy airport and train tracks. Other than that, it's a pleasant experience  

Easy access and well maintained

This worked perfectly for a 2 AM stop, but would've been great for a longer stay. Came in really late and about 75% of the sites were empty. Would be nice even to camp for multi-day and enjoy the Yellowstone River. Left a donation. Looks like there is water and vault toilets as well, I didn't use them

Great place off the highway for a stopover or to camp. Next to river

Free campground run by the city of Columbus. They do accept donations. Only a 5 min drive off the highway so it’s very convenient as a road trip stop. 

It has lots of shade and is located right next to the Yellowstone River. 

In a Monday night in June, the campground was mostly full. 


Good I-90 Road Trip Stop

Nice place allowing upto 7 days of free camping. Donations suggested. This is a city park just outside of town, so water and rv dump are nearby. Laundromat also nearby.  Toilets and potable water are in the park. You can fill your fresh water tank.

Great boondocking.

At first we were a little nervous about staying in a public campground, but we quickly felt safe and decided to stay an extra day. There was some trash around but overall it was clean. The city park staff had a strong presence during the day, taking care of the grounds. In the afternoon and evening, law enforcement made a few sweeps through the park. There was wood left by many of the fire pits and even a water fill station for our RV. Sites did not have hookups but we run on solar with generator backup so we survived the 100 degree heat just fine. The river was right there and while beautiful... too swift for us or our dogs to enter. We enjoyed walking there and felt very comfortable. The park manager came by to introduce himself also. This place was a gem. Please leave a donation if you stay and say thank you for such a wonderful resource. 

A Gem to Find

 Right on the river and lots of shade and roomy camp spots. AT&amp;T cell service is good!

A little gem of a blm park.

Clean quiet at night.  Family and pet friendly.  Large campsites each with a picnic table and fire pit.  Public toilets non-threaded water spigot near the entrance.  Water quality is great.  64 outlets on four different light posts near communal bathroom and shelter area.  With a long enough extension cord you might be able to get to your campsite but I doubt it.  Close to the river.  I feel safe here.  I got here on August 30th and stay till September 3rd that's why I chose month of September.

Photos of Itch-Kep-Pe Park

Real photos from real campers