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Facilities

Established Camping

Parkside Campground

Closed For the Season

This campground is closed for the season from September 26, 2024 through May 5, 2025.

Parkside Campground, near Red Lodge, Montana, is a fantastic place for those looking to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying some essential comforts. With spacious sites that come equipped with picnic tables and fire rings, it’s perfect for gathering around the fire after a day of adventure.

This campground is well-loved for its beautiful wooded surroundings and the soothing sounds of a nearby creek. Visitors have noted the cleanliness of the facilities, including the vault toilets, and the friendly camp hosts who keep everything in order. One camper mentioned, “The camp hosts were very nice and keep the whole place very clean.”

For outdoor enthusiasts, Parkside Campground is a gateway to some incredible hiking trails, including the Wyoming Creek Trail right at the start of the campground. The area is also great for off-roading and fishing, making it a versatile spot for various activities. Just be sure to bring your own water for hiking, as there are no refill stations nearby.

While some campers have pointed out that the campground can get busy during peak times, the overall vibe is welcoming and relaxed. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, Parkside Campground offers a great blend of comfort and adventure in the heart of Montana’s stunning landscape.

Description

National Forest

Custer Gallatin National Forest

Overview

Parkside Campground is located 12 miles south of Red Lodge, Montana, just off the scenic Beartooth Highway. The area is a popular location for fishing, hiking and scenic driving. Greenough Lake less than a mile away. Glacier Lake, Hellroaring and Lake Fork Trailheads are nearby.

Recreation

The Main Fork of Rock Creek and nearby 5-acre Greenough Lake offer rainbow trout fishing. The lake is also open to canoeing and kayaking. The Beartooth Wilderness can be accessed via the Hellroaring and Lake Fork Trailheads, both nearby. Visitors also enjoy mountain biking and hiking on the Parkside National Recreation Trail. Hellroaring Road is open to off-road vehicles.

Natural Features

The campground sits in the shadow of the Beartooth Range on the banks of Rock Creek. A forest of aspen and pine covers the area. A variety of wildlife, including grizzly bear, deer and elk, make their home in the surrounding area.

Contact Info

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

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 the 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. Yellowstone National Park's Northeast Entrance is 55 miles from the campground via the Beartooth Highway. The park offers unparalleled wildlife viewing opportunities, as well as breathtaking scenery and unique geological features.

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.Two group sites are available: Parkside A: maximum 50 people Parkside B: maximum 25 peopleFirewood bundles can be purchased from the campground host.

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Location

Parkside Campground is located in Montana

Detail location of campground

Directions

From U.S. Highway 212, turn off at Rock Creek Road (Forest Road 2421). Go 0.3 miles to the campground entrance on the right.

Address

FOREST ROAD 2421A
Red lodge, MT 59068

Coordinates

45.0619444 N
109.4088889 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

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

Features

For Campers

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

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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4.0

out of 5

9 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2022

Parkside

Arrived during the labor day weekend. The campground was super crowded. The campsites were large and spacious. Campground management was very active keeping up with the vault toilet cleaning very well. Would've been a great experience if it wasn't for the camper trailer next to our site using a very loud, obnoxious generator for several hours at a time.

Site#19 I think.
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Oct. 28, 2021

Beautiful High

Open:  Early May - Late Sep

Fee area:  $19.25 extra vehicle $9.50

Limit:  16 days

Sites 28 with a camp host

Reservations:  877-444-6777 or recreation.gov

FCFS 20% of sites

Amenities:  pit toilets, water, bear boxes, fire ring, picnic table, firewood for sale, trash

Sites 10 and 12 are good for solar.  Sites are paved

This campground has a wonderful creek running through it.  Well wooded with mature every green and leafed shade trees.  Sites have privacy and the backdrop of the surrounding mountains is amazing.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by N I., October 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by N I., October 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by N I., October 28, 2021
  • (20) View All
Reviewed Sep. 27, 2021

Great Location in Beartooth

Campground has two loops. Upper which has some campsites that are close to the creek. Lower is a large circle on the other side of creek. Both sides have vault toilets. All sites have firepits and picnic tables. Vault toilets and campground sites were kept clean and firewood is available for sale.

Site18
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Christine J., September 27, 2021
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Christine J., September 27, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 23, 2020

Great family spot!

Bear box, established fire pit, large picnic table, steps from creek! UTV trails and other trails to wander while staying here. Fit my 27’ camper well. Room enough between sites that you can’t hear your neighbors. Firewood can be purchased at the camp hosts site and they were very nice and keep the whole place very clean.

  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Brooks Q., June 23, 2020
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Brooks Q., June 23, 2020
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Brooks Q., June 23, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2019

Nestled along a creek at the base of the Beartooth highway

This is a beautiful campground! The Beartooth highway starts going up to the west right here. You must drive this route but plan lots of time for photos. 

The campground stretches out along the Wyoming creek. Let your eyes go upwards and glimpse the mountains around you. This campground is in the valley. Large sites are well spread out and wander through the wooded area. Drive through and select the one you like and then fill out the form. Vault toilets and garbage bins are spread out too. We found quite a few open sites but many were reserved. If this one fills up there are a few more down the road. 

The trailhead for the Wyoming creek trail is at the start of camp. We saw plenty of cars parked here for day hiking. This is a great place.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Art S., August 3, 2019
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Art S., August 3, 2019
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Art S., August 3, 2019
  • (9) View All
Reviewed Jun. 17, 2019

Great clean campground

This was a great campground! Very clean camp sites, clean bathrooms, and very nice and polite camp hosts. We had reservations Saturday night but showed up Friday night hoping we could get a walk-up spot. The camp hosts were very accommodating and helpful! The spot we reserved was great! Tree coverage, a long picnic table, fire ring,close to the river, close to the bathrooms (if needed), and did I mention...clean?!?! The camp sites were spread out enough so that you didn't feel too crowded. It was a great location for anything you want to do, hiking, biking, fishing, off-roading, or just simply relaxing. We would definitely go back here again.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Brandon N., June 17, 2019
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2018

Beautiful spot, great hiking

Being from Montana, I love finding new campsites that I haven't stayed and doing hikes I've never done. This place was great. The campground was decently sized, very easy to find, and clean. The campground is right off the highway, down a gravel path a few miles. The road is driveable and in great condition. The rangers are super helpful and nice. They directed us to our campsite, and also helped us figure out what hikes to do in the area. The campsites are normal- they have a fire pit and picnic table to use, and the size is pretty big. Each site is spaced out well, and the trees are gorgeous here! We brought our hammocks and hung them while we were hanging out. The hiking nearby is great! Wish I could remember the names of the hikes- Bear Creek might be one of them? Not sure. Anyways, you can look hikes up on All Trails, or ask the ranger! Bring water- there is no place to fill up your water bottles for hiking. We stopped by a store on our way there and loaded up on snacks and goodies. We saw some deer, as well as lots of chipmunks on our stay! The deer were amazing- we saw a huge herd of them one evening! Wish I would have recorded it. Beautiful place, and would definitely come back and recommend.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Melani T., October 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Melani T., October 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Melani T., October 26, 2018
  • (11) View All
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2018

Great hiking

Trips to Montana are my favorite, especially if it has to do with hiking. We chose this campground because it was close to some hikes we wanted to do. Although the hiking was great, we didn’t really enjoy the campground. It was close to the road so you could hear every car and semi drive by. It was loud. Also, the campsites were so close to each other it was a little weird. Felt like we were camping with the people next to us. The bathroom also smelt terrible and didn’t seem like it was ever cleaned. I mean it was a porta potty but still, gross. Bring your own toilet paper. Hate to rag on a place, but the hiking was amazing! The views were gorgeous.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Skylar M., October 1, 2018
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Skylar M., October 1, 2018
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Skylar M., October 1, 2018
  • (9) View All
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2017

Unusual sites

This campground is located along one of the nations most scenic highways and seems to fill up fast from online reservations. However, if you do get a spot there are plenty of resources here. This includes fresh water spigots, fire pits, picnic tables, firewood (with the camp host), and clean restrooms. In terms of the actual campsite it seems this area is more suited to trailers or RVs. Each site has a long pull in driveway but the area for tent pads seems to be non-existent. You really have to look hard to find a level spot that isn't littered with small to medium sized rocks. On the plus side, the Wyoming Creek runs along the campground muffling any noise from cars that might be on the highway and there are plenty of trails to hike right from the campground. If you have a vehicle with a moderate amount of clearance you can venture further back from the campground and really start to explore some of the back country hiking.

Site14
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Evan H., August 26, 2017
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Evan H., August 26, 2017
  • Review photo of Parkside Campground by Evan H., August 26, 2017
  • (9) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Camping at Parkside Campground can cost between $80.00 and $100.00 depending on the site.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Parkside Campground?

    Parkside Campground allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Parkside Campground?

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

  • Does Parkside Campground have wifi?

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

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Parkside 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 Parkside Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Parkside Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

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

    There are 28 campsites at Parkside Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts