Red Cliff Campground

I booked 2 nights on Recreation.gov less than 3 weeks in advance. I was camping while working an event in Big Sky.

The campground is quite large, and this time of year, completely full every night. It is right on the river and very close to the highway. This means it is not quiet. Still, it’s 10 minutes to Big Sky, clean and well equipped. Overall a good choice in this area if you can make a reservation.

There are bear-safe food storage lockers, fire rings, and picnic tables at each camp site. Long before the bears eat you, the mosquitoes and deer flies will. Bug spray advised. Pit toilets are well-used but reasonably clean. The on-site hosts make sure to mark reservation cards on each site, and put signs at the entrance when the campgrounds is full. This kept traffic inside the campground to a minimum. Much appreciated.

Nice campground near Adjacent to Gallatin River. Some sites are actually right next to the river. Our site, 43, up on the hill, would be perfect except for the proximity of the vault toilet. The vault toilet was extremely clean and did not smell at all, inside the room, however, at our campsite, every now and then, we would get an unpleasant waft. Camp sites are well spaced and some even have hook ups (not 43). Our site was unique and nice as it was tri-level. Level 1 is parking/trailer, level 2 is fire ring and table, level 3 is an area to set up a tent.

Stopped here to find several spots available. You can reserve online or just show up and pay at the fee station. Each space has its own bear box, table and grill. We stayed in a back in non Hookup site. There are Electric sites available too.

Great place close to entrance to west Yellowstone. Close to some hiking

It is a lovely campground right next to Gallatin river. Camp host extremely helpful and nice. Great place for dogs. Lots of road noise unfortunately.

Solid campground off the highway. We stopped after driving through Yellowstone.

They have like 50-60 sites which is nice, but only about half of them are along the river. The ironic part is the river spots are closer to the somewhat busy road on the other side of the water. It’s not a huge deal, but you won’t be in the middle of the woods. Just something to keep in mind when choosing this location.

When we arrived they had plenty of wood for sale. They had water facilities (we weren’t quite sure whether it was potable). Bathrooms are primitive with tank toilets and no sinks.

All in all, we had a great night camping along our journey. Definitely a decent spot to mark for your travels.

A lot to do without needing to leave the campground. If it were warmer weather while we stayed, then the river would have been great for a soak. A little highway noise, but I never noticed it inside of the RV

The area is beautiful, campground is right by the river (but also by a busy highway). Overall nice toilets, lots of spots and close to the town of Big Sky. Some spots offer good shade.

This is a beautiful campground right on the Gallatin River near Big Sky. Spaces are well spaced out, electric & non-electric available. The vault toilets were clean & well maintained. We loved the raised firepit with the swivel grate for cooking over. Take the time to explore along the River, lots of animals tracks! Fresh water is available but note that there is no grey water dump in Big Sky, so you’ll need to drive on to West Yellowstone or north.

Super friendly campground host. Very helpful. The campground was clean even the restrooms. Easy access to big sky Montana and a hour ish drive to west Yellowstone. Sites are easy to access with smaller rv. But have bigger sites for larger rigs. No t mobile or att service.

Good staff, clean bathrooms, beautiful campground

Red Cliff is a large comfortable campground with a few electric sites; water is onsite at a well so fill bottles or onboard tanks to take to your site.  Sites are reservable through recreation.gov.  Many sites have shade most or all of the day, and they are not too close together.  Many sites are on the Gallatin River, an excellent fishery and pleasant location.  Many sites will accommodate large rigs, but small to medium trailers and RVs/camper vans are the norm. No cell service.

Vault toilets are well spaced and clean, no plumbed bathhouses.  Many recreation sites and opportunities are nearby and this is the closest campground to Big Sky Town and Resort which has grocers, breweries, shopping, restaurants, and a hospital.  It is still amidst wilderness, though adjacent to Hwy 191.  BEAR SAFE FOOD STORAGE IS REQUIRED BY LAW.  Bear boxes are provided at many sites, or lock up your stuff in a hard-sided vehicle.  You may see elk, deer and bear.

There is a great onsite trailhead for hiking and horseback riding.  The Cliffs themselves are developed for rock climbing with bolted sport routes from 5.6 up to 5.11 and 5.12.

This is a clean well-kept FS campground.

We pulled in here were able to get a spot that was backed up to the Gallatin river. The cost was only $20.00. We had 3 elk come thru our camp that dusk, was truly a suprise. The host Mike, was very helpful and courteous. The river, surrounding landscape and scenery is something to behold. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. There are trails too.....firewood can be forged from all the down trees on the trail. I thought this was an awesome campsite

This campsite is heaven. We stayed for 2 nights, both spots on the river. Wonderful hosts, incredible access to the river to fish and let dogs/kids play. Beautiful nature all around. We were a few minutes from rafting on the Gallatin and Big Sky. Electric hookup.

Just off “the 191”, Red Cliff is just outside of Big Sky and along both the highway and river. Nice sized sites, clean pit toilets, and reservable.

The electric sites are on the right when you pull in and are preferable no only for the hookup, but also because there’s a day use area between the road and sites, and that little bit of space makes a difference in deafening the road noise. We were on the non-electrical side and could hear it, but it wasn’t a huge deal.

Two site hosts take turns on duty and are really nice and accommodating. I would definitely stay here again if coming through the area, but plan ahead to get an electric site.

One thing to note - there is A LOT of construction on the Wyoming side between Red Cliff and Yellowstone in summer of 2020 making this not a good base camp for Yellowstone this year. A typical 45 minute drive can take over 1.5 hours due to traffic being reduced to 1 lane with a stop light to allow one direction to progress at a time.

Red Cliff Campground is a large Forest Service campground in the Gallatin River canyon. The campground has 63 campsites which can be reserved. This nice campground is set among pine and spruce trees. Their are two sections to the campground, the south section is more heavily wooded and has electric sites for$28 a night. The north section is more open, especially at the uphill portion of the loop with sites for$20. Several campsites have steps leading up to the campsite. The entire area was very green, with nice tall grass cover through out the campground. The Campground is set across the Gallatin river from Hwy 191, allowing the river to slightly muffle the sound of the constant truck travel on the highway, still the road noise is the big downfall for this campground. Each site is equipped with a large picnic table and metal fire ring. Bear lockers for food storage are located though out the campground, but you might need to share space with others as one lockers serves multiple sites. Vault toilets are located through out the campground. Water is available as well as trash and recycling. If you need firewood it is available from the camp host. It appears that about 1/3 of the sites are located along the river. If you like to hike there is the Elkhorn trail head at the south end of the campground, and of coarse don't forget to bring that fishing pole.

Family and I stayed here in late May for three days. We have stayed in the past in June and July as well. 

Campground is south of Big Sky, so if you need to buzz into town for any last minute supplies, it is only about 10 minutes up the road and has everything you could want. 

Campground has both standard and electric sites. We have a small camper and scored one of the spots near the south end, which is also close to the Elkhorn Creek Trailhead. Best sites are obviously closer to the river, with those at the far north end or south end the best options. Some of the southern end options on the east side of the campground road are tucked up pretty tight to the hillside, and are not as desirable of a location. 

Pros:
Beautiful setting, easy access to hiking, cave exploration and rock climbing.

Later in the summer, the Gallatin river provides good fishing opportunities. 

Yellowstone Park is about 40 minutes away. Tons of hiking options within Gallatin Canyon, all accessible via a short drive if you want something away from the campground. 

Great camp hosts, who check in with everyone, have firewood, and ensure everything is good to go. 

Potable water spigot, bear proof dumpster and recycling are all available near the entrance. 

Cons:
Being that the campground is near the river, which also parallels the highway, road noise is pretty common -- big semi-trucks hitting the rumble strips take something away from the peaceful setting, but it is not a deal breaker. That really is the only minor gripe. 

Highly recommended overall for tent or RV camping.

Not a bad places to get away for a quick trip. Some good fishing on the Gallatin river and even a cool cave to check out on the right side of the camp ground.

Red Cliff was very clean. The camp hosts were nice, but it is a very tight campground. There is a lower and an upper level. We had a great experience here, but expect to see your neighbors a bit.

On the river close to Yellowstone National Park! A bit pricey for this MT gal but worth checking out. I don't clime but those of you who do this spot is often used a a climing location by the locals. Great place.