Looking for the best campgrounds near Arlee, MT? Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Arlee is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Arlee and user-submitted reviews.
$10 / night
"Nice little lake, was there in fall so not busy. Wooded and sites are along the lake, but views aren’t fantastic. Saw bear prints, definitely lock up foods. Bring water treatment methods."
"There’s only about 5 spots and summer will be crowded when it’s hot and awesome weather! Bring tubes to float around the water and hammock to hang around."
"Absolutely beautiful backpacking loop! About 6 miles in you will reach your destination of turquoise lake."
"On my drive up I did not see any established distributed campsites. However there are some turn offs that you could park at. This area would probably not be ideal for RVs."
"Not the best in terms of views, but worth the drive to get out of the city."
"Several sites grouped together by lake down an access road. only one other camper here on a Sunday night. Nice wooded sites and easy access to lake for swimming or boating"
"https://www.camppaxson.org/app/
*Must rent entire facility*
"Camp Paxson sits on the shores of Seeley Lake, one of a chain of five lakes nestled between the Swan Mountain Range and the Mission Mountain"
"Primitive cabins with electricity and bunk beds but nothing else. Dock to jump off of. Trails all over seely lake. An area with benches surrounding the fire and a stage. Easy to get to."
"Kind of neat to drive past the Paws Up resort and the campground is much more affordable! The river is great to float and holds enough water into the fall."
"The outhouses are shared male/female. Nice place to camp."
$33 - $75 / night
"Tent spot is around $30. This place was great. The porta potty was the cleanest one I’ve ever been to. You have to fill up your own water for the shower."
"Great place .has all the hook ups.and public restrooms and laundry room. Place for tents. Great place to stay"
LegendThe Dalles Campground is a nice pleasant campground with 10 sites along Rock Creek. Situated in a mature lodge pole pine forest all the site have plenty of shade. All sites have picnic tables and metal fire rings. Site has a water hand pump and ADA vault toilet. Site 1 was interesting as you have to walk up an embankment to reach the site, which makes it not visible from the campground road. A bear proof locker is available for food storage. Being along Rock Creek gives those who wish to fish access to the blue ribbon stream with brown trout, rainbow trout, and brook trout. Cost is $6 per night. All the sites are nicely spread apart. The road to Dalles campground is not recommended for RVs of trailers as it get pretty bumpy after the pavement ends, this only get worse the further you travel down the road, but is doable if you drive very slow.
TravelerPulled off i-90 for a stop, plenty of campsites available. Able to reserve online thru recreation.gov as well as first come first serve. saw maybe 4 other cars. Only downside is proximity to freeway and loud train. Would go off multiple times throughout the night waking us up every time. Well maintained, plenty of restrooms they were closed though but a bear box and dumpster were available for trash/food storage.
LegendHarry's Flat campground is a great campground along Rock Creek, set in a huge old growth ponderosa pine forest. The sites are large, especially the ones bordering right up to Rock Creek. The campground has 15 campsites each with Picnic tables and metal fire rings. The campground has vault toilets and a few bear lockers for food storage, water is available. Not all the campsites were available during my visit as about 1/2 the campground was closed due to damage during the heavy spring and early summer rains. This is a great spot for people interested in doing some fishing, as Rock Creek is a blue ribbon stream, with brown trout, rainbow trout, and brook trout. Cost is $6 per night, first come first served.
LegendUpsata Fishing Access campground is located four miles north of Montana Highway 200. This is a pleasant small five site campground. All five sites are next to each other on a flat grassy area which appears to be regularly maintained. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. One vault toilet serves the site. No water or trash service. The fishing access has a small parking area for vehicles and boat trailers, boat ramp is gravel. Only one other site was occupied on our visit, but that was on a Sunday evening.
GuideGreat place to stay. First come first stay 8 day max stay. Vault toilets, picnic table, sites are spread out. $18 dollars per day
LegendMonture Creek Fishing Access site is a nice small campground/fishing access site with five campsites. Two just off of Hwy 200 and three more back away from the highway. Monture Creek has good trout fishing with the creek being only about 100 feet from the campsites. One vault toilet serves the fishing access and camping area. Each campsite has a picnic table and metal fire ring. Sites 1, 2 and 3 sit far enough back that the large pine trees do a pretty good job of blocking most of the highway noise. Like all the fishing access sites with camping in the state, the nightly rate is based on if you have a fishing license and are a Montana resident or not. This is a trash-in, trash-out site and no water is available so come prepared.
Traveler$20 a night for a spot right on the crystal clear water. Native land & no alcohol. Fire ring with grill attachment and a picnic table. There’s electric/water sites not on the water and I believe the ones right on the lake are not. Dogs allowed. Spacious spots, some with a decent amount of privacy. Bathrooms.
LegendCLICK HERE for FULL Ranger Review Video
When traveling through Montana there is a portion of the state which suddenly opens up in such an inviting way as the National Forest and Mountains start to give you the first glimpse of the upcoming PNW environment. Tall trees welcome you and on a cool fall day the crisp air produces a beautiful fog over the mountains.
Campground Review:
As I entered into this section of the 2 million acre LOLO National Forest I initially pulled into a rest area to make lunch only to realize that the exit point for the rest area was actually also the shared entry point for the Quartz Flat Campground.
The immediate sense of comfort abounded as large campsites became visible as I drove down the entry and the opening of the 2 loops welcomed me in with open arms. Sites were well shaded and had ample ground to spread out and get comfortable for a stay from a day to 14 days at only $10 a night or $5 for those with the Senior Access pass.
I was very surprised when I noticed that Loop C was designed for smaller RVs, Vans and Tent campers and Loop A was designed for larger units which required pull through entry. There was attention to detail for any possible traveler, something which commonly is not considered in design of National Forest campsites.
But far beyond the size this started to reveal to me that it was not your typical campsite on National Forest land for many other reasons. There were both vault toilets and flush toilets at the location scattered throughout camp and drinking water spigots available at central points.
For tent campers the forest bed offered a lush and soft pad for set up and with sites being quite large there was a tranquility which came from camping here. All sites were equipped with fire rings and tables but a select few were the location of bear boxes. After leaving Yellowstone where each site had a bear box this was bit confusing to me as to why there were limited bear boxes but this did not deter me.
Additionally there is a dump station and trash collection at the Loop C entry point, very uncommon for these type of sites. There also was a trail which began on the C Loop and traversed 1/2 a mile with information available at the main road with free brochures.
Departing this loop, I thought I had seen it all, but boy was I wrong!! There was an entire other campground on the opposite side of the highway, accessible by a tunnel which passed under the highway itself. This campground near mirrored that of the A & C Loops however appeared a bit closer to the highway.
TIPS:
If you are visiting this campground make sure you bring everything with you, there is no store nearby for a quick stop.
Check dates of closure for this campground. When I arrived there were signs posted at the pay kiosk of closure beginning September 16th.
For More Information About LOLO National Forest CLICK HERE
Product Review:
Upon occasion I am given the opportunity as a Dyrt Ranger to try out some amazing new products along my adventures. For this trip I was able to try out the Acai Berry Liquid IV, a unique product which offers hydration multiplication for those who are needing a little pick me up.
How Does It Work?
Hydration multipliers work in a very interesting way. Through adding a concentrated amount of electrolytes to your regular water they are able to make a single water hydrate your body as much as 3 waters of the same size. The CTT technology used by Liquid IV is unique to the brand and allows glucose and sodium to move differently in the body.
In simple terms, if you don't drink enough water regularly, if you add Liquid IV to your intake, it allows your body to feel like it actually is getting enough water.
How Do I Use It?
Use is simple!! Servings are prepackaged and can be added to water of any temperature. Simply tear the top, scissors not needed, and pour then shake! I personally like adding it to hot tea in addition to plain water for a little punch of flavor.
How Does It Taste?
The Acai Berry flavor is a light flavor additive which allows you a subtle punch of flavor, Unlike many drink additives it does not have a chalky taste and when it is fully dissolved you have no textural discrepancy from a standard water. It just tastes like something other than water...lol
Does It Really Work?
I have been trying Liquid IV for a few weeks and have noticed a definite difference when using it versos not using it. The product allows your body to not feel the signs of fatigue on a strenuous hike and allows you to stay hydrated, preventing muscle cramps, profuse sweating and heat related fatigue.
When using on a standard day of light activity your body just feels more energized, despite not being an energy supplement.
I would recommend using this product for your day to day, especially if you struggle with consuming the recommended amount of water regularly. For those who participate in strenuous athletic activity this is a game changer much better than Gatorade or Powerade.
LegendThe campground offers many lakeside campsites complete with picnic table and fire rings. There were 3 yurts for those interested. all vehicles, including camping vehicles, park alongside road; there are few, if any, pull-in sites. There is room for a tent or two in the sIte. Most of the lakeside sites also have a small amount of slope.
The camp hosts were absolutely fantastic! There is firewood and ice for sale at the park. Polson is about 20-30 mInutes away and has grocery stores, etc. If you go to Polson, check out The Cove Deli for some really great ice-cream.
The showers were really awkward, but did the job. They take $ coins (available from host if needed) and quarters.
If you aren’t bringing your own boat, Boat Rentals and Rides is only 2 miles down the road. We rented 2 glass bottom kayaks. Warning: lake conditions change suddenly and we saw the waves blow in 2 dIfferent directions durIng the 2 days we were there. There were no bear boxes at the sites, only one by the bathroom.
Nestled in the stunning landscapes of Montana, Arlee offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Arlee, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Arlee, MT is Kreis Pond Campground with a 4-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Arlee, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 tent camping locations near Arlee, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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