Best Cabin Camping near Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

Cabin was nice for our needs.  Parking space was limited to one single vehicle without a trailer.  Firewood and lantern were not provided.

We stayed in the cabins at the campground, which were clean and well taken care of. There is a playground in the middle of the campground, as well as many trails to explore and places to ride a bike. The caverns were closed for the season, but the visitor center was open and fun to visit.

Wanted a place to stay halfway between Glacier and southern Idaho - Sportsman RV is 1 mile off Interstate 15. This place is a gem. The owners are very nice, helped us park the camper. They take great care of this place. It has 10 RV spots, close together but nice and also a log motel and some cabins. When I was in the office there were people reserving for next year - they come fly fishing here every September. Quite hazy with smoke from forest fires when we were here but I can tell it is beautiful, nestled in between Montana mountain ranges. Easy walk to the river for fly fishing access. That seems to be the main activity in this very small town of Melrose. The Hitchin’ Post restaurant is next to the campground. There is even a gate in the fence so you don’t have to walk around to the road.

Lots to do in this park with local history and geology being the focuses. Not far off 90 if you’re road tripping. The campground is simple and open. Pros: different sleeping options (tent, RV, cabin, yurt, tipi), cave tours, river access, short hiking trails, lots of history (native, mining, settlers, etc), ranger talks, ice/wood camp store, helpful rangers, stargazing, nice modern bathrooms. Cons: very open campground with no privacy nor shade, no tent-only area, lots of RVs. We’d definitely visit again.

The layout of this state park was somewhat unusual: there are five loops within one larger loop with 32 sites plus seven additional pull-through sites on the outside of the loop. There are also three handicap accessible cabins and one tipi. All are reservable. This campground appeared to be very family-friendly, with many kids riding bikes and playing on the playground (first campground I’ve seen in a while that had kids playing on it). There are some trees, but they don’t necessarily provide shade (certainly not for B4!) Flush toilets plus (fee) showers; it was nice that there was HOT water! The path leading from Loop B (where we were) to the bathroom went between one of the cabins and their driveway, making it feel like we were walking through their yard – a little bit awkward. There is one 6.5-mile trail from the campground but the real attraction is the cave tour (and no, Lewis and Clark never saw the caves)! The Classic tour is $12 and lasts approximately two hours and is very interesting. You cannot make advance reservations for the tour, but we had no problem walking up and buying tickets at 5:30 pm on a Friday. It is a 3/4 mile UPHILL walk to the cave entrance and a half-mile walk back to the visitor center when done with the tour. There was also a covered picnic pavilion and a day-use area, but it appeared to be closed when we were there.

The cabin appears to be frequented by regulars. It sleeps 6 (ish), has a wood stove and a propane grill/cooktop, and a fair few canned supplies, games, puzzles, etc . It's not filthy but far from spotless. The problem is getting there. We pulled in a 23ft trailer. Its a 15 mile dirt road, severely rutted in spots. Steep hills, sharp corners and lots of both. I spent 90+ minutes driving in, in fear of not getting back out, then another 90+ minutes getting out. Successfully! Whew!

While taking the trailer was our mistake, the road would be daunting for anyone used to pavement and I would strongly suggest 4-wheel-drive.

This is a great spot in a tiny town south of Butte Montana. They have a couple cabins, several motel rooms and about 10 full hookup, all grass, RV spots. Also a large area for car/tent camping. The grounds are meticulously maintained by the owner and it has nice views of the bluffs and mountains all around it. Walking distance to the restaurant and bar in town if that’s your thing. Quality hookups at each site, and each site has its own trash can. Clean bathrooms and laundry on site. Owners are very present and attentive on site and super friendly. Picnic tables at every site. One shared fire pit out front of the office. It’s in a very small town, with several fishing spots nearby. Very peaceful location. We would stay again.

A few things to be aware of:

• All sites are back in, but they are reasonably wide and very long.
• It is about a mile or two from the interstate which is convenient but you can occasionally hear a large truck pass by.
• There is a train track nearby, we heard about one train per day in the morning.
• We were here in July and there were some mosquitos. If you plan to be outside probably bring a citronella candle or bug spray.

I thoroughly enjoyed this park. The campground is a large field for the most part and the sites are located around the circle. As many other reviewers have mentioned, it is not very private, but I thought the camp sites were fairly well spaced out and I didn’t feel like we were crowded at any time. There are not a lot of trees, but we had no problem moving our chairs under the nearest cottonwood and getting some shade. I liked the open feel of the campground surrounded by the canyon. It was a pleasant change as we had just left Glacier National Park which is incredibly busy and packed with people. The park has enough room for tents and RVs. There are 3 cabins centrally located and a tipi, which we stayed in for a night- as it was a nice change not having to set up our tent after having done so the last two weeks on our trip. Water is easily accessible, bathrooms are clean, showers are available but for a fee. It was $3.00 for six minutes. There is a visitor center at the campground as well as a gift shop and cafe near the cavern. We took a cavern tour and really enjoyed it. It was a short but all uphill climb to the cavern, and then a 2 hour tour. Very informative.

It is a very off the beaten path, tucked away in the woods, true getaway from the busy city life. Travel south on 278 from Wisdom, MT and take the chance on an 18 mile gravel road to find a place only you see in pictures and read about in magazines. Drive through open cattle ranges and find a beautiful campground nestled up to 2 small lakes connected by a shallow channel. Clear water to see the bottom where it's shallow enough. No motorized boats allowed, so bring your own kayak or canoe and a fishing pole or two to enjoy the refreshing waters at the bottom of the mountains. Even in July, you can see snow atop the mountains on the Montana-Idaho border.

• Large, open water front spaces to set up "shop"
• Site 10 had room for 3 tents, 3 SUVs, 1 picnic table + extra side table, fire ring/grill, canoe, chairs around fire and shoreline, laundry lines
• Not crowded (maybe 5 sites taken when we were there)
• Bathrooms are clean (but no locks or hand sanitzer...at least the one I used)
• Water available
• One bear storage container at front entrance
• Must pack up and take out your own trash (no bear proof trash cans)
• Fire rings with grills available

Great park and campground popular with locals for a quick getaway, and ideal for travelers between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.  Yes, it is on a bench above a river valley and below higher sage and juniper covered foothills.  It can be windy, and it can be hot and sunny in the summer.  Locals find it a great early and late season destination for these reasons.  The trails also dry out/stay dry early and late making it a hiking and mountain biking destination when the higher mountains are snowy or muddy.

The campground itself has great facilities, and manicured lawns (good since this is rattlesnake country), but little to no natural shade.  Clean restrooms and clean vault toilets.  Small visitor center at the highway entrance and second visitor center for the cave entrance at the top of the mountain (foothill).  Summer brings intermittent ranger programs. I reserved a star for wind and lack of shade, otherwise it’s great camping.

P.S. spotty cell coverage!

Entire place is clean and well maintained. Very accommodating hosts.

After driving 5 hours from Glacier National Park through arid ranch land, the Sportsman Lodge was like happening upon an oasis in the desert. Beautifully maintained property with lots of green grass for the pups to walk through. And there are doggie bag stations galore!

The sites themselves are level on gravel. No pull-throughs, but plenty of space to maneuver. I would have liked a little more space between sites and maybe some shrubbery for a bit of privacy, but that is being picky.

This area is popular for fly fishing and the Sportsman Lodge is a 7 minute walk from the fishing access on the river.

Melrose is teeny tiny, so don't expect several restaurants to choose from. There are 2 and one is closed on Sundays.

Bonnie, one of the owners, is super friendly and helpful. And the free wifi is really strong! And the water pressure is amazing.

The open skies and no city lights make for great stargazing.

Overall, highly recommend the Sportsmans Lodge.

Great place!

We pulled off I-15 in little Melrose, MT and imagine our surprise to find this RV park. Beautiful setting, full hookups, well maintained, friendly small small town, near Big Hole National battlefield, great restaurant in town. Would be a perfect place to stop for the night or a few nights on the road.

Wonderful place, hosts, amenities! what a great spot and even better are the owners of the campground. They did everything they could to make sure that we had what we needed! The campground, showers, laundry room were spotless clean. There was a great fishing shop just round the corner and all services u need for your fishing trip. Campground is surrounded by absolutely beautiful mountains and rivers! Thank u !