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The Gardiner district covers the southeast part of Custer Gallatin National Forest, bordering Yellowstone National Park. Both Gardiner, MT and Cooke City, MT are within the Gardiner district.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. It also means no services (such as trash removal), and little or no facilities (such as tables, fire pits or toilets) are provided.
Traveler
This is a beautiful spot. A little difficult to find. The road leading down to the lake looks like it’s someone’s driveway adjacent. I drove by it a few times before actually finding it. Once I got there though definitely worth it. It looks like a gravel parking lot. There were 2 small RVs already there when I got there; and a truck had pulled in sometime overnight when I woke up. The lake is gorgeous. It’s quiet and dark and very peaceful!!
Guide
I enjoyed boondocking here in my tent. I had good cell service with Google FI wireless. Also I was able to get by the road and make it in my Honda Accord. Nice place even had a bear box for food storage.
Scout
Large open meadow at 7270 ft. elevation. Very open with several good level areas for RVs or tents. Wide open skies and a fire ring. Great spot if it’s available.
Traveler
This is a fantastic campground with lots of empty sites along Taylor Creek. The site I stayed at had a fire pit with lots of room to setup a tent or camper if you’re interested. Lots of distance between each campsite and again, a pretty valley view with a beautiful creek.
Scout
This is a nice place to boondock. There are a few level spots up here, but the road is pretty rough and pretty steep. The view into Yellowstone is gorgeous.
Scout
We drove up this road early on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and of the first 8 designated spots only about 3 were full. We took the last one (just after 2ish miles from the entrance at the road) and it was absolutely gorgeous. Our little site sat on small ridge with a somewhat steep but short trail down to the creek. No picnic tables, but there was a really cute fire ring. The trails up the road are popular, and over the course of the weekend there were pretty frequent cars and even a few folks walking. We didn't mind too much, but the site is right off the road so you're not secluded or especially private. The trade off feels worth it for the beautiful site and proximity to the creek.
Please be bear aware! There are bears in the area, so make sure to lock your food and other consumables in your truck's cab or in your car.
GuideThis camp was so beautiful. It’s nestled right on the lake and the sunset is just stunning. The bathrooms were so clean and there was even a mural painted on the walls. There are several places to camp along the red rocks pass road if you don’t want to drive all the way down to the lake. The lake sites are so beautiful that if you opt out you’re definitely going to miss out.
Guide
A good amount of dispersed areas here. All the areas in the open meadow area closer by the road was occupied. We choose a dead end road and had the area all to ourselves. Had to back up the road about 200 feet because there was no turn around for the size of our rig (36 foot 5th wheel). But it is doable.
GuideA lot of boondocking opportunities in that area. Must of the spots in the open meadow area were full. Therefore, we went with this spot up a dead end road. With the size of r rig 36 foot Solltude I had to back up the road about 200 feet. Road in was a little rough but we managed.
Traveler
We were looking for an easy dispersed site to stay at while visiting a friend in Bozeman. This was an easy option for us with a 20ft camper. We stayed at the first pull off a few minutes off the main road. This site was easily accessible, right off the main road, close to town and close to some hikes.
TravelerSuper awesome spot! Water was close and incredible. No real fire ring but there was a ring from rocks made. Happy to see some people nearby
Really windy, thankful for stakes lol
ScoutBased on the dispersed camping guide provided by the Forest Service office in Gardiner, you’re not supposed to camp in the spot listed on this site. Take a left off Traveltine road, go past the rock quarry to find good sites
Scout
Quiet, secluded dispersed sites about 15 minutes outside of Gardiner. No trees so it gets pretty hot without shade. There are random animal bones scattered around the sites from what I assume previous hunting trips, which is a bit eerie.
I’d certainly stay here again for a couple nights!
TravelerI highly recommend staying here if you’re around Yellowstone National Park. I’ve been on a 2 month road trip around the West and this has been one of my favorite dispersed camping sites. I planned on just crashing here for a night but ended up staying for a couple days because of how beautiful this spot is. If you go, drive all the way down the gravel road and there is a nice place for people to camp out right at the level of the lake. It’s clean and a good place for families to camp out!
GuideNice roads and huge beautiful sites. Being a small female solo tent camping I felt safe. There are lots of elk and rabbits.
Scout
Not to mention the single-lane cobblestone road, I have a truck and was bouncing up and down the whole way! I didn't find one area big enough to set up camp. I definitely would NOT recommend this spot
ScoutWe stayed one night on our way back from Yellowstone. My RTT was perfect for this. There was a small corral for horses and plenty of room for a horse trailer and truck.
Scout
Camped here for that past two nights. There was 5 camper vans and two cars. Us being in a car, we easily found a spot. Can be a tad noisy with atvs driving down the road. There was even fire pits but it did say no fires.
GuideThere's about three good spots up on the hill, the two out on the edge have reliable service. But as soon as you go back up a bit, it vanishes.
Stunning views of Yellowstone and the mountains. Be aware, there are NO trees, so it will get stiflingly hot with no clouds. But, close to town, and the road isn't the worst. For sure go slow, but even low clearance should be able to pick out a path.
Guide
Wonderful spot. Forested & shady, but with some meadows too. Several trails for ATVs & hiking. Rather warm, but not bad for July.
Only real issue is that it seems to be ONLY used by ATVers and large trailer campers. Can be loud, as everyone drives around, but otherwise not bad.
Guide
This is an amazing camp spot that is almost almost to the top of the trail to fairy Lake campground. There’s an established firing, and there’s room for multiple vehicles.
GuideThere is an established firing at this location as well as a small field that is open and the camp is surrounded by trees. Next to the firing is a fairly level ground for tent, camping or vehicle camping.
Traveler
We stayed here for a few days off one of the main trail head. There are not many sites off the main trail head and we’re all full when we arrived.
We have a 25ft off road travel trailer and attempted to go down two side trail heads. The further one was so bad we had to back all the way out. The closest side trail head was slightly better. We made down the road. However there wasn’t many sites here as well. There was maybe 3-4 sites along this whole trail head. We needed up stay in a pull in a valley early on in this trail head
RangerThis was an ok stay outside of Bozeman. The coordinates took me to a spot which was occupied but looked like the only spot on that stretch of road. It began to get extremely rutted and I didn’t want to push any farther after that spot. I camped in what looked to be a dispersed campsite that they closed off
GuideEasy to find, a little rough road getting in but a great spot, relatively private. No bugs when we were there. It’s just the campsite and a fire pit. No bathrooms, water, electric. We pulled in a pickup just fine and saw a few campers at other sites
RangerDrove through a few open gates but there were clearly dispersed sites in this area. Nice flat sites, road was rocky and bumpy but not bad. Quiet area until a group of teenagers started a loud party at the site next to us
RangerA bit confusing with all the no trespassing and no parking on/off the road signs. Felt more comfortable once we saw another van parked, and drove past the coordinate location a few minutes to use a tiny widened part of the road. No services.
Experience the beauty of nature with dispersed camping near Big Sky, Montana. This area offers a variety of spots where you can enjoy the great outdoors, surrounded by stunning landscapes and the tranquility of the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Big Sky, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Big Sky, MT is Travertine Road Dispersed - Yellowstone with a 4.4-star rating from 30 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Big Sky, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 48 dispersed camping locations near Big Sky, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
