Best Glamping near Big Sky, MT

This is a really nice spot next to the river. It makes a great base to explore Big Sky & Bozeman. The dispersed camping area is just passed the official campground. I counted at least 5 pullout spots, but didn't drive all the way up the road. Most already had fire rings made. There's several trailheads on that road (I'd recommend Garnet Mtn; great views at the top!), so that was great. The road is in great shape and you won't need AWD. I didn't get any signal in the area (or along US191). I had to drive to Big Sky or Bozeman for some signal; just fyi

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.

Mike and Amy (camp hosts) could not have been nicer!

They took a real interest in their visitors, which is a rarity at national forest campgrounds (in my experience).

The site was about 30 minutes from both Big Sky and Bozeman and right on Storm Castle Creek.

Campground was quiet and nestled deep in the canyon, so there's minimal road noise unlike some of the other FS camps right on Highway 191!

Drove through this campground back in June, but ultimately decided not to stay there because most of the sites were full and the few available were quite small and had very little privacy.

That said, other sites sat further back from the little dirt road that winds through the campground, are larger, and definitely looked like good options. I think it is really a bit of luck as to which are reserved and which aren't. 

Standard simple campsite amenities: toilets, firepits, tables. There's a little creek that runs through the campsite, and then a pretty large rock spire overhead (hence the name). 

The area is near Big Sky so you'll have ample hiking and other activities to get up to if that's your thing.

Note - the camp host really stressed being bear aware, as this is grizzly country and he said they definitely do come through the camp on occasion. So have your bear spray ready and know how to handle your food to keep yourself safe.

Would definitely stay here if I could get one of the nicer, more private sites.

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 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.

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.

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.

Really enjoyed the stay. Really nice shower are. Nice electric hook-ups at the rv sites. Only some sites have septic, and unfortunately, the dump station was down during our visit, but we got to hear stories from a native American. It was truly an amazing stay. We also enjoyed bird watching and kayaking. Of course, our main point of the visit was Yellowstone not very far away. ( gas and other stuff is cheaper in Montana)

Turquoise waters and white sandy beaches – surrounded by mountains in the middle of Montana, this place has absolutely stunning scenery. Cliff and Wade Lakes are two medium sized lakes with multiple campground sites along both lakes. Camping fee is $10/night, bathrooms, a marina and store to rent kayaks/paddleboards, both single and group use sites. Cell service at the top of the mountain when driving in but no service down by the lakes. There are many campsites, but this a very popular destination and sites fill up quickly. I recommend getting there before 2pm to grab a site!

Beautiful lake - looks like the Caribbean in Montana! Somewhat close to West Yellowstone for those visiting national parks. Odd campsites required reservations (even if you show up and there’s one open for the night, the sign says you still have to go to recreation.gov and reserve it) and Even sites are first come first serve. Small campground and relatively small parking lot but we went on Monday July 5th and it wasn’t busy! Excellent spot to kayak or use a small boat but it’s all BYO, no rentals anywhere nearby that we saw. Mostly families enjoying a laid back lake day. Picnic tables first come first serve for day use.

Let's be honest, Campfire Lodge & RV is not the cheapest place to stay. And, it's obvious why when you stay there. The upkeep is top notch. The RV pads are graded roadbase. Fire pits and tables for each spot. the spot we stayed in had full 30 amp hook-ups. Tall pine trees. And, a stones throw from the Madison River. What an amazing place to sit and relax. 

The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch. Bring your appetite and prepare yourself for an amazing breakfast or lunch. If you're a fly tyer the collection of hackle is off the charts. 

Close to Yellowstone NP, fishing on the Madison River, exploring West Yellowstone to Ennis Montana and so much more! What a great place. We'll be back for sure.

***READ OTHER WATER ISSUE REPORTS ON GOOGLE!!!! *** DO NOT NOT NOT drink this water!!!! We are boondocking just outside Madison Arm, still in the National Forest, and we stopped in to see if we could fill our 60 gallon water bladder. And if so, how much would it cost. The owner said we could fill our 60 gallons for free, and ran out about 28 gallons into it and told us we'd have to pay $60. Because we only got 28 gallons she charged us $45. She specifically said we could fill it for free. When we got home, we noticed the water was bad, tea colored and dumped it on the ground. We will be filing a grievance with the National Forest, as this was a classic robbery. And we couldn't even use the water we paid $45 for. ABSOLUTE CROOKS!!!!!!!!! The state park down the road charges $10 for the whole year. We should have driven the extra couple miles and gone there, but we pulled in and asked, and she said it was free and to go ahead.

The ironic part is we worked for the National Forest up in Montana last year. We know that these fees are regulated for the concessionaires and this is not supposed to happen. You can NOT tell someone they can go ahead and fill their water bladder for free and then change your mind and demand money. $45 for 28 gallons that I had to dump on the ground is NOT ok!

Upon our arrival at this campsite we were met with the most spectacular sunsets. The views of three mountain passes and the haze and cloud cover from a forest fire in the distance provided great views. It was windy at times so that limited the cooking we were able to do over an open fire like we typically would. One of the things that we did was purchase a new grill which the boys put together soon after our arrival. L did a bunch of the work and did a great job following the instructions. The campsite had an older section and a newer section. We didn't know this when we booked the site and was fortunate enough to get in the "new" section where the sites and driveway was paved and had new showers and restrooms. Had it not been for the windy conditions this might have been the perfect campsite. 

There was a boat launch at the campsite and the lake offers boat rentals from a neighboring marina. The rivers provided better fishing due to the high winds but the views didn't disappoint. On a positive note, the winds kept the bugs away. When the winds died down, the bugs made an appearance and were in plentiful supply.  

I am in favor of returning again, it was 15 miles from the West Yellowstone entrance in Montana. So you had easy access to grocery stores, gas stations, as well as one of the most beautiful National Parks in the country.  

The view above is of the restroom/shower area. If you look closely, you'll see L near the building. On the roof of the building was a Peregrine Falcon! That happens to be the first one he's seen in the wild up close. He's seen them flying but much further in the distance. He was so incredibly happy that he was able to observe this bird of prey up close.  

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.