Best Tent Camping near Billings, MT

Tent camping here is not very private. You basically pitch a tent in the middle of a bunch of RVs with very little tree cover. Also, we were in T1 and near the bathrooms which made it so people would cut through our campsite often.

That being said all the facilities are very nice and the staff as well.

Tent campers beware but not that ware.

Only a few tent sites, none very big. Camping is more along the irrigation ditch but you could wade to the Stillwater River to fish. Would not recommend for trailers or campers, even a small teardrop would be tough to maneuver. Really feels like you're camping in the backyard of the ranch you drive thru to reach the site. Fire pits were nice.

The Custer fishing access site was closed for no reason so I found this spot about 30 miles from billings. Only about seven or eight pull in sights and not very large. I have a 28 ft total length and there were only one or two spots that would work. Only two spots I could find right on the Big Horn river, but a beautiful and Serene location. One Vault toilet and a couple of garbage cans in one locale. No cellular service whatsoever.

Campsite has plenty of spots and decent amenities. Some of the spots have lake access where we saw other campers with their boats tied up to shore. The spots were way too close together for my liking. There were almost no trees, which meant no privacy from other campers. The campsite was EXTREMELY overpriced. We paid $36 for one night of tent camping ($8 vehicle fee and $26 tenters fee). This might be a reasonable price for RVs hooked up to electricity and water, but this was a ripoff for tenters that used only the pit toilet amenity. The lake was pretty, but I will absolutely continue on and camp in the Beartooth Mtns next time around.

General: Upon arriving at this campground (the FIRST Holiday KOA), I felt like we were in Disneyland! Everything was spotlessly clean, the staff was exceptionally friendly and even though there were rain clouds in the sky, it felt sunny! 

Site Quality/Facilities: There are a variety of sites ranging from tent to full hookup with concrete patio, swing, and upgraded picnic table with umbrella. We had reserved a water/electric site. The first site assigned to us had a huge puddle from the recent rain so I went back to the office and asked if we could switch to the one next to it and it was no problem to do so. Sites that back up to the river are, in my opinion, the nicest but they don’t have full hookups if that is what you need. Some of the tent sites will hear road noise. There is a restaurant on-site (Pistol Pete’s) that was not open when we were there (due to Covid) but there was a food truck where you could order breakfast sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, etc. We did not try this so cannot comment on the quality. Coin-operated laundry. 

Bathhouse: As nice as, if not nicer than, our bathroom at home! The tiled showers were very clean (it helped that I snagged one just after it was cleaned) and had a bench, plenty of hooks, a sink, and a toilet in an all-in-one. The water pressure was a little meek but hot. Husband had a shower in the alternative trailer– nice and clean but not as fancy. 

Activities: Pool, hot tub, nice playground, mini golf all on-site. Campground backs up to the Yellowstone River with direct access, although the river was very low when we were there. 

This very family-friendly campground is not our typical place to camp but after a week without, we needed showers and electricity and it was a Friday night in August, so we are glad we made the reservation to stay here!

To clear things up first this is a single campground that has cabins tent spots and pull in RV and camper spots.

This site would definitely be more suited for TVs but our tent fit in fine and we were able to escape to the nearby Yellowstone River.

There is also gritty sandstone climbing on the trims that surround Billings and one of our favorite ranges in the lower 48, the Beartooths, is very close by and absolutely stunning!

This park has very nice full hookups sites with trees and lawns, some tent only sites at the rear of the park, and several water & electric only sites that are very close together.

The park is in a quiet area with easy access on and off the interstate Highway in southeast Billings. The exit is he same one that leads to the road to downtown, the ball park, and the airport.

The property has a small, nice pool, a playground, a general store, laundry, dump station, and access to the Yellowstone River via a walking path.

We have a reservation for the Billings KOA for tomorrow night, and really wanted to be able to visit and stay there. But there is a severe wind advisory for most of Wyoming tomorrow and so we cannot safely travel with our camper across the state to get to Billings. The Billings KOA was not sympathetic and not at all caring or kind. They just keep stating policy that we lose all our $, since the cancelation is less than 48 hours. It has taught us the lesson to avoid KOAs and this campground in particular. A different campground for tonight was kind and issued a refund. But not the Billings KOA. So unless you have the powers to change the weather, I recommend avoiding this campground and KOA.

There is little competition in the Billings area and  they increased the rent and eliminated weekly rates.  This is the most expensive campground we had in our year of full time RVing.  There are advantages in that it is very convient if you have business in Billings and there is plently of room for big rigs.  However, they put us in a site that was narrow and had a nearby tree so we could not put our awning out.  The park is pretty with lots of tall trees and the hike to the river is very nice.  But the price is just too high.

This KOA sits right along the Yellowstone River along the eastern outskirts of Billings. It has all the regular KOA amenities and a beautiful view of a cliff to the north where native americans drove bison off. Bring big spray duri g the spring and summer as bugs can be horrific!

We spent 9 days here (8/25-9/2) to work in nearby Billings (40 miles east) before heading to Washington State. The park was quiet and clean and we had no issues with neighbors at all. This is a city park that runs on donations. A nice guy from the local government stopped by once to give us a sheet with the rules and city ordinances.

Completely dry camping, although we were able to fill our tank at the spigot on the side of the restroom building. Grass or gravel sites with fire rings and picnic tables, with a mix of back in and pull-through spaces. A lot of space for big rigs and tenters alike. Firewood was available near the dumpsters in the middle of the park.

The nearest grocery store is a few miles away in town and the laundromat was small but clean. A farmer’s market was set up in the park by the railroad tracks on Thursdays (4:00-6:30) that had everything from fresh veggies and homemade goodies, as well as blankets and jewelry and a couple food trucks.

There is no dump station in the park, but there is one at the nearby Cenex station for a $5 charge during business hours. Otherwise the folks at Mountain View RV Park on the other side of the interstate will let you dump and fill water for $5.

Full Verizon signal allowed me to work from our rig for a couple days when I didn’t need to be in Billings.

I was nervous pulling in since we're glampers, but was so pleasantly surprised. The new owners are the most hospitable, friendly and helpful people we've met. The ample renovations are clearly visible. What a great clean campground near the Beartooth Hwy, Chief Joseph hwy and beautiful Red Lodge. Within hour of Billings or Cody. About an hour and half to northern Yellowstone also. The hook ups are awesome, heated pool, immaculate facilities, and awesome trail off the CG. The only drawback was spotty WiFi and limited channels using antenna. Sites were level, patio sites are beautiful and cabins are new or completely refurbished. We loved our time here and highly recommend a stay here. Don't miss the awesome local businesses. The stores and views are breathtaking

Stopped for one night tent dry camping on 9/10/20. Clean and quiet. Close to interstate (pros and cons). Parking available next to tent area. No fire rings in the large tent area. Limited picnic tables. Had two bucks stroll within 30 yards of the tent area. Bathrooms and showers were secure and clean. No firewood for sale. Had to buy from KOA next door.

Full hookups (30/20A electrical, water and sewer) for $20/night, what more could you ask for? This is a terrific campground in Bridger's town park, where they've set up 6 pull-through campsites on grass pads with partial shade. There's a swimming pool in the park, and within walking distance of a few blocks you'll find the small but surprisingly complete Valley Foods with excellent meat, a pizza joint, inexpensive gas/diesel/propane at the local ranch store, auto service, auto parts, around a half dozen friendly taverns, and more. If you need more, Billings is around 45 minutes and there's a Walmart in Laurel, about a half hour away.

Without exception we've found the townspeople to be very warm and welcoming, too.

Sites are set up to oppose one another with a shared pedestal in between, so scout your site first to decide which way you're going to pull in. If you come in off of East Broadway, watch your overhead clearance on the trees. Drop your payment in a locked box along the East Broadway side of the campground.

Depending on where you're coming from and which gate you're heading to, this could well be right on your way to Yellowstone, and it's worthy of a stop for a night or even longer. It's within easy daytrip distance of Little Bighorn Battlefield, Red Lodge, the Beartooth Highway and more.