Best Campgrounds near Box Elder, MT

We followed our GPS into Havre(pronounced Hav-er). When we got to US-2 coming in from the south on US-87, the GPS wanted us to go left where in actuality, you need to turn right and go through Havre as the Campground (CG) is 7 miles out of town on US-2 East. The CGs website instructions tell you about this GPS error. There were no issues with check-in and we headed to pull through site 15 with FHUs. The utilities are near the middle of the very-long gravel and soft dirt pad. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi but we got some sulfur smell and taste even with our three way filter system. We got 4 bars on Verizon. Most of the sewer connections are extended well out of the ground, so you will have to get your sewer hose up so that gravity flows at least level. This is essentially a large gravel, some grass, and weed parking lot, but the sites are decently spaced apart. There are no trees, so we didn’t have a problem with Starlink. During the day, theres a lot of US-2 road and train noise as the tracks run parallel to US-2. At night, the highway noise goes way down but there are still trains. We enjoyed the farm animals and especially the male peacock that was strutting around with feathers all spread out, which we found out is called train rattling. We tried several times to log into their WiFi during our two day stay, but never connected. This CG worked okay for our short stay.

The VFW site is the only one we visited.  We did not camp here and only went to check it out.  So glad we did; rotting trash on the roadway and large green dumpster trash cans were on their side but a few were upright.  Standard warning sign for bears but some sites were closed for renovation.  All sites had over a foot-high weeds and one had a 20' metal culvert in it.  Some shade for lakefront sites.  No lake access except at boat ramps.   The ramp area had a mercury warning for fish and recommended consumption for Walleye.  This sealed the deal for a NO go!  062924

Sorry no photos.

I have been to Coal Banks Landing to put in on river trips. It can be a busy spot at times with people starting canoe trips on the Missouri River. But it is a great destination on its own. I arrived on a Saturday night in August looking for a place to camp. I found the campground mostly empty and very quiet. It was a stormy day with rain and strong winds up on the plateau above the river. But the campground is down by the river and sheltered from the wind. It was very quiet and comfortable. The campground is also clean and well tended. All in all, a great spot.

Benton RV Park in Fort Benton Montana is run by a very nice lady. The restrooms and showers are very clean. Those are the only nice things I can say about this place. They have a full page of rules and regulations with threats of eviction if not obeyed. Fear not though none were enforced. This is what lead us to depart early. One of there rules is to respect the campsites of others and not short cut through them. The other rule that we took issue with is children under the age of 18 must be supervised by an adult at all times. Our campsite was overrun by a group of 6 kids. Playing and cutting through the entire time we stayed there. We had kids outside our camper door in our campsite the entire time we were there. We couldn't sit outside and enjoy our picnic table for the kids toys and their constant running back and forth. We found the photos on Benton RV Park website very deciving. They must have been very old. They depict green grass and well spaced RV's. The reality is dead brown grass and being so close to your neighbor it's more a parking lot located in an area where the houses across The street ends at an industrial like area. So if you have children you want to let run wild and you don't mind everyone cutting through your campsite this place is for you. Otherwise stay away.