Best Tent Camping near Bozeman, MT

Dispersed tent camping options surround Bozeman, Montana, with several primitive sites located within Custer-Gallatin National Forest. South Fork Brackett Creek Dispersed Site offers tent-specific camping approximately 20 minutes from town, while Fairy Lake Dispersed Camping provides backcountry tent sites at higher elevations in the Bridger Mountains. Both areas feature drive-in and walk-in tent camping options with established fire rings but minimal other amenities.

Most primitive tent sites require campers to pack in all necessary supplies including water, as drinking water is not available at dispersed camping locations. Sites typically feature natural, ungraded surfaces with limited site development beyond basic fire rings. High-clearance vehicles are recommended for accessing many backcountry tent camping areas, particularly Fairy Lake, where the access road consists primarily of rough logging routes. One camper noted that "the road to get to the trailhead and campground was slow going and really just a logging route—would recommend something with good clearance and ideally 4WD." Bear activity is common throughout the region, so proper food storage is essential for tent campers.

Tent sites at higher elevations offer exceptional mountain views and cooler temperatures during summer months. Areas farther from town provide deeper seclusion with minimal light pollution for stargazing. South Fork Brackett Creek receives positive reviews for its mountain scenery, with a visitor commenting that the "mountain views from camp were unreal—especially at sunrise." Most dispersed tent camping areas allow pets and have no reservation requirements, operating on a first-come, first-served basis. Campers seeking more established facilities might prefer Blackmore Campground, which offers designated tent sites with vault toilets and bear boxes while still maintaining a primitive camping experience. Wildlife sightings are common, with reports of bears, mountain goats, and deer throughout the camping areas near Bozeman.

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Best Tent Sites Near Bozeman, Montana (27)

    1. Serenity Sheep Farm Stay

    7 Reviews
    Belgrade, MT
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (406) 580-7176

    $30 / night

    "We had plenty of space to set up our tent and we felt comfortable leaving it set up to eat at one of the local spots in the nearby town (~15 min away)."

    "We're so happy to have this experienced host on our platform. This is a working farm and there are only 2 sites available. You will have plenty of peace and privacy."

    2. Fairy Lake Campground

    8 Reviews
    Gallatin National Forest, MT
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (406) 522-2520

    "Campsite 1 was probably not the best choice but we loved the view… so did our wild life friends

    For sure there is 1 grizzly that’s pretty big. He checked out our truck tent."

    "Sites were readily available the night we stayed, about 12 in the main campground and several more sites with fire rings outside by the trail entrance."

    3. South Fork Brackett Creek Dispersed Site

    5 Reviews
    Bozeman, MT
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (406) 587-6701

    "Gorgeous campsite only 20ish min from the outskirts of Bozeman. Stopped in for 1 night passing through on a bigger road trip and couldn’t be luckier with this location. Fire rings at all campsites."

    "I went for a little walk in the woods and saw a black bear (keep your food and trash stored safe!) No amenities of course but most sites have a fire ring already there."

    4. Blackmore Campground

    4 Reviews
    Gallatin Gateway, MT
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (800) 969-7159

    $26 / night

    "Great First Come First Serve campground with clean bathroom, recycling facilities and bear boxes. Nice sites with fire pits and picnic tables."

    "Near the road so some road noise but other than that it was quiet. A vault toilet and a trash here."

    5. Fairy Lake Dispersed Camping

    2 Reviews
    Belgrade, MT
    16 miles

    "There is a Meadow about 4 miles in front of the highway that has at least 3 dispersed sites. I went to the one furthest from the dirt road and had nice shade and privacy here."

    "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."

    6. Travertine Road Dispersed - Yellowstone

    44 Reviews
    Gardiner, MT
    47 miles

    "Super peaceful, with minimal noise. No amenities, so pack in everything you need and leave no trace. Would 100% come back for the views alone. One of the best dispersed sites I’ve stayed at."

    "Keep goin on up the road quite a bit. 6000-some elevation. Flat, did the job great. The overlook spot was taken but we found a nice flat spot right around the corner."

    7. Spanish Lakes

    4 Reviews
    Big Sky, MT
    28 miles

    "A relatively challenging nine-mile-hike in from the Spanish Creek campground. Turn left at the trail map and follow the well marked signs."

    "To get there you drive into the Spanish Creek Picnic area. Then you follow the trails on the map to Spanish Lakes. The trails are pretty well marked. It’s about 9.5 miles in and up."

    9. Copper City BLM

    4 Reviews
    Three Forks, MT
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (406) 533-7600

    "Plenty of pull out sites with some scattered man made fire rings. Secluded quiet and great views"

    "Lots of open space and locations to pull out--beautiful views as well! To access this place we went towards Copper City Trail Head, and drove by the entrance onto BLM lands."

    10. Revenue Flats

    6 Reviews
    Norris, MT
    36 miles
    Website
    +1 (406) 683-8000

    "Not restrooms or services but tons of little designated pull outs and fire rings. Very open and little shade during the day. Tons of super fun climbing!"

    "This area has a lot to offer within a 15 min drive from wherever you camp. There are a lot of people that use this and there are a lot of parties."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Bozeman, MT

704 Reviews of 27 Bozeman Campgrounds


  • N
    Aug. 1, 2021

    Pine Creek Campground

    Great access to pine creek falls and pine lake

    Quiet secluded sites near pine creek. Picnic tables, fire rings, and bear boxes at every site. Most sites have a level-ish spot to park. Multiple vault toilets, drinking water faucets, and garbage containers. No hookups and no dump station. Access road is narrow and winding but paved right up to the gate. Can walk to the pine creek trailhead. Sites in the 20’s back right up to pine creek as well.

  • TMB
    Oct. 13, 2020

    Gallatin National Forest Snowbank Group Campground

    Dry Camping in a Wilderness Setting

    Snowbank is an excellent off-the-grid semi-developed and hosted FS campground.  Spacious and private sites better for small RVs, trailers, and all tents.  Clean vault toilets, bear-proof storage boxes, and plenty of community water spigots.  Decent picnic tables and fire rings at each site.  No hookups to my knowledge.  The campground is on recreation.gov and sites are reservable.  Access to a great trail and FS road from campground, other hiking nearby.  Also, a 20 minute drive to Chico Hot Springs Resort and Day Spa (food, bar, soaking).  Expect to see wildlife, and this is grizzly country so proper food storage and best practices are required by law.  No cell service.  Excellent spot before or after visiting Yellowstone.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 25, 2021

    Eagle Creek Campground

    Remote camping feel just outside Gardiner and Yellowstone NP

    Eagle Creek campground is a nice small 16 site campground a few miles above Gardiner Montana and only a few minutes from the Yellowstone entrance.  Getting to the campground requires a steep 2 mile drive which the road recommends 4 wheel drive for to help with the incline and to prevent washboard.  Sites sit in a grassy open area with willows and other small trees and bushes around the edge.  Small creek runs along the campground.  Site #1 would the site to get it you can, out of view from the rest of camp and has two picnic tables.  The site has a vault toilet.  All sites have a metal fire ring and picnic table. Bear proof food lockers for food storage at most sites.  No water or trash service.  I filtered water from the creek.  Their is a horse Corral adjacent to campground.  Campground was nice and quiet at night with great view of the night sky.  No cell service.

  • Mai K.
    Jul. 7, 2019

    Langohr Campground

    Cute Little Campground with Just the Right Amenities

    About 20 minutes south of Bozeman, MT on scenic Hyalite Canyon Road sits Langohr Campground. There are 19 spacious single sites and the 20th site is a group picnic site for day use. Langohr Campground runs along Hyalite Creek and is tucked inside Custer Gallatin National Forest in a small open meadow with Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine, and Englemann Spruce. 

    I was fortunate to find a campsite as a walk-in even after arriving mid-afternoon at the beginning of June 2019 because it was too late to reserve online. Each site does have a picnic table and fire ring, and electrical sites are available. Some are drive-in or back into sites, and a few are literally next to Hyalite Creek which is an added bonus. A heavy snowfall occurred a week before and remnants of it were scattered along the campground. Good thing I brought a snow scraper to clear the picnic table of snow. The fee is $20.00 per campsite for two vehicles and $8.00 for any additional vehicles. The group picnic site is $45.00 for day use. I paid cash for the site, but I believe you may also pay by credit card.

    Many of the campers were settling in and had parked RVs and pop-ups. Pets are allowed but must be on a leash as wildlife such as bears, deers, moose, and elk frequent the area. Bear lockers should be used for food storage or properly stored in vehicles. There are huge bear safe trash and recycling containers near the entrance for campers to use. The bathroom is clean, free of odor and bugs, and it is a vault toilet. There are no showers, dump station, or camp store, but you are close to Bozeman.  The camp host was settled on site 11 and sells firewood for $6.00. You can take a walk along the Hyalite Creek or drive 3.5 miles south down to Hyalite Reservoir for other activities such as fishing, kayaking, canoeing, climbing, hiking, and boating. The night sky was pretty spectacular especially with the trees around on a clear day.

  • TMB
    Oct. 14, 2020

    Red Cliff Campground

    Comfortable Montana Camping between Yellowstone and Big Sky

    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.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 8, 2019

    Red Cliff Campground

    Nice green campground on the Gallatin

    Red Cliff Campground is a large Forest Service campground in the Gallatin River canyon. The campground has 63 campsites which can be reserved. This nice campground is set among pine and spruce trees. Their are two sections to the campground, the south section is more heavily wooded and has electric sites for$28 a night. The north section is more open, especially at the uphill portion of the loop with sites for$20. Several campsites have steps leading up to the campsite. The entire area was very green, with nice tall grass cover through out the campground. The Campground is set across the Gallatin river from Hwy 191, allowing the river to slightly muffle the sound of the constant truck travel on the highway, still the road noise is the big downfall for this campground. Each site is equipped with a large picnic table and metal fire ring. Bear lockers for food storage are located though out the campground, but you might need to share space with others as one lockers serves multiple sites. Vault toilets are located through out the campground. Water is available as well as trash and recycling. If you need firewood it is available from the camp host. It appears that about 1/3 of the sites are located along the river. If you like to hike there is the Elkhorn trail head at the south end of the campground, and of coarse don't forget to bring that fishing pole.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 19, 2019

    Canyon Campground

    Good jumping of point for Yellowstone plus lots of rocks for kids to climb

    Canyon campground located in a canyon just across the highway from the Yellowstone River is a pleasant campground with plenty of boulders for kids and adults to climb. The boulders are what really make this campground interesting, many of the campsites are tucked in between these large boulders. Canyon is a good jumping off point for the north end of Yellowstone National Park, located 16 miles from the north entrance town of Gardiner. This is a cheep campground at only$7 per night,$3 more for a 2nd vehicle, but you trade a low cost campground for lack of water. You will need to bring your own water for your stay so come prepared, this is also a trash-in trash-out campground. Bear food storage rules are in affect so leave the food in your car or use the bear lockers. Campground has vault toilets and each site has a picnic table and metal fire ring. The one negative about this campground is the proximity to the highway, lots of road noise during the day, a little quieter during the night but for some reason a lot of drivers seen to hit the rumble strip as they drive by making things a little loud at night. Our Scouts used this campground as a jumping off point for a multi day backpacking trip, close to the park so we could get to the back country office early to get a permit before sites filled up.

  • Kayla K.
    Oct. 1, 2016

    Yellow Mule Cabin

    The BEST!!

    This honestly was one of my favorite trips/camping experiences I have ever done! There really is nothing like it. The cabin is so cute, tucked away in a forest. It's pretty magically. The best part about this cabin is you can't reach it by car. You can take a 4 wheeler, ATV or you can hike 8 miles. My friends and I love hiking so we chose to hike the 8 miles to the cabin. I think this makes the experience that much better. We were able to take in the scenery as we hiked, and it made us appreciate staying in the cabin. The cabin contained all the basic necessities that you need, but obviously you have to bring your own food, sleeping bags and hygiene products. We also brought sleeping pads to put down on the beds provided. The restroom is outside (outhouse) and there is no water or electricity. We brought our own supply of water and brought lanterns, and a few other light sources. There is a fireplace in the cabin but they don't provide the wood. We were able to gather another wood and branches from outside to build us a fire. It comfortably sleeps 3, however we had 4 people and one person had to make their bed on the floor. There were great trails nearby, which I think most of them are used in the winter for snowmobiling. I would definitely recommend coming here, any time of the year!!

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 16, 2022

    Carbella Rec Site Camping

    Upgraded from a disperse camping area to a campground

    Note - this visit and review was done before the Yellowstone River flooding.  Damages to the campground are unknown at this time and currently the site is listed as closed until water levels go down.

    Carbella Recreation site was recently upgraded from a disperse camping area to a full fledged campground.  New gravel roads, parking pads for campsites, bear lockers, picnic tables and fire rings have all been added to make this a nice campground.  A large parking area as also been built for the boat ramp.  Several new vault toilets have been installed.  Campground is right on the Yellowstone River making this a great spot for fishing or floating the river.  Campground is a short drive to Yellowstone National Park.  Their is a walk-in tent only area as well.  Cost is currently FREE! with a 14 day stay limit.  I think the only thing that was not upgraded was the boat launch.


Guide to Bozeman

Bozeman, Montana, offers a fantastic array of tent camping options, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying the stunning scenery of the region.

Tent campers like these nearby activities

Tips for tent camping near Bozeman

  • Be prepared for a rustic experience at Blackmore Campground, where you can enjoy a fun night under the stars despite some nearby traffic.
  • Bring your own water and supplies when visiting Copper City BLM, as this area offers no amenities but plenty of open space and beautiful views.
  • If you're camping at Loch Leven, keep an eye out for wildlife and ensure your food is stored safely, as bears are known to frequent the area.

Tent campers should check out Fairy Lake Dispersed Camping

  • Experience the tranquility of nature at Fairy Lake Dispersed Camping, where you can find established fire rings and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
  • For a more secluded experience, consider Spanish Lakes, which requires a hike to reach stunning alpine lakes and breathtaking views.
  • Visit Palace Butte Campground for a quiet retreat in the Gallatin National Forest, perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What amenities are available at Bozeman tent camping grounds?

Amenities at tent camping areas near Bozeman vary widely depending on the type of campground. East Boulder Campground offers basic amenities including picnic tables, fire rings, and well-maintained vault toilets, though no potable water is available. West Boulder Trailhead and Campground provides similar facilities with bear boxes for food storage, essential for camping in bear country. Most established campgrounds include fire rings and picnic tables, while dispersed camping areas typically have no facilities, requiring campers to pack in all necessities and practice Leave No Trace principles. For those seeking more remote experiences, backcountry sites in nearby national forests and parks require complete self-sufficiency.

Where are the best tent camping sites near Bozeman, MT?

Bozeman offers excellent tent camping options for all preferences. South Fork Brackett Creek Dispersed Site is a gorgeous option just 20 minutes from Bozeman with level ground for car camping and established fire rings. For those seeking established campgrounds, Blackmore Campground provides well-maintained sites with beautiful access to nearby creeks and trails. Other notable options include Fairy Lake Campground for mountain views, East Boulder Campground for streamside camping, and Travertine Road dispersed camping for those willing to venture a bit farther for stunning mountain vistas. Many of these sites offer peaceful surroundings with minimal traffic and noise, making them perfect retreats from city life.

Are reservations required for tent camping near Bozeman?

Most tent camping options near Bozeman operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Blackmore Campground is first-come, first-served with sites often available even during peak season if you arrive early evening. Similarly, East Boulder Campground doesn't accept reservations and has no fees, making it an accessible option for spontaneous trips. For dispersed camping areas like South Fork Brackett Creek and Travertine Road, no reservations are needed or possible. During peak summer weekends (Memorial Day through Labor Day), arriving by Thursday or early Friday is recommended to secure desirable spots. For backcountry camping in Yellowstone National Park, permits are required and can be reserved in advance, which is strongly recommended during the busy summer season.

When is the best season for tent camping in the Bozeman area?

The prime tent camping season near Bozeman runs from late May through early October, with July and August offering the most reliable weather conditions. Fairy Lake Campground showcases spectacular wildlife viewing during summer months, including mountain goats and occasional bear sightings. Travertine Road Dispersed - Yellowstone offers particularly stunning views at sunrise during the summer season. Late spring brings wildflowers, while September and early October reward campers with fewer crowds and beautiful fall colors. Many campgrounds remain technically open year-round, though winter access is challenging due to snow and cold temperatures, requiring specialized gear and experience for winter camping adventures.