Best Cabin Camping near Cardwell, MT

Staying at Strawberry lookout cabin in December was a great experience, well worth the 1 mile uphill hike to the cabin.  Our Venturing Crew stayed the night after pulling gear in a sled to the top in light snow.  Everyone had a great time at the cabin.  The cabin has a wood stove and firewood was provided.  Keep the fire small or you will cook in the little cabin, even when its cold outside.  A propane stove was provided but you will need to bring fuel.  The propane lantern was broken, but luckily we took along our own light sources.  Pots, pans, dishes and utensils are available in the cabin.  Plenty of games were in the cabinet to keep everyone entertained.  The cabin has two bunk beds, and a table with chairs.  Water is not available so you will need to bring it with you.  A vault toilet is next to the cabin.  Outside has a picnic table next to a fire ring.  Plenty of room if your group is to big for the cabin to set up tents.

Stayed in cabin 8. Paths to the cabin were clean and well landscaped. Campground bathrooms were so/so. Hot Springs locker room was much nicer. Grounds were quiet at night (quiet hours from 11pm were respected), which was good because the cabin windows didn’t seal tightly so the sound came in. The heater in the cabin was also efficient for warming it up even though it was chilly and rainy outside. The hot springs access is what makes it worth the price. I soaked in the evening and early the next morning and both were relaxing. Live music was awesome for ambiance too.

Moose Creek cabin is a nice fairly large cabin.  It features a kitchen area, living room and two bedrooms each with two beds.  Cabin has electricity but no running water.  An outhouse is outside.  A nice metal fire ring is available with two picnic tables.  Fire wood is supplied during the winter months.  Wood stove is in the living room area to heat the cabin.  Kitchen is fully stocked with plates, cups and silverware.  A small propane stove is available but you need to bring your own propane.  If you need additional water the near by campground has a pump for water when open.  We took our Girl Scout Troop here in June and they had a great time.

Gast stove for cooking, wood stove for heat. Shed full of wood, fire pit and vault toilet. Beware of mice nests, otherwise cabin was great. Hiking trail right by the cabin, even found some huckleberry nearby.

We stayed in a little cabin and it was so cute. Clean, comfortable, and the outdoor area was really nice. The nearby hotsprings was the cherry on top!

We stayed in the cabins at the campground, which were clean and well taken care of. There is a playground in the middle of the campground, as well as many trails to explore and places to ride a bike. The caverns were closed for the season, but the visitor center was open and fun to visit.

This property has been freshly updated with natural rocks, landscaping and upscale amenities. The staff is outgoing and friendly. We have been going here for over 10 years and the pools at different temperatures are heavenly and refreshing. Family oriented, clean sites and cabins sit along a running creek. Bathrooms and showers are centrally located, warm, secure and clean.

Wanted a place to stay halfway between Glacier and southern Idaho - Sportsman RV is 1 mile off Interstate 15. This place is a gem. The owners are very nice, helped us park the camper. They take great care of this place. It has 10 RV spots, close together but nice and also a log motel and some cabins. When I was in the office there were people reserving for next year - they come fly fishing here every September. Quite hazy with smoke from forest fires when we were here but I can tell it is beautiful, nestled in between Montana mountain ranges. Easy walk to the river for fly fishing access. That seems to be the main activity in this very small town of Melrose. The Hitchin’ Post restaurant is next to the campground. There is even a gate in the fence so you don’t have to walk around to the road.

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.

The layout of this state park was somewhat unusual: there are five loops within one larger loop with 32 sites plus seven additional pull-through sites on the outside of the loop. There are also three handicap accessible cabins and one tipi. All are reservable. This campground appeared to be very family-friendly, with many kids riding bikes and playing on the playground (first campground I’ve seen in a while that had kids playing on it). There are some trees, but they don’t necessarily provide shade (certainly not for B4!) Flush toilets plus (fee) showers; it was nice that there was HOT water! The path leading from Loop B (where we were) to the bathroom went between one of the cabins and their driveway, making it feel like we were walking through their yard – a little bit awkward. There is one 6.5-mile trail from the campground but the real attraction is the cave tour (and no, Lewis and Clark never saw the caves)! The Classic tour is $12 and lasts approximately two hours and is very interesting. You cannot make advance reservations for the tour, but we had no problem walking up and buying tickets at 5:30 pm on a Friday. It is a 3/4 mile UPHILL walk to the cave entrance and a half-mile walk back to the visitor center when done with the tour. There was also a covered picnic pavilion and a day-use area, but it appeared to be closed when we were there.

The cabin appears to be frequented by regulars. It sleeps 6 (ish), has a wood stove and a propane grill/cooktop, and a fair few canned supplies, games, puzzles, etc . It's not filthy but far from spotless. The problem is getting there. We pulled in a 23ft trailer. Its a 15 mile dirt road, severely rutted in spots. Steep hills, sharp corners and lots of both. I spent 90+ minutes driving in, in fear of not getting back out, then another 90+ minutes getting out. Successfully! Whew!

While taking the trailer was our mistake, the road would be daunting for anyone used to pavement and I would strongly suggest 4-wheel-drive.

This is a great spot in a tiny town south of Butte Montana. They have a couple cabins, several motel rooms and about 10 full hookup, all grass, RV spots. Also a large area for car/tent camping. The grounds are meticulously maintained by the owner and it has nice views of the bluffs and mountains all around it. Walking distance to the restaurant and bar in town if that’s your thing. Quality hookups at each site, and each site has its own trash can. Clean bathrooms and laundry on site. Owners are very present and attentive on site and super friendly. Picnic tables at every site. One shared fire pit out front of the office. It’s in a very small town, with several fishing spots nearby. Very peaceful location. We would stay again.

A few things to be aware of:

• All sites are back in, but they are reasonably wide and very long.
• It is about a mile or two from the interstate which is convenient but you can occasionally hear a large truck pass by.
• There is a train track nearby, we heard about one train per day in the morning.
• We were here in July and there were some mosquitos. If you plan to be outside probably bring a citronella candle or bug spray.

We rolled in late and were extremely disappointed with our site in the B row. Our picnic table was less than 5 feet from our neighbor's camper and we couldn't have a fire for fear of burning their car. We canceled our 2nd night as soon as the office opened the next morning.....as we walked around, we realized there are good sites- we just didn't have one. We were able to rebook in C row, where we had a lot more room(more expensive). Unfortunately, we realized the sprinkler systems will soak your stuff if you leave it out😡, but it was a good site. 

This place isn't cheap, but it does include entrance to the springs, which are pretty nice. Be careful which row you book in and you should be ok. In the end, the cabins look like they are the best deal.

If you are looking for a quiet campground away from electronic distractions then this campground is for you. Kading Campground is located along the upper Little Blackfoot river at the end of Little Blackfoot road. Being at the end of the road and located along the river you will have a nice quiet night as the only vehicle traffic with be those vehicles travel to the campground of near by trail head. Kading Campground has 11 sites, each site has a picnic table and metal fire rings. The campground has two vault toilets. Water is available at Kading Cabin located across the road from the campground entrance. A small public corral is located across the road from the campground, and there are two horse watering troughs in the campground. A trail head at the end of the road can be reached from a short trail at the end of the campground. The trail follows the Little Blackfoot river. A five mile hike leads to Blackfoot meadows a popular fly fishing location. The campground has been recently cleared of its beetle killed trees making the campground much more open than it used to been, but this is still a nice quiet campground to visit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this park. The campground is a large field for the most part and the sites are located around the circle. As many other reviewers have mentioned, it is not very private, but I thought the camp sites were fairly well spaced out and I didn’t feel like we were crowded at any time. There are not a lot of trees, but we had no problem moving our chairs under the nearest cottonwood and getting some shade. I liked the open feel of the campground surrounded by the canyon. It was a pleasant change as we had just left Glacier National Park which is incredibly busy and packed with people. The park has enough room for tents and RVs. There are 3 cabins centrally located and a tipi, which we stayed in for a night- as it was a nice change not having to set up our tent after having done so the last two weeks on our trip. Water is easily accessible, bathrooms are clean, showers are available but for a fee. It was $3.00 for six minutes. There is a visitor center at the campground as well as a gift shop and cafe near the cavern. We took a cavern tour and really enjoyed it. It was a short but all uphill climb to the cavern, and then a 2 hour tour. Very informative.

Great park and campground popular with locals for a quick getaway, and ideal for travelers between Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.  Yes, it is on a bench above a river valley and below higher sage and juniper covered foothills.  It can be windy, and it can be hot and sunny in the summer.  Locals find it a great early and late season destination for these reasons.  The trails also dry out/stay dry early and late making it a hiking and mountain biking destination when the higher mountains are snowy or muddy.

The campground itself has great facilities, and manicured lawns (good since this is rattlesnake country), but little to no natural shade.  Clean restrooms and clean vault toilets.  Small visitor center at the highway entrance and second visitor center for the cave entrance at the top of the mountain (foothill).  Summer brings intermittent ranger programs. I reserved a star for wind and lack of shade, otherwise it’s great camping.

P.S. spotty cell coverage!

Bozeman hot Springs campground

The sites at these grounds do vary a bit. We were in Row C in a back-in site with fhu. We were very close to the path to go to the hot springs which wound up being a nice feature for us, even though it meant a bit of cut-through from other campers. The lawn behind the sites in C Row were immaculate with green grass, nice stone-lined fire pits and large decorative rocks. While the sites are close together, the space on the grass gives it a sense of openness. The share facilities looked nice & clean but we didn’t take advantage of any laundry, bathrooms or breakfast offered as amenities. However, the main focus for us were the use of the hot springs. Campers are given bracelets for access to use the Hot Springs 12 pools which are... incredible. The indoor and outdoor pools vary in temperature from 106-56 degrees, with most comfortable temps. We had inclement weather for most of our 4-night stay and visited the hot springs at least once/day. For $5/day, you can also use their large gym. The campgrounds are about 15 min from Downtown Bozeman and from University of Montana campus. There is a little bakery/coffee shop about 100 yards from the camp that serves a great breakfast burrito.

Carter Lake south shore. NIce pull through sites with electric. Dump station with easy access. Many sites on the lake and more with lake view. Many shaded sites. Boats allowed. Very pleasant experience.

We camped here with a group of families and the playground was nice for the kids. There aren’t many trees and the land is flat but we were able to really keep a decent eye of the kids running around because of it and the views were still beautiful. Loved the caverns!

This is actually a 5-star campground in terms of cleanliness and amenities. Nice bathrooms, showers, electric, drinking water, playground, and all that. It’s basically a wide open field with a few trees and no privacy, which isn’t my usual style and that’s why it’s only a 4 star for me. The cavern tour is also great, fun, beautiful, informative...

Did you know you can print out a packet for your little ones to become Cub Rangers at this State Park? There are great amenities for both camping and RV'S with a child's playground located on the camp. With a short walk up and into the mountain you can tour the caverns.

Cool campground but extremely flat with very little trees to provide shading. Campsites are very close to one another and without trees or other shrubbery on campground itself, there's not a ton of privacy. Right at the base of cave, makes it a comfortable stay right before any cave tours begin. Convenient spot with power & water hook up.