Best Tent Camping near Charlo, MT

Small and pretty area but there were big deal breakers for us. We spent 2 nights here tent camping as part of a longer motorcycle camping trip.

First and foremost, the store was closed. They have a store on site but it's closed until 2022. It would have been nice because the closest thing to a grocery store is 15 miles away.

Second, there are no defined campsites. It's first come first served around a little pond on the property. It's nicely shaded and quiet, but there are NO picnic tables for tent sites and no dedicated fire rings. So if you show up later in the day, you might be SOL for a fire. The RV sites have picnic tables. I bring this up because it's a really nice thing to have when you're tent camping.  A place to cook, sit, put some of the crap you're hauling (especially if you're like us and on motorcycles with limited storage).

Third, the bathrooms and showers were cleaned up on a regular basis which was really nice but no hot water later on in the day. After a long, hard day of riding I just wanted to wash all the grossness off and was in freezing cold water.

For full disclosure we were compensated for this trip for testing the Dyrt's reservation system.

Our trip to Swan Lake Trading Post & Campground started out by reserving the campground through The Dyrts's new reservation system. Reserving the site was extremely easy and fast to use, way better than other systems we have used before. We had a confirmation from the campground with in a few hours of using the reservation system.

Now for the campground. We were highly impressed by this small campground. The tent camping area was located around a small pond/lake. The site has picnic tables and fire rings as well as plenty of chairs available for siting around the fire or along the little lake. The campground has 8 RV sites, 3 cabins and 3 yurts (the yurts had not been set up for the season during our visit). The trading post has all your basic camping needs and anything you need if you forget something, they even have Ice Cream. If you don't want to cook breakfast the trading post will take care of that for you by cooking up a breakfast sandwich for you. The campground provides clean restrooms and showers. Tent sites were very reasonable at $20, just two more dollars than the Forest Service campground down the road which does not have flush toilets or showers. The camp host are very friendly. We were provided with the camps wifi password, but you do have to be on the trading post back porch to use it. The porch has plenty of table an chairs for sitting at. They also have games you can use to pass the time, we didn't use them but was nice to know they were available. It was nice and quiet at night with very little traffic on the highway, plus the creek running by really muffled any noise from vehicles driving by. This campground will definitely be on our list to stay at the next time we visit the Swan Valley and Swan Lake.

Nice large tent sites. They also have a geodesic dome you can rent. Website was not set up yet.

Camp right along Flathead Lake in a campground with modern amenities (running water, showers). The campground is quite large for my taste (I prefer tent camping in solitude), but it is clean and well-maintained with a killer view.

Wonderful little campground located just south of Whitefish Montana on highway 93. This KOA has a lot to offer from cabins to RV parking and several tent camping locations. Just a few minutes drive north and you will enter the small ski town of Whitefish Montana. Plenty of places to eat, shop or buy your groceries. During the summer months be sure to visit Whitefish Lake. 20 minute drive east and you will arrive in West Glacier Park. This RV park is located in a wooded area and is very family friendly with a local pizzeria on site.

Harper's Lake north of Missoula on Hwy 83 and Hwy 200 right along the Clearwater River.the campground sports two small lakes Blanchard Lake and Harper's Lake which are within walking distance to the campground. The sites are mostly for tent camping, but there are sites large enough for trailers. There is no water, electricity or sewer hook-ups.

This small campground packs a tremendous punch! RVs (if I had to guess, accommodates 8-12 total), rustic cabins, two yurts, and pondside tent sites - there are no defined tent sites; anywhere along the pond perimeter is fair game.

We stayed just one night in one of the yurts ($35 summer 2021), which is equipped with two cots and a battery-operated lantern. After checking in with the camp hosts (who are lovely!), we got a key to the showers, bathrooms, and laundry room. The hosts keep these areas immaculate, cleaning often. There's also very limited wifi on the porch just outside the bathrooms/showers.

The campground has a great vibe and everyone is very friendly. Between the pond and Swan Lake just across the street, it is buggy, but you cannot beat the location! 

The general store is still closed due to flooding last summer, but new construction is well underway.

This was an amazing tent site. A little windy at night, but I loved falling asleep to the sound of the wind and waves breaking as we were right next to the water. The sunset was beautiful and the campground stayed quiet until after 8 so we were able to sleep in. Bathroom is a vault toilet with too many bugs, but oh well, it's camping.

Finley point is a unit of Flathead Lake State Park, and has both tent camping as well as RV camping. There are RV spots practically right on the water, as well as tent spots. There’s also boat-in camping available, but you much sleep on your boat as there is no place for a tent next to the boat slips. The rangers do evening programs on the weekends, which are awesome. It’s a fabualous place to swim, paddle board, and spend time with family! Pets are allowed on leashes. There is not electric hookups or showers.

We lucked out with walk in tent site T1 — the only one right on the lake. We arrived in desperation — every campground was full, but the host had a cancellation on one night. She was amazing — she drove us to the site to make sure it would work, because we have a rooftop tent, which meant we had to camp at the parking spot (fine with us). We still walked in to enjoy the picnic table and beach at our site — the perfect viewing place for the perseid meteor shower.

I have nothing negative to say about this beautiful park. We tent camped 3 nights, had our pick of sites in late September, right on the water. The camp hosts here were so friendly and welcoming. They made us feel right at home. Gorgeous view of Wild Horse Island. There are bear lockers, but not at each site. Just kind of scattered here and there. Fire pit, picnic table. We pretty much just hung out at the park, it was so peaceful and relaxing. Crystal clear water. Highly recommended, but I’m guessing it gets pretty crowded in summer.

Well managed, clean, and pretty campground with views through the trees of Salmon Lake. Best access to the lake is from the day use and boat ramp area south of the campground. We enjoyed exploring all the trails leading down to and along the lake. The park manager was very friendly and helpful. We lucked out and got a site with water and electricity. The only down side was we could hear the highway during the day, but it quieted at night. The sites closer to the lake probably didn’t have that issue. The walk-in tent sites are really nice above the lake.

Come by to experience some of the best service ever.  They welcomed me into the gift shop, gave me a tour, had me talk to the owner… and what DON'T they have?  Volleyball, a pool, restaurant/bar with stage, foosball and ping pong, huge acreage for hiking on one side and ATVs on the other, but… and a tear is going down my right cheek as I type this… no tent sites.  They will only be down to a handful of these cool cabins next summer.  And it's a busy vs. a peaceful feel within the campground.  Overall, these guys are marvelous.  Come witness the healthy glow.