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A campground on the Ashland Ranger District.__Camp sites: 2Accessible Facilities:Toilet__Trash Pickup: NoFirewood: NoNo Reservations: This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis.Information:Ashland District OfficeBox 168, Hwy 212Ashland, MT 59003(406) 784-2344
Please call the local BLM Office for current recreation site conditions and restrictions. Howrey Island Trail is damaged from river flooding. Travel at your own risk Howrey Island Recreation Area consists of approximately 592 BLM-administered acres and is in the floodplain of the Yellowstone River. This is a 'Pack In, Pack Out' area and all garbage must be removed. Some road sections may be closed due to high river flows or to protect habitat. The entire area is open to walk-in visitation, regardless of conditions. Overnight camping is permitted. No fireworks are allowed. Be mindful of seasonal and area fire restrictions.
ScoutWe stayed October 7&8 2023 and it's a good place to boondock. No services. A couple of fire pits. The pit toilet is far from the camping, so don't rely on it. This area was flooded a few years ago so rocks are everywhere. A nice 1 1/2 mile trail runs around the island. People take boats in and out at differing hours so there is some traffic, but is fairly quiet except for the train whistles which I enjoy but some may not. Tried to get coffee in town at the gas station, but the town's water supply is not working and no one knows when it will be repaired. Not sure if this is due to the flood a couple of years ago? We plan to return soon.
Traveler
No off ramp access
Scout
New owners have been here about a year and you can see all of the new improvements! Cute store! Vending machines in the laundromat, one of the offers ice cream, and frozen food. 2 Huge dog parks and pet wash. Bathrooms are clean and staff is very friendly..
Scout
Beautiful campground. Nice sites, forested area, cool access to Yellowstone River. Clean pit toilets, reasonable rates. But oh boy, the trains came all night, announcing their arrival. So bring some earplugs and you’ll have a better night’s sleep.
Guide
We reserved for a night but wished we could have stayed longer. Very clean bathrooms and laundry. The sites were a bit close together but it was not full and they spaced us out. The full hookup was fantastic. The sites level. They allowed us to let our hunting dog run in the open fields. Also loved that they let their Christ light shine with a cross on the hill next to our great flag and country’s symbol of freedom.
Guide
Decent pit stop if you’re traveling through. Sites are nothing fancy, a bit over priced. Restaurant is not open Sunday or Monday.
Ranger
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.
GuideIt is a quarter mile drive down a well managed dirt road to arrive to the site. There are ~10 camp sites. The campground does not have river access, but there are a couple sites at the fishing access point. The grass was cut and the vault toilet was in good condition.
Traveler
My two hunting dogs ran amok for hours. There was nobody in the park but us. A few people drove through. The park is kept immaculate. There are several paths mowed down for great walks through the prairie. This is a dry campsite. If my dogs are happy, I'm happy. I can deal with rustic accommodations if I can exercise my dogs freely without leash laws! The pond and surrounding scenery are gorgeous. I actually enjoyed hearing the train and nearby farm equipment. It was a whole vibe. I did need to purchase my conservation license for Montana. I didn't know it was "a thing." $10....worth it!!! There was an abandoned campsite that the critters got into the garbage. From the looks of it, this person was here with a dog within the last week. There's a generator and deflated tent, fishing pole, and cooler with rotten food in it. I'd love to know the story there. Lots of wood ticks, btw. 🤮
TravelerVery clean and well organized. Good showers and grassy strips between site.
LegendThis interesting little campground (CG) was right off I-94. You pull up to the self-check-in kiosk(for better words) adjacent to the restaurant to get your envelope to pay for the site. There is a drop box to deposit your envelope after completed. We had called a month earlier about RV reservations, but they only had a couple of campers come in the two days we were there; maybe in the summer months, you would need reservations. They had one long-termer. A few truckers overnighted on the far side of the property in a large parking lot. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so we called the number on the board, which is the owners, to let them know we were here and would like reservations at the restaurant on Tuesday since we were staying here for two nights, but as this was off-season and not the weekend, we didn’t need them. There are 20 sites here; if you would share utilities and drive in opposite directions, otherwise there are 10 sites. The sewer connection on site 8 was more flat to the ground, so we backed into that FHU site. In the first 4 sites, the sewer connection is about 4 to 6 inches above the ground. There’s a large grass area so that you could pull in like a pull-through, but your utilities would be on the opposite side unless you chose site 1. The utilities are pretty much in the center of these hard-packed grass sites with some gravel mixed in. All the sites are in a straight line parallel to I-94 with a large field/parking lot for the restaurant in front, which made backing a breeze. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi, and there was no problem with the electric or sewer as they looked new. We got 4 bars on Verizon, and there’s a clear shot of the sky in any direction, as there are no trees or obstacles. There are no picnic tables, firepits, or WiFi. The majority of CG reviews on this place stated that the highlight of this place was the Fort at 49 Restaurant, which is open Tue- Sat. They used to be open for lunch Wed-Sat, but are not anymore, just dinner from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. The restaurant utilizes a chalk menu with about 8 items, with 4 of the items being weekly special rotations. The wife and husband(Becky and Dave, who were delightful hosts), owners of the restaurant and CG, are both professional chefs and actually met in culinary school in Texas. Dave does most of the cooking, and Becky attends the bar and tables. The restaurant has a full-service bar with a decent wine selection, which features a local winery, Yellowstone, that uses grapes from Oregon. We tried two different Yellowstone red blends, and they were both very good and well-priced for a restaurant. The food was really, really good and worth the stay. Other than that, there is nothing special about this RV park, nor is the town of Custer. We’d overnight here again but would make sure to stay on a night the restaurant was open.
Legend
This review is from the perspective of an overnight or short-term stay versus a destination location. We ensured we obeyed the campground’s(CG) instructional email stating to take Exit 135 and no others as there’s a low bridge through town from the other exits. We then followed the instructions to this quaint little KOA CG. The people running the CG were super friendly, and check-in was quick and easy. We were led to pull through site 82 with FHUs. The utilities were placed in the middle of the site to include two sewer connections, which was nice as our new Brinkley Toy Hauler has two sewer connections. The sites have newer picnic tables and fire pits. The WiFi speed here was okay, and we got enough of a northern shot through the mature trees to have usable Starlink. We got 4 bars on Verizon. The water pressure was also good. They have a spacious laundry with a nice book swap library. The office has a small gift shop with grocery items, including selling local steaks, as this is where the USDA’s Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory is located. They have a medium-sized fenced-in dog run, but there is plenty of room to walk your dog, especially out of the west side of the CG near the Yellowstone River. We enjoyed our overnight stay here.
Guide
Was a great visit, scored the lot spot of the night, and the pit toilet was extremely clean! Spacious sight with peaceful, great views.
TravelerWe drive 25’ truck camper with Jeep Rubicon in tow. Camp road has two loops. No pull through so we unhooked. Sites are nice size. One clean pit toilet. Road noise was minimal on second loop. Road going in you cross cattle grate and road is doable with some ruts and pot holes. Nice spot.
GuideI am usually pretty doubtful about booking privately run campgrounds and try to mostly avoid them. However, this place was the exception to that rule. The place is pristine, nicely landscaped and it’s obvious they work hard to keep it looking so welcoming. All sites are pull thru with full hookup. Plenty of open area to get out and walk. We travel with 2 large dogs and the campground has excellent places to walk dogs. They also don’t mind your dog off leash if outside the “fenced”area. The store sells homemade food items and the welcoming free ice cream bars are a thoughtful and yummy touch. Ice can be purchased in the store. Bathrooms are exceptionally clean. Showers hot with good water pressure. Laundry facilities- 3 washing machines, 3 dryers which did become a high demand while we were there. One reviewer complained bitterly about the train keeping him awake. I’m a light sleeper and had no trouble sleeping. If I had found it troubling I believe our rv fan/a/c would “cover” the train sound. The sunsets are beautiful. This campground was a relaxing way to “recharge” after a long day. Peaceful and restful.
ScoutGreat park! We stayed 2 nights. Close to Little Big Horn National Memorial ( must see). The couple running it are so kind, love being escorted to our spot. Bathrooms and shower were super clean
GuideThis is a dry campground. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. There are pit restrooms that were clean. We camped in the first loop in a 35’ fifth wheel. We would have been able to fit in most of the sites in the two loops. Access from the highway was easy and the dirt roads are in fairly good condition. We could hear some highway noise, but it wasn’t excessive. We were here the end of August. We were the only ones in this loop. Four rigs in the back loop.
RangerSuch a nice campground. The husband and wife team were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They gave us a token for free ice cream. The Wi-Fi and cell data worked well. Nice views.
TravelerStayed at KOA in Miles City MT on way back from Yellowstone National Park August 2023. This place is clean, wife thought they had the cleanest and best showers of all the places we stayed for two weeks. I agree. Easy pull through and you are led to your spot. The people help you line up with hook ups. Quite at night, great pool.
TravelerWe stayed 3 nights amazing views Wi-Fi works good
GuideWas easy to get to, pulled in our 32ft trailer very easily. Lots of open spaces and fire pits at every site. We had a water spout right by our site which was very convenient! Other then 104 degrees and a horrible amount of gnats, flies and mosquitoes it was a nice stop. It’s was quite and site are spaced out.
TravelerEasily accessible. Tent camping was great, and no one was around us. Restrooms are great. Very clean overall and nice easy to check in if you come late.
Guide
Cheap by comparison, 30$, with electric, showers and bathrooms
GuidePlenty off pull off areas. There are 3 campgrounds in the park, two lake, rushing stream. Great kayaking and fishing. Bear spray recommended. Grizzly look for easy meals at night.
GuideEverything you would hope for in a campground, except for hookups, of course. Quiet, peaceful and clean.
RangerThis is a very nice KOA, well maintained and clean with a cute store, playground, dog area, pool and pavilion area. Walking distance to downtown and to the Yellowstone river. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Shaded level sites. Pay attention to the directions given to get into the campground as there is an 11’ clearance bridge in town.
Scout
The is just a dirt lot with hookups. It’s very close to the water but the area isn’t very well maintained. I stayed here a few days after it had rained and the site was just deep mud that was so deep you couldn’t walk around outside. The electric kept going out at my site and I was worried that it would damage my fifth wheel electric. It is way overpriced for what you are getting. It would be nice if they put some gravel in so it wasn’t just a muddy field. Sites are pretty close together and the roads are not very wide. I have a 37’ fifth wheel and had to be very careful driving on the roads due to then being so narrow. Overall I would not stay here again due to the high prices to park in a muddy field with horrible electric. Water pressure also always seemed to be low.
Tent camping near Colstrip, Montana offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the region, with several well-reviewed spots that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Colstrip, MT is Far West on the Yellowstone River with a 3-star rating from 2 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 5 tent camping locations near Colstrip, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
