Best Tent Camping near Condon, MT

Big Nelson Campground is anything but big. This is a tiny cramped campground. I found 6 campsites, but the Forest Service website list this campground as having four. With the exception of site three, all the other sites require you to park in a parking area. Site 3 was the first site I noticed on arriving at the campground and was located to the left of the parking area. Sites 4, 5 and 6 require parking in the parking area and walking down a set of stairs to access. Sites 4, 5, and 6 can only be accessed from the stairs, driving down the road to the boat launch will only get you to the boat launch. Site 4 is on the left at the bottom of the stairs. Site 4 is tiny, it is a picnic table next to a metal fire ring, if you want to pitch a tent at site four you would need to do it next to the fire ring and skip making a fire or pitch it in a small flat area above the picnic table near the parking area on the opposite side of the fence. Site four really doesn't have much room for a tent. Sites 5 and 6 are fairly roomy, especially when compared to site 4. Site 5 is on the right side of the stairs, plenty of room for a tent, nice view of the lake and has a metal fire ring and picnic table. Site 6 can be reached by walking through site 5 or from the boat launch road. You could unload your gear at site 6 right from your car, but would can not park next to site 6, you will need to drive back up to the camping area. Site 6 has plenty of room for a tent and also has a picnic table and metal fire ring. The campground has one small vault toilet and is at the beginning of the road to the boat ramp. The boat ramp isn't really a ramp, but the shore of the lake with a gradual entrance in to the water. Campsite 2 I found as I was leaving the area, it is just past the vault toilet as you leave. Campsite 2 requires a walk down a few stairs. It is a tight campsite with just enough room for a small tent next to the picnic table. A metal fire ring is on the opposite side of the picnic table. What I guess would be campsite 1 is further down the road and down below the road, I would not suggest using this site as it is a bit of a walk from the parking area, the road is two narrow to park here. Site 1 does not have a picnic table but does have a fire ring, odds are you won't even notice the site coming in or out. During my stay the campground did not have a fee, but the information sign indicates a fee may be coming next year. This is a dry campground, your only source of water is the lake so come prepared, this is also a trash-in trash-out site.

Monture Creek Fishing Access site is a nice small campground/fishing access site with five campsites. Two just off of Hwy 200 and three more back away from the highway. Monture Creek has good trout fishing with the creek being only about 100 feet from the campsites. One vault toilet serves the fishing access and camping area. Each campsite has a picnic table and metal fire ring. Sites 1, 2 and 3 sit far enough back that the large pine trees do a pretty good job of blocking most of the highway noise. Like all the fishing access sites with camping in the state, the nightly rate is based on if you have a fishing license and are a Montana resident or not. This is a trash-in, trash-out site and no water is available so come prepared.

Benchmark campground allows the hiker or horse rider access to two wilderness areas from the adjacent trail head.  This 25 site campground is set up for camping with or with out horses.  The area has several horse corrals and parking for horse trailers.  Some of the campsites are right next to the horse corrals, but many are far from those corrals.  Each site features a picnic table and metal fire ring.  Sites are well spread apart.  Cost is $10 per night, plus $5 more for a second vehicle.  Campground has two water pumps and vault toilets.  The adjacent trail head is for Straight Creek Trail #212, which will have you in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in a matter of minutes, and if you continue down the trail you will enter the  Scapegoat Wilderness.

Stayed one night, 10/14/22 on a road trip. It was a beautiful night, MANY sites available, saw maybe one other camper. Our site had a fire pit and picnic table, flat ground for our tent and plenty of trees for privacy. There can be potable water, bathrooms, showers, and an outdoor dish washing station but water was shut off for the season. There were bear boxes around the campsites but appeared to only be around the walk in sites. Plenty of hiking trails and plenty of day use visitors on those trails. Very pretty camp and well cared for camp. Heard lots of noisy animals in the meadow at night and some noisy folks that seemed to be coming from the boat ramp.