12 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Pilot Creek Dispersed Camping features horse corrals adjacent to its vault toilets, providing equestrian access to the Pilot Creek Trail system. Multiple dispersed sites accommodate horse trailers with ample parking for rigs and trailers in grassy areas. Some campsites include bear boxes for secure food and tack storage. The area offers both open spaces ideal for groups with horses and several wooded spots with more privacy. Mosquitos can be prevalent, particularly near the creek. Camping is free at this location, with several sites backing directly to trail access. The horse corral area maintains basic facilities while allowing direct trail connectivity for riders exploring the surrounding wilderness.
Located 6.5 miles southwest of Big Timber on County Road 30, West Boulder Trailhead and Campground provides access to mountain bridle trails with stunning backdrop views. The campground features designated areas for horse trailers at the trailhead parking area. Sites are regularly maintained with mowed areas suitable for tent camping near horses. Meyers Creek Cabin represents another equestrian option with corrals and adjacent pasture for overnight horse stays. The cabin accommodates up to six people and provides electricity and running water, allowing comfortable basecamp operations for trail riding. Trails from these locations connect to extensive Forest Service routes in multiple directions, though road access to some areas becomes limited during winter months due to snow conditions. Horse owners should bring long hoses for water access at facilities where hydrants may be located some distance from corrals.
"Near the town of Cooke City. Great campground with plenty of space. Bear an off-road trail. Grizzly bear country. Cooke City was great little restaurants."
"We slept in the car and put our coolers and bins in the Bear box next to the site. The campground was full of campers and wasn't too bad with the generators."
"Three have bear boxes and are right by a hiking trail. Add to this the beautiful mountains, ease of access to Yellowstone or Red Lodge, and a clean vault toilet and we would stay again."
"we had a great time. situated between emerald lake and west rosebud lake with a creek going next to half the camp spots. toilets and hand pump water."
"Lots of campsites most in the woods with only a few next to the creek between the two lakes. I got there on Saturday at 3 pm and there were only 2 spots open. With the final gone within 30 minutes."
"Eagle Creek is a USFS campground just about 5 miles outside of the eastern entrance of Yellowstone."
"This is a very private location and sites are nicely separated. It is located right off the highway and situated along side the Shoshone River."
from $15 / night
Check Availability"This is one of the best camping cabins for equestrians that I found so far in Montana. Getting from the main road into the cabin can be a bit tricky for vehicles over 30 feet."
"If you have horses bring long hose. The hydrant is located about 115 away, no water tanks. It is located at the start of a trail. You will have a small amount of traffic"
from $90 / night
Check Availability"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. "
"Says it’s accessible for 2 wheel drive. My manual Honda Fit made it but barely. The road was steep gravel with 2-3 inch washboard. Black flies were terrible during the middle of the day."
from $15 - $30 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $15 - $30 / night
Check Availability"This is one of my favorite places to camp with horses. There is a 40 acre pasture fenced to turn horses in with a creek running through it."
from $75 / night
Check Availability"The trail is hard to follow in some areas. Starts out flat then you go up Mary Mountain where the cabin is located. The Mary mountain cabin is small but has enough bedding for up to 5 or 6 people."
TravelerNear the town of Cooke City. Great campground with plenty of space. Bear an off-road trail. Grizzly bear country. Cooke City was great little restaurants. Our fave is a little coffee shop in the East side of town. Great hot chocolate and coffee. The baked goods were so good!
GuideThis is one of the best camping cabins for equestrians that I found so far in Montana. Getting from the main road into the cabin can be a bit tricky for vehicles over 30 feet. This cabin has plenty of room to sleep 6. There are Corrals for horses and pasture. And the trails into the forest service are endless in a couple different directions. There is also a vault toilet for day travelers. The cabin has electricity and running water a fire ring and it's also close to a creek. The only down holes are mosquitoes and you cannot overnight camp only rent the cabin so if you're planning a trip you need to plan and Reserve this cabin in advance as it goes really fast every year.
LegendEagle 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.
GuideThis is one of my favorite places to camp with horses. There is a 40 acre pasture fenced to turn horses in with a creek running through it. There is also a nice little Corral if you have any horse that doesn't get along with other animals or one that you can't catch very easily. There are several places to ride. It's a bit of a tight squeeze to get a big horse trailer in there I would not recommend anything much over 30 feet. If you go a few miles up the road you can go to the trailhead that allows you to go on up to Deer Creek cabin. We rent the two cabins often park at the lower cabin and ride our horses up to the Deer Creek cabin and stay . you cannot drive to the Deer Creek cabin itself only to the trailhead
GuideWow! The views are crazy! Says it’s accessible for 2 wheel drive. My manual Honda Fit made it but barely. The road was steep gravel with 2-3 inch washboard. Black flies were terrible during the middle of the day. But we saw some Elk and the views were gorgeous. 5 mins out of Gardnier and only about 15 minutes from Mammoth at Yellowstone. No trash and shared bear boxes. Prices are at least $26 a night at this point. There’s a couple equestrian sites too.
GuideA small, clean campground. Just a few minutes up the hill from Gardiner. 15+ campspots. Vault toilets, fire rings, picnic tables. Many spots on grass for comfy tent camping and some with big spots that will fit RVs. Upper part of the campground was very open. It was full of campers with their horse trailers as there are several trails around the campground. Eagle Creek runs along one side of the campground providing the only trees in the campground. 2 campspots tucked in the trees, the rest in the open. $7 per night as of May 2018.
We stopped there after a week of Yellowstone action arriving the Friday morning of the Memorial Day weekend with plans to resupply our little trailer, do some laundry, and get a proper shower just down the hill in Gardiner. A few spots were open. By early afternoon the camp was full. We spent Friday afternoon relaxing, reading, and watching the ridgeline above the campground for the occasional Bison that would pop up. Friday evening was a bit chaotic with the steady stream of vehicles pulling through the grounds looking for a place to camp. We spent part of Saturday resupplying at the grocery store and doing laundry in town. The laundrymat had 3 pay showers. $5 for 10min. While that may seem like a lot of money. When you have a weeks worth of camp stink on you, it’s totally worth it.
While the campground itself is not much to write home about, it’s proximity to Gardiner and the North entrance to Yellowstone made it a great place to stop for a resupply. If we find ourselves back in Gardiner, I would stay there again.
GuideThe cabin was great. Beds were comfortable, had all dishware needed plus cleaning supplies. If you have horses bring long hose. The hydrant is located about 115 away, no water tanks. It is located at the start of a trail. You will have a small amount of traffic
GuideWe intended to stay on the other side of the road, (river side) but missed the turn. We stumbled on this trailhead/OHV site and ended up staying here for the night. There are multiple dispersed sites that back up to the Pilot Creek Trail. Plenty of spots in the grass for big rigs and trailers. We ended up near the horse coral/bathroom (vaulted toilet), not ideal but worked in a pinch. Lots of mosquitos. Some sites have bear boxes.
LegendEagle Creek is a USFS campground just about 5 miles outside of the eastern entrance of Yellowstone. It’s a first come first served campground, and we were easily able to get a spot on a Friday afternoon. It’s $15/night, self pay.
It’s quiet and peaceful, and though the sites are close together, they are configured in a way that you feel like you have some privacy, at least we felt that in #9.
#9 also has a little walkway to the river with your own tiny private beach. There is road noise, but it’s not bothersome, maybe because of the dense trees and the sound of the river. The campground is split into two separate loops, with #1-10 to the right as you enter, and #11-21 to the left. On the left side loop there is also a paved walkway along the riverbed that might be suitable for wheelchairs.
Host on site, unisex handicap accessible vault toilets, and dumpsters. Hand pumped water. Each site has a bear box, fire pit, and picnic table.
No tent camping allowed here due to bear activity. Hard sided campers only. Keep your food and anything that smells like food inside!!
16 day stay limit. There’s a day use area, appears to be free. There is hiking across the highway, appears to be frequently used for horses. No cell service.
Equestrian camping near Cooke City, Montana offers direct access to extensive mountain trail systems in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The region sits at elevations between 7,600 and 10,900 feet, creating a short summer season typically running from late June through mid-September. Winter conditions often last into May, with some trailheads remaining snow-covered until early summer, limiting horse trailer access during shoulder seasons.
Trail riding access points: Trails from West Boulder Trailhead and Campground connect to mountain bridle paths with views of surrounding peaks. Located 16 miles south of Big Timber, the site provides "the backdrop of the mountains is just beautiful" according to reviewer N.I., who notes the campground's "nice size trailhead just as you turn into the campground."
Fishing opportunities: Several campgrounds offer direct creek and river access for fishing. At Emerald Lake Campground, campers can fish in both the lakes and feeder streams. Reviewer Rayne M. confirms "the lakes around the campground are amazing for fishing... the streams feeding the lakes are great to fish. Fish of all types from whitefish to brown and rainbow trout."
Wildlife observation: The area supports diverse wildlife populations including bison, elk, and bears. At Eagle Creek Campground, camper Annika W. reports, "Lots of wildlife in this area. I stayed here one cold week of March to get up before dawn and wolf watch in the park."
Creek-side camping: Multiple sites feature creeks running alongside camping areas. At Eagle Creek Campground, reviewer William C. selected "site 7, which is on a cul-de-sac so is the most private and secluded of the sites... Creek ran within a few feet of our site, and we were screened by aspen trees."
Horse-friendly facilities: Dedicated equestrian areas include corrals, pasture access, and trailer parking. Meyers Creek Cabin earns high marks from riders, with Kathi F. calling it "one of the best camping cabins for equestrians that I found so far in Montana... There are Corrals for horses and pasture. And the trails into the forest service are endless in a couple different directions."
Peaceful settings: Most campgrounds offer natural sound barriers and separation between sites. At Pilot Creek Dispersed Camping, reviewer Rebecca B. notes "there are at least half a dozen wooded spots, setback. Three have bear boxes and are right by a hiking trail."
Bear safety requirements: Many campgrounds require hard-sided camping due to grizzly activity. Eagle Creek Campground restricts camping, as one reviewer explains: "Hard sided campers only due to grizzlies." Most sites provide bear boxes at individual campsites.
Limited facilities: Many campgrounds have minimal amenities despite their proximity to trail systems. Ron D. who stayed at Pilot Creek notes simply watching "cows grazing down the power line clearing through the trees."
Weather considerations: Mountain elevations mean rapid weather changes even in summer. According to Kristin at West Bridger Cabin, "The cabin is quite drafty and we struggled to keep it warm. We pinned a sheet up in the doorway to keep the heat contained in the sleeping area, and that helped considerably."
Horse-friendly cabin options: Families with horses should consider cabins with corrals for secure overnight stays. At West Bridger Cabin, Kathi F. recommends: "There is a 40 acre pasture fenced to turn horses in with a creek running through it. There is also a nice little Corral if you have any horse that doesn't get along with other animals."
Lake activities: Several campgrounds offer lake access for paddling and swimming. At Emerald Lake Campground, Danae P. shares: "We still got to try out our new paddle boards on the lake and it was such a nice place to try them out for the first time. The lake isn't very deep so it's great for paddle boards, kayaks and fishing."
Insect preparation: Mosquitoes are prevalent, particularly near water sources. Lauren C. mentions that at Pilot Creek there are "Lots of mosquitos," making insect repellent essential for comfort.
Access limitations: Many horse-friendly sites have restricted access for larger rigs. At Hogan Reservoir BLM Campground, trailer access is limited but Lia T. notes "The area is spectacular. The property is immaculate. The reservoir is perfect for fishing, floating and cooling off after a hike."
Leveling challenges: Forest service roads often create uneven approaches to campsites. Eagle Creek Campground visitor Jess warns: "The road within the campground was a little hard to navigate with my Mazda 6 - there was an area with a hole and also a larger bump."
Trailer size restrictions: Most horse-friendly sites cannot accommodate larger trailers. At Meyers Creek Cabin, Kathi F. cautions: "Getting from the main road into the cabin can be a bit tricky for vehicles over 30 feet."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Cooke City, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Cooke City, MT is Soda Butte Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Cooke City, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 equestrian camping locations near Cooke City, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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