Looking for dispersed camping near Elliston? Dispersed camping gets you off the grid so you can disconnect from the hecticness of everyday life. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the trees or wide open spaces, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect dispersed campsite.
One thousand people called Garnet home in the 1890s as they scoured the mountains for gold. Largely abandoned 20 years later when the gold ran out, today the town is well-preserved and offers a glimpse into the struggles of those early miners and homesteaders. The visitor center has information about 19th century life here. Two rental cabins are available December through April; arrangements need to be made in advance by calling the Missoula Field Office BLM. Depending on weather, the visitor center is open daily from late May through September from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Legend
Bumped in to this disperse campsite while heading out for a hike. This is one of three disperse campsite along the Little Blackfoot River in the Helena National Forest that have been marked by the Forest Service as a disperse camping area. This is a nice large flat right next to the creek with plenty of room for multiple tents or RVs. The site has a large rock fire ring and the big bonus of having a picnic table. A short trail leads to the river, but does require a little bit of scrambling. The River (more of a creek at this point) has a nice spot if you need to cool off from the summer heat. Another short trail goes up a small hill and leads to an area with lots of fallen trees which can be cut for firewood if fire restrictions are not in place. The only bad thing about this disperse site is that it is right next to the road.
Legend
This is the second disperse camping sit along the Little Blackfoot River that has been marked as a disperse campsite by the Helena National Forest. It is nice having these sits marked by the Forest Service as their are several parcels of private land along the road. This site is small with only one small level area for a tent of mid sized RV. The site has a large rock fire ring in the center. Their is no easy trail access to the river. Plenty of down trees in the area for firewood if you have a way to cut them, their is also plenty of small stuff that can be easily collected for a fire. Site is right next to the road, but road noise should be little to none as a few curves will slow vehicles down and their isn't much more road left until the campground and trailhead at the end of the road.
Guide
Canyon Ferry has great dispersed camping all around it. The specific site we stayed at was right next to the beach. Great views and right down from a pit toilet.
Scout
The dispersed camping is super easy to find, and it's right off the highway! It was perfect for a quick spot to camp on our way home to Colorado instead of getting a hotel room.
Legend
This is the 3rd and final disperse site that the Helena National Forest has marked along the little Blackfoot River. It is nice to be sure that you are on public land when in an area checker boarded with private land. This is a large flat camping area with plenty of room for tents and several RV's. Site has a large rock fire ring, and the river is only a few short flat feet away. Plenty of wood can be found for making a fire. Site is near the road, but very little traffic comes this way as you are almost at the roads end. Water can be easily filtered from the river (more like a creek at this point)
Ranger
Many states out west allow dispersed camping on select public lands owned by the Bureau of Land management. You need to pick up a map of exactly where you’re allowed to camp (there are no facilities, obviously). You can also rent “cabins” which are buildings from before the building became ghosted (but have been updated). Even if you don’t want to camp you can tour the town and have a surreal afternoon imagining what it’d be like to be a miner back in the day.
GuidePulled in early on a Friday and it was already filling up. Stayed 1 week and was by myself for most of it besides the weekend. I did come back at one point during a storm to find a bunch of teenagers parked right next to my camper and when it stopped raining they started doing donuts and messing around. Also, the fire pit was full of garbage when I got there. Overall it was a great stay, especially since it was free. The reception was good, the road just leading to the camping spots was a little bumpy
ScoutI felt so secluded here on a Sunday night. Beautiful area. Appreciated the reviews on here to find a good free place to spend the night.
ScoutStayed here twice in early August about a week apart. Any car should be able to get down the road to the campsites. A bit buggy but free. Pit toilet available.
LegendYou almost don't realize that this area open to camping and would drive right by if it were not for a plywood sign just after crossing a cattle guard. The plywood has just a few signs on it, one listing the number of nights you can camp for. The others are the camping rules, travel restrictions and notice that spot must be occupied at night. This camping area is a mile north of Confederate Campground. When you look back up the road leading to the camping area you can notice a vault toilet in the distance. It is over a½ mile to this vault toilet down a two track road. One flat grassy camping spot can be found about half way to the toilet. This grassy spot is your best bet if you have a tent with out a crowd. The spot is on the shore of the lake with just a few young willows between you and the water. The remainder of the camping appears to happen just after the ADA vault toilet. A few more grassy spots are possible near the vault toilet, then there is a narrow section of gravel beach on which RV's turn in to a parking area. The RV's line up one right behind the other on this beach as this is the only real level place to park. No other services besides the ADA vault toilet is available so come prepared. The area has no picnic tables and any fire rings are on the beach made by previous visitors. The site does not have a boat ramp, but the gravel shore would make it easy to launch one.
GuideCamping is dispersed and a little eerie. This ghost town is complete with still stocked shops, empty hotels with beds left in and slowly aging buildings. It is an interesting look at the mining industry in Montana. There are numerous interpretive signs and information about the building throughout the town and rangers on site during the summer months to answer questions. During the winter two of the cabins (the larger of which is the old saloon) are available to rent through the forest service. Most of my recent trips have been during the winter months, where the town is only accessible by ski, snow shoe or feet. Then it is silent and strange but heart breakingly beautiful.
GuideWe didn’t stay at this exact site as it was taken but there one more dispersed site about a mile or so down the road.
Was nice being close to the creek and there was lots of fallen trees we used for firewood.
Quiet spot with a small amount of traffic on the road.
Didn’t see any wildlife but the horseflies were a bit out of control this time of the year.
Legend
This campsite is right off the exit, but not very noisy. There were several other campers and RVs and trucks there. Even just parts of cars. Kinda a weird vibe, but down the various 2 tracks, there are hidden sites that afford some shade and privacy. I got 3-4 bars LTE of Verizon here! Plenty of fire pits and access to a couple lakes. And it’s only about 8 miles from Butte!
LegendCamp beside one of Montana's best preserved ghost towns!! Garnet!! Learn rich history of pioneer days of Montana and visit cabins among the town. Not many amenities available here. Yes I believe in ghosts!!
GuideThis was a pretty spot on the river with quite a few sites and a day use area. Access to the river was a bit tight through the day use area. A small amount of road noise could be heard and the vault toilet was clean. Overall a great place.
ScoutEasy to find, road isn’t too rough, no service with t mobile, nice little fire ring. Definitely recommend getting there a little earlier to get the good spots
Scout
Came up here in a whim one night and got lucky! No one else camped up there so it was peacful. You're right by the water with. Great mountain view, couldn't ask for more.
There were just a few cars driving back down the mountain in the evening. But no one bothered.
There's a nice hand full of spots you could pull up in a car, maybe two spots your could fit a small trailer in. About four or five fire rings in the immediate area. I wouldn't be surprised in there were more spots in the area or the other side of the reservoir.
Pretty easy to get to from Helena. Just take Rimini road all the way up, past the town, past private property. At some point I took a right onto Goulds.
Not the best roads but I got up there fine with my 2015 Outback just fine.
GuideGreat place to camp for overlooking the reservoir. Ran into one local taking pictures but left soon after. About 4-5 rock fire rings fairly close together. I had the entire place to myself on a Thursday night. Some bugs but not too bad. Road going around to the other side of the reservoir is gated and closed now.
ScoutThere’s a big area that had a dozen RVs & tents, but it was late & we wanted space so we followed a rough dirt road 1/2 a mile to find a spot in the trees. The Homestake Trailhead down the road has a bathroom. We did have a weird experience: a truck camped near us with two people who openly watched us the entire morning & followed us to the trailhead before driving on.
ScoutWe pulled in for the night on a whim. Nice spot, the road was a little wash boarded. Just made a quick stop off the highway. Nice and quiet.
TravelerIt’s easy to get to and there aren’t bad potholes. No problem getting there without 4 wheel drive. I was able to find a pretty private campground by going a little further then the initial parking area.
ScoutIt is easy to get to and very nice views. We did have a creepy experience. Three trucks drove by our spot and parked just staring at us and would leave. They did this 3 times before we decided to pack up and go elsewhere. Also saw a bunch of bear poop. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going back.
ScoutOnly 5 min from highway on a smooth road, spacious with vistas and private. Best yet
GuideAs a single female tent camping I felt very safe here. One morning a bunch of cows came through my site, which was amazing.
ScoutThe spot was close to the highway - lots of potential spots - some “locals” who seem to live out there and run generators 24/7 - we had no problem and got a good night sleep to carry on our journey.
There are MTB OHV and walking trails nearby.
ScoutGreat place to camp right along the water for tents, RTTs, or campers. The problem is there were a ton of people. I arrived on a Thursday with only one other person camping within 100 yards of me. By Saturday, there were 12 different campers packed in like sardine along the same 100 yard stretch. Loose dogs were running all over and generators were running all night. If you don't mind the crowd, it's a great place to camp and enjoy the water
GuideThere were some of the cutest cows on the way in. It took me over half an hour to locate the owner and get a calf's head unstuck. The water was pretty and my dogs loved all the beach wood. My neighbors were friendly and didn't mind the dogs running around.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Elliston, Montana, where nature's tranquility meets the freedom of the great outdoors. With a variety of sites to choose from, you can enjoy a unique camping experience surrounded by stunning landscapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Elliston, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Elliston, MT is Little Blackfoot River Dispersed Campsite with a 3.7-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Elliston, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 dispersed camping locations near Elliston, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
