Looking for the best options for tent camping near Elliston? Finding a place to camp in Montana with your tent has never been easier. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Elliston, Montana's most popular destinations.
This campground covers 3 acres in southwest Montana.
Ladysmith Campground is a primitive campground near Boulder River. ACTIVITIES Camping: There are six primitive sites available on a first come, first served basis.
The Log Gulch Recreation Site provides visitors with 70 campsites with a 7 day stay limit. All but two of the campsites can accommodate RV or tent camping (or a combination of both); two campsites are tent-only sites. While tent camping is available at all campsites, only a limited number have grassy or optimally flat tent camping surfaces. Campsites are primitive, without hookups, but each campsite does have a fire pit and picnic table. Potable water is accessible at various locations throughout the area. Note, quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (no generators during this time). Do not camp outside numbered sites. Camp hosts or staff members are typically available onsite 7 days a week, from Memorial Day through Labor Day. This site has a loading dock with a boat ramp on each side. Two docks with boat slips are also available on a first-come, first-served basis. Boat slips are included in the camping/day use fee. A fish cleaning station is also available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The recreation site also has a beach with an enclosed swimming area, available Memorial Day through Labor Day (no lifeguard on duty). Restrooms are available throughout the site, and the restroom closest to the beach has a changing room. Two ramada shelters are also available for public use. The upper ramada is available if group reservations are not in effect. The lower ramada is available on a first-come, first served basis. Call the Butte Field Office for reservation details. Hiking trails are accessible from the park.
$15 / night
The Indian Meadows Trailhead provides access into the Scapegoat Wilderness. The site is not usually accessible by passenger vehicles until late May.
General Notes: Provides access to the Scapegoat Wilderness. Food Storage order in effect. Limited stock campsites available.
Parking: Ample parking provided for large stock trailers.
Traveler
This site is technically just a walk to your tent site. There are places to park, so if you have a van you can go stealth and park and sleep here. There area 6 parking spots and 1 handy capped spot. Of these really only the one right next to the ADA spot is level enough for van sleeping. (This is where we parked.). There was one other person sleeping in the lot near us. The other people were tent camping at the designated tent spots. There are 3 tent spots.
Legend
While you have great views of the lake from just about any site, you also lack any shade or hammock trees here. It looks like the campground is still in long slow recovery from fire mode here. There are lots of little (5’ or less) trees growing on the slope and a few in the center of the two loops, but that’s about it. But the wildflowers are nice. The campground is fairly quiet and very friendly. Clean vault toilets. Rv and tent sites are all together, with loop A being reservable.look at sites carefully if you are tent camping as not all sites have a spot for a tent. Also, I only saw 2 or 3 bear boxes for the whole campground to share.
Scout
If you like waterslides or golfing this will be hard to beat. Nice and clean areas with a great little store. I want to judge a park by the cost of ice “2.00” seems fair. $29.00 to tent camp. Power, picnic table, 4g phone service with Verizon, they offer wi-fi, bbq in every site. Each site has a raised level gravel spot for setting up camp with grass all around. I appreciate that they planted trees that block out the hot sun during the entire day (Sept 1st). Showers and bathroom are 100ft away. The shower and toilets are immaculate and secure with secure code door locks. At check-in, I was offered a day pass to the golf course and water park at no cost for the day. It was A nice bonus and justified the extra cost for the tent site. The water park has a nice restaurant and bar inside as well as a poolside bar with mixed drinks. I had dinner at Donivan's about 10 miles away in Anaconda. Great place to eat very nice. Had a great steak potato and beer for $27 it was delicious. This is my second trip out here this summer from Washington state to Fairmont. I genuinely enjoy spending time here. I'm just a big kid traveling by myself, but it's really an excellent place for the little ones and a place for mom and dad to get some time together. I see a lot of retired people here living it up golfing and swimming. Being right off, I90 makes it a huge bonus. I can see the cars on the highway just barely and no noise. Must be 3ish miles from 90. Happy ⛺!
Traveler
Very well kept. Not just a group use area. Nice trailer or tent sites. Clean restrooms and fresh water. Wonderful camp hosts. Beautiful spot on Blackfoot river. Only 6 miles to Lincoln, Montana if you need anything.
Traveler
Great Playground, close to tent sites. Nice staff and great coffee and beautiful setting!
Scout
We’re at campsite #7 you can here the water running by the creek. Absolutely stunning forest! There’s an out house and running water Spicket. Nice spots to tent camp.
Legend
There is a 16 stay limit, and a $15 a night fee.
The road is easy accessible
Tent camping,Camping trailer,Fee charged for some activities ($5) ,Picnic tables,Toilets,Drinking water,Parking
Very clean and well maintained
Scout
I called 30 minutes before our arrival for a tent camping spot and the host was easily able to accommodate us. Two men met us in a golf cart and drive us to our nice grassy site. The campground had coin showers with hot water and a family friendly rec room.
Traveler
Parked our van in a tent site, which was just a grassy area in the back half of the property. Road noise was not bad there, further from the highway. The host was friendly and helpful. Enjoyed a warm shower.
Scout
Overall, this is a great spot to camp. Tent camped one night, and had no issues. Bugs are very minimal for being right next to the creek. I will say the road up, has seen much much better days. The speed limit on this road is 45, and I didn’t catch myself going over 15mph. Heavy washboarding, and deep potholes. Drove a Transit van.
Scout
Was a pretty decent campground to camp at. It was mostly TT staying there at the time we went and seen wildlife within the first 30 min of setting up. Swimming area is nice and water was warm however it may have been too hot to tent camp. There was only a few places to find shade to set up a tent but we were unable to fine a shady spot for throughout the day that's the only reason for the 4 and not 5 stars.
Traveler
This is a hidden gem near the west end of Holter Lake. Over 50 sites with views of the mountains, Holter Lake, and the sleeping giant from various points in the campground. Wildlife abound and fishing galore. Most sites are big enough for a camper and level enough for tents. There is a pavilion and group tent site at the back of the campground, too. Trails connect it to other points of interest nearby.
GuideNice location for an overnight rest spot. We had a tent site, close to the road, but traffic wasn’t bad after dark. Site was grassy. No fires allowed for obvious reasons. We were the only tent guests. Most people looked like they were long term RV’rs. IMMACULATE bathrooms and showers with hot water and pressure ! There’s a hot springs nearby, a water slide, golf course and resort hotel/casino. Easy access to I-15. Only drawback I could see was that there was dog poop everywhere. Bags were provided, but apparently people don’t use them :(
Scout
I rolled into this place because White Sandy BLM was closed on Nov 1. This CG looks to stay open year round because it has a boat launch. The water was turned off and the main bathhouse was closed for the season. Two pit toilets remain open. The electric service was still on for the sites. The tent only sites were not suitable for van camping and require a walk to the tent site. I used the RV site and about half of them a siamese type sites with gravel pads. I was the only one here so this didn’t matter. Cell service on Verizon is one bar 3G so I set up my starlink.
Legend
Departure Point campground is basically camping in a parking lot. Four "campsites" are lined parking spots in a large paved area with a picnic table and fire ring at the end of the parking spot. The four spots are right next to each other. If you want to set up a tent you will be setting it up on the pavement. The area has two vault toilets, running water and trash service. Down below the camping area is a nice day use area with four picnic tables three of which are covered and right on the edge of the lake. Camping is not allowed in the day use area along the lake. So if you want to tent camp you will want to head to one of the other BLM campgrounds on the lake.
Legend
I will say first off that this would work as a last resort for heavy sleepers. The two tent sites are small grassy areas right by the bathrooms (so very little privacy) right in the middle of a sea of RVs, which are mainly hemmed in by roads and freeways. Precious little greenery - it’s mainly all gravel. There was no electricity while I was there, no one was really out and it had sort of a depressing feel. Pluses are gorgeous mountain views to the east and a small walking trail somewhat near the tentsites. This is probably an affordable 2 or 3 star for an RV.
Guide
We were able to get a site for the night in June only because it was a Thursday night. I was told it books up early for weekends by reservation. We got a tent site (parked in lot, walked to site maybe 50 feet). It was perfect with shade and right next to the water. Many sites had little or no shade, though. My son loved finding a few toads in the water. The deer seemed to have a route right next to our site and came out by the water in the evening. It was beautiful. Many places to walk around and explore.
Legend
Hooper Park is a nice city park on the east side of town which contains a camping area. The campground has RV sites with electric and water hookup and sites with out hookups for tent camping. Campsites sit in a nice flat grassy area under large ponderosa pines. Restroom facilities area available as well as trash bins. Camp sites prices are based on the type of camping you are doing, RV vs Tent and if you are using an electric site or not. The park has a large pavilion that comes in handy if it starts raining and you want to eat your meal while staying dry. The park/campground is on the east side of town and a short walk just about everything Lincoln has to offer. This is a good spot to stay if you are traveling and need an easy to find campsite with out having to travel miles down a forest se
GuideThis is a typical KOA. First the good: Friendly helpful staff until their gone at closing time. Little mini store with a few essentials. Clean bathrooms and showers and clean laundry room with several washers/dryers.$2.00 per load to wash. Can't remember how much to dry. Very cool pinball machine that costs 25 cents per game. Fun fun fun! Another bathroom/shower in middle of park but I never looked inside that one. 65 sites that most have full hook-up and pull-through. A few cool tent sites with gas BBQs. Some cool looking cabins but I never looked inside one. I'm here on 8/24/2024 and RV park is sold out except 3 pull-through sites. All tent sites were full. I don't know about the cabins. Cool playground for kids and large mostly gravel dog run. Edit added: AT&T has 5G and three bars. KOA has wifi but slow slow slow I got 3MPS so instead of KOA wifi I used my iPhone Personal Hotspot that worked great. THE BAD(and reason for only 3 stars): All gravel roads and sites throughout the park. Very close together. Some sites have a very narrow strip of grass. Some of the picknick tables need to be re-painted. Unfortunately while eating breakfast you could be 2 feet away from the next RV dumping their sewer. P.U. The luxury sites don't have that problem. They are at the end of each row and only have a neighbor on the drivers side. I think well worth the extra 17 bucks. Not ADA friendly. Very hard for someone with a walker to get around because of gravel roads/sites. Someone with a wheel chair near impossible. Has a nice handicap shower in main office building. Only problem is that once I take my walker in with me it's very tight and no room to move around. Not EV car friendly. There is a$250 fine and eviction if you plug in your car. The person at the front desk told me the$250 fine and eviction is because EVs overload the outdated system and cause a fire. This KOA is an older one and was wired before EVs. Each individual site has its own 30 amp and 50 amp circuit breaker. Some trees but few and far between. No pool or hot tub. Final thoughts: Make reservations well in advance if you can. This KOA is the best game in town and is mostly sold out in summer. I think(sorry I don't know for sure) there is only one other RV park in town and from what I can tell, it is a much older one. I would proceed with caution before I booked it. Good traveling. See you on the road.
Guide
Lost Creek is in a beautiful canyon spot, with numerous (25) sites to accommodate all types of campers (huge RV’s to tents). Camping spots are nice, but close to one another and the campground is often full. This means, if you do find a spot, you will have to deal with neighbors . There is a beautiful hiking trail that starts at the top of the campground and there is a beautiful waterfall and rushing creek that is a pleasure to listen to at night. (It almost drowns out the noise from neighboring campers if you find a spot on the creek.)
Legend
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.
Legend
Our goal is to leave an unbiased review for future campers. First, don’t check in until 2:00 PM. The billeting office is closed for lunch and doesn’t get back until 2:00. As you don’t have a site number and you’ll need a key for the utilities, it will not do you any good to arrive early. Using our RV GPS, we headed off I-90 onto US-12 into Helena. At West Helena we turned on Williams St., which brought us to the VA Medical Center, then less than a 1/4 mile further to the South Gate. The gate is locked. When we called 406-324-3970(main gate) prior to our arrival, we were told to park in front of the gate and call the number on the post to have security come and let us in. The private security guard checked our IDs, reservation confirmation email, and then called in our names and truck license plate number. We were then told to head to the three story building where the billeting office is located and park in front of the building near the stepped entrance. This is not a large base/post, so don’t worry about getting lost. A lot of reviews talked about going through the North Gate, but as of this writing, they are using the South Gate for arrivals and departures. The main gate barriers are too narrow for a large RV. The billeting office is on the first floor straight a few yards and to the right after you enter the building and also where the free laundry is located. The FamCamp campground (CG) was simple to find, and we went to pull through FHU site 7 with 50/30/20 AMP. Not all the sites in this small CG have 50 AMP. The pull through was easy enough to get into, but its narrow with 9” high cement curbs, which makes getting your sewer up and over a bit of a challenge. They placed a brick thing at each site to help level your sewer hose. Also, depending on how your stairs deploy, dealing with the curb can be a challenge. In our opinion, the cement curbs are a horrible design. This site’s gravel pad was not level, so we had to use our leveler blocks. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi. There’s no CG Wifi, but we had our Starlink, plus we got a 4 bar Verizon signal. There are 12 sites here with row 1-7 being FHUs with 50/30/20 AMP and the back row 8-12 are 30/20 AMP. The sites are close to each other. We had a large class A in the adjacent site and its slideout came to our large cement picnic table. There’s a small restroom building but no showers. There are 6 RV or Tent sites where you could dry camp. There’s no obvious water spigot, but there are grass watering spigots. We saw reviews about a camp host, but we did not notice one. We departed at 10:50 AM and billeting called wondering if we had departed. If you don't turn in your key by 11:00 AM, you are charged an extra day. We were not unsatisfied with our stay, especially the good service and free laundry. But for a three day stay, due to their check in/out procedures, and site challenges, we’ll pass on this CG in the future.
Legend
Small camp area at a Montana Fishing Access site. Sites are at a pull off on Recreation Road. Two sites at the fishing access site. Both have a table and fire ring. One outhouse is at the site, no trash bins. Fee for staying, fee based on if you have a fishing license or not. Good location to cool off on a hot day as the creek is shallow. Some noise from the near by I-15. Better as an RV site than a tent.
Legend
Galena Gulch Campground is a free nicely maintained BLM campground just off of interstate 15 south of Boulder Montana. This campground has 10 sites all with metal fire rings and picnic tables. Two ADA accessible vault toilets serve the campground. This is a trash-in trash-out campground. Be sure to bring your own water as there is no water at this campground. Most sites sit along the Boulder River. Camping is limited to 14 days. This is a busy campground despite it not being listed on the BLM's website and their being no indication from the interstate that the campground is present. The main drawbacks of this campground is the noise from I-15 and how busy the campground is. The sites are nicely spread out giving you plenty of room. The entire campground has nice grass covering and is well maintained making finding a good spot for your tent an easy choir.
Legend
Browns Lake Fishing Access Site Campground is located on the 459 acre Browns Lake. This fishing access campground has 14 sites all with metal fire rings and picnic tables. The site is serviced by two vault toilets. This is a dry campground so bring water. This is also a trash-in trash-out campground. The campground is fairly exposed and tends to be windy during the summer. We visited in early June and were amazed by all the birds in the area. The real draw for this campground is the fishing. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks stocks this lake with over 50,000 rainbow trout per year….that's right 50,000. The lake is known for large rainbow trout and 10 pounders in the spring are apparently not a fish story. The lake also has Brook Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Kokanee, and Longnose suckers. So grab your tent and fishing pole, because with 50,000 trout being added every year a trout dinner has to be on the menu.
Legend
Chinamen's Campground has 30+ sites however most of the sites are small and many tent campers may have a hard time finding a spot to pitch a tent in many of the sites. Good sites fill up fast. Campground has a boat launch area. An ADA spot and Vault toilet is available.
LegendHolter Lake Recreation Area campground is a very nice campground with 52 camp sites. The entire campground including parking pads is paved. The site also has a swimming beach, boat ramp, docks, fish cleaning station, and accessible fishing walkway. The site has several vault toilets as well as water faucets through out the campground. This is a very busy campground with sites filling up fast, especially on the weekends. All sites are first come first serve, no reservations. If you want to avoid the crowd bring a tent and camp in the tent only area, when we visited no one was using the eight tent only sites, yet all the other sites in the camp ground were full. Each campsite has a fire-pit and picnic table.
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