Best Dispersed Camping near Essex, MT

In this video we provide a comprehensive review of 3 of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 16 day stay limit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0llxG33OdoQ 

Free Camping Near Glacier National Park- North Fork Road, Canyon Creek and McGinnis Creek Dispersed 

GPS Point for North Fork Road Dispersed Camping

48.499334,-114.131517 

Natural Spring for drinking water etc. 48.447581,-114.165680 

Conoco Station($5 Dump and Water) 48.371583,-114.203917 

Bonus Content GPS Info Canyon Creek Dispersed 48.463612,-114.167320 

McGinnis Creek Dispersed(start of road with North Fork Road Instersection) 48.52.3474,-114.128642 

McGinnis Creek Large Boondocking Area from Video 48.531014,-114.157493

In this video we review 2 more of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. This time we focus on the Middle Fork Flathead River(Blankenship Bridge) and Glacier Rim River Access Locations. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 3 day stay limit at Middle Fork and 16 day stay limit at Glacier Rim. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO8kY0x0BoY&t=27

I was traveling to meet up with a group of friends in Glacier NP as a stop along my solo cross country road trip. We didn't set reservations and all the campgrounds were full, so we opted to "dirt bag" it and take advantage of some free dispersed camping by the Middle Fork Flathead River. It's a popular spot for people to do this, as well as for folks to spend a day on the river, swimming and floating etc. There are plenty of large, flat spots to camp so you can usually find a place even late in the evening. A nice location with river access, incredible night skies, easy access via 15min drive to the west side of Glacier NP (photos), flat ground, perfect for a quick camp fix! Of course, it's busy and so not very quiet or private and since it's dispersed camping, there were no facilities - but we're not picky. We took advantage of the space to play some camp games, too.

I loved this spot! I was able to get a spot back in the trees and shade a bit, but could still just walk down to the river. When I was there they also had porta potties available, because it’s illegal to even bury waste in this location. Super convenient and free spot for anyone traveling to Glacier National Park! I stayed 3 nights and it’s one of the coolest dispersed camp spots I’ve found.

This free camping area has unbelievable breathtaking views especially at sunrise/sunset! The stars are also extremely visible since you’re staying on the rocks right along the river. The only reason I rate this place a 4/5 is the potholes leading up to the camping! There’s ways through it softer than others but almost no way you won’t bottom out. My fiancé and I have a Chevy truck and a 16ft camper and we bottomed out about 3-4 times before reaching the rocks. It’s Worth it I’d say, everyone who’s stayed around us has had friendly pets (cats and dogs) and they’ve all been extremely friendly and welcoming as well! You can stay long than the 3 day limit as well that’s what we have been told, BY LAW you can’t stay long than 14 days dispersed camping but we had been told by a man who visits here monthly that the locals just have an issue with people staying longer than 3 days because they want their own space. Sharing caring, and I’m glad we had the friendly people around us that we did, made the experience so much better. The water was too cold to bathe in so we fished instead! Caught nothing. Locals were jumping off the bridge, lots of flys but not many bugs. All rocky unless you’re staying in the trees where it’s mostly tent camping! Overall we loved this spot! It’s amazing and we are staying longer than expected and definitely coming back here!

Dispersed campground right on the Flathead river. Great to hear the river at night. Only downsides are it’s a busy boat launch with people coming all day long and it can get loud on the weekends. Free camping with 3 day max stay. The road will likely cause need for a front end alignment as you drive from Columbia Falls. About another 10 miles (of terrible roads) on North Fork road and you are at the west entrance to Glacier and close to Apgar / Lake McDonald. We stayed for 3 days and loved it. Nature at its best.

Very clean, open space, next to the river. Had clean toilets, big rig safe. Dry camping/dispersed camping. Beautiful views! 😍

The GPS coordinates for this place are slightly off. Look for Hungry Horse Rd and follow it 4 miles until you reach the Hungry Horse Reservoir Dam. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere along the road after the dam.

Plenty of places to pull off, the road goes for miles. There are also many established state campgrounds along the road. The sites that I saw were nothing fancy, some with fire rings and some not. I read about some places that are nicer if you take the fire roads that branch off the main road, but I came in late and just used a pull-off. I'd recommend going to the Ranger station located in Hungry Horse and ask for some dispersed camping information (The area is very large).

No services, pack in, pack out. No reliable service for Verizon.

This was such a great place for our 2 week adventure at Glacier. Fall there is such a gorgeous time of year. We have a 36-foot travel trailer. We arrived after dark on Sept 23, 2023. Honestly, we were worried we wouldn't find a spot and worse, that we wouldn't be able to turn around. We got to the end of the road (there's a locked gate that goes to an airfield), and every spot was full and someone was in the last spot making it so we couldn't turn around. So we parked in the road for the night. No other choice. The next day we moved into the top spot which has space for 2 RVs which was perfect for us since we had family joining us that night. There's a firepit that we shared. Super close to Glacier and a beautiful dispersed camping road. There are probably 10 camp spots, all with fire pits, of which we could have fit into 3, maybe 4 of them. Sign says 16 night limit. Because we arrived at the end of their busy season, it was pretty full the first few days, and then after that, only a few campers up there with us. We had 4 bars with T Mobile and my husband's Starlink worked great.

Awesome location near the west entrance to Glacier. The road in was muddy and filled with potholes but doable for vans and four wheel drive vehicles. Saw a few cars. It fills up at night but a lot of space. True dispersed camping experience

The road is nice gravel for most of the way in, but the last 500 ft to the shore is a very bumpy dirt road so trailers might have an issue. But that road leads you to a open expanse of rocks next to the rivers edge you can camp on or drive back a bit into a sparsely wooded area. Primitive camping because it’s free, no amenities. But there is a lot of drift wood to use as fire wood and many perfect fire pits made from the rocky ground.

This is dispersed camping with no amenities, but it makes up for that with the views. Pack in, pack out, LNT, and be bear aware! We pulled up in the middle of the night and had no idea the views we would wake up to. We were able to get there in a low clearance, two wheel drive in the summer, so regular cars should be fine. Be aware that there are only 1-2 spots here, however, there are plenty of pullouts along N Fork Rd. We parked at the secondary spot since the primary spot was taken at 10pm :) The site is near the western entrance of Glacier going into Apgar village.

I really enjoyed this boondocking site. They have great tent options right beside the river but not too close for flooding. Also they have a hard structured bathroom which was nice. Would stay here again. Also the road was bumpy but I managed it with my Honda Accord.

We really lucked out finding this camp stop! It’s so close to the National Park entrance and a beautiful place to stay. The road is a bit bumpy getting down here but there’s plenty of room for tent camping and RVs. Be careful though! We were told my the national forest rangers that berry bushes grow close by which bears frequent! All this means is put your food and other smelly products (lotion, toothpaste, etc) in your car at night! This spot made our trip!

This is a large dispersed camping area with a river-side "beach" suitable for RVs and what not (it's rocky not sandy, so tents might be pretty uncomfortable), as well as a dirt-ground area further in with trees that are great for tents and hammocks. Rock firepits are easily found, although I didn't see much wood around to gather so might want to bring some. When I was there it wasn't too crowded but there we always other people around. Two clean portable latrines when I was there as well - nice plus. 

All in all, a great place to settle in and take in the scenery or do some fishing. Not too far from town either, for supply runs, and using Verizon I had perfect reception. Big plus for those of us working on the road!

This place is incredible. Great views on a river. Great fishing, great people, and a fantastic overall environment. Lots of camping spots on the beach and some more secluded spots as you move down the site. I would recommend a vehicle with decent clearance to get down to the sites but don’t stress too much.

Fire pits. Easy access to the river. Ability to have some privacy from other sites. Pit toilet that was fine for a pit toilet. Stayed there sept 9-12, 2020. Right next to the to river and it’s babbling mini rapids. Standard bumpy gravel road access to Glacier national park. Also easy access to the Flathead national forest. Not too crowded while we were there. Couple RVs in the main lot area, ran generators for brief moments at reasonable times. One night only one other tent there. Another there were 5 or 6. A short walk from parking to sites but no big deal. Left our stuff each day while we went to explore glacier and came back to no problems. Limited wood in the area to burn but you can find it - especially if you have a saw/axe.

If you’re looking for absolute primitive camping, this is your spot! Down by the water, some campfire rings are already built for you out of the rock! I used the drift wood that was washed up to have a fire for myself. Was plenty around. Was quiet at night, but when I arrived around 6-7, it was pretty crowded. Ended up camping on rocks in a tent because all of the good spots were taken. Thankfully I had a blow up pad with me, but still wasn’t comfortable. So, I recommend getting there a little early. Short little trail to drive back, lots of dips and holes! Be careful with a car that sits low to the ground for sure.

If you love a night out away from everything, check it out! Sit by the fire, relax and enjoy the beautiful night sky above you!!! Can’t wait to go back!!

Could’ve been a really cool camping spot but after setting up camp a couple came yelling right by my van. They were part of the homeless camp and I just didn’t feel super comfortable because they were saying really aggressive things.

This is a good spot for smaller rv’s or tents but any spot I seen for rv larger than 30’ was taken or really not available. Some paid for camping spots but they were full, after dragging my 38’ rv up the road I wished that they had signs at the bottom noting all the paid for sites were full. Otherwise narrow road and no cell services.

Make sure to go across the bridge and to the left! The camping spot is not the little parking areas. They clearly state No Camping. You have to go across the bridge and to the left. There are some potholes and then you get to the river side and that is where you are allowed to camp. I almost didn’t stay because I didn’t want to get in trouble but it was just a little further. It’s super cute and the rocks and hills around are very pretty. Don’t park too close to the water tho!