Searching for a tent camping spot near Essex? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Essex, including sites, reviews, and tips. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Essex, Montana's most popular destinations.
“Dispersed camping” is the term used for camping anywhere outside of a developed campground, including in some campgrounds with minimal development. Dispersed camping is free, and permitted almost everywhere on the Flathead National Forest. Camping in undeveloped areas requires you to help keep the sites in good condition. Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed near developed recreation areas including campgrounds, trailheads and day-use areas. Water, restrooms, and trash cans are not provided. Pack out all your trash. There is a 16-day stay limit at any site. After that you must move 5-miles away, and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Use existing fire rings. Avoid creating new fire rings. Your fire must be attended at all times and be dead out before leaving. Contact a local office about possible campfire restrictions before you go. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Additional rules or regulations may apply to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Flathead Wild and Scenic River corridor.
“Dispersed camping” is the term used for camping anywhere outside of a developed campground, including in some campgrounds with minimal development. Dispersed camping is free, and permitted almost everywhere on the Flathead National Forest. Camping in undeveloped areas requires you to help keep the sites in good condition. Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed near developed recreation areas including campgrounds, trailheads and day-use areas. Water, restrooms, and trash cans are not provided. Pack out all your trash. There is a 16-day stay limit at any site. After that you must move 5-miles away, and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Use existing fire rings. Avoid creating new fire rings. Your fire must be attended at all times and be dead out before leaving. Contact a local office about possible campfire restrictions before you go. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Additional rules or regulations may apply to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Flathead Wild and Scenic River corridor.
Bowman Lake campground is located in the North Fork area of Glacier National Park approximately 32.5 miles from the west entrance and 30 miles from the Canadian border. The drive to Bowman Lake is a very slow, dusty, and bumpy ride on dirt roads. Trailers are not permitted. The campground is located close to the shore of Bowman Lake and camp sites are within trees for shade and some privacy. Tent campers looking for peace and quiet will enjoy Bowman Lake for its serenity and remote location.
Weather Dependent Primitive Fall Season
October 9–October 31
Bowman Lake Campground's typical summer season is from mid-May to early September. If weather permits, a primitive camping season can extend into the fall between early September and late October.
$10 - $15 / night
“Dispersed camping” is the term used for camping anywhere outside of a developed campground, including in some campgrounds with minimal development. Dispersed camping is free, and permitted almost everywhere on the Flathead National Forest. Camping in undeveloped areas requires you to help keep the sites in good condition. Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed near developed recreation areas including campgrounds, trailheads and day-use areas. Water, restrooms, and trash cans are not provided. Pack out all your trash. There is a 16-day stay limit at any site. After that you must move 5-miles away, and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Use existing fire rings. Avoid creating new fire rings. Your fire must be attended at all times and be dead out before leaving. Contact a local office about possible campfire restrictions before you go. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Additional rules or regulations may apply to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Flathead Wild and Scenic River corridor. Human Waste Disposal Dispersed camping generally means no bathrooms. Keep your site clean for the next campers and prevent disease spread and pollution of water by following these rules:
Urinate on rocks and avoiding vegetation if possible, and well away from water and camp. Do not leave toilet paper or wipes on the ground after you pee. Carry a zipper-lock plastic bag and pack out your toilet paper. Dig a cathole 6-8 inches deep and 8-inches wide at least 200-feet away from water, camp and trails to bury feces. Cover all waste with the soil you removed, and sprinkle the disturbed ground with leaves, pine needles, or other organic debris. If you carry a portable camping toilet, treat and pack out all treated waste and dispose of according to instructions on the digestant. The Flathead Wild and Scenic River Corridor rules require all solid human waste be carried out in leak-proof manner and disposed of properly off-forest.
Camping with a vehicle Motorized use is limited to roads and trails designated on the Motor Vehicle Use Map. Know and follow all seasonal closures and never go beyond gates or other barriers on roads. Do not park or camp in front of closed gates. This prevents authorized users, including emergency responders, from accessing the road. Find and select your campsite on foot and scout the most direct route to your campsite for your vehicle. Driving your vehicle more than 300 feet from a motorized route for purposes of dispersed camping is prohibited. You may not cut or damage trees or vegetation to access your campsite. Never drive across wet areas or areas with soft ground.
River access site located on the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork of the Flathead River. This river access site is located adjacent to Bear Creek Trailhead and has designated parking area, vault toilet, and a boat slide for accessing the river.
The Cut Bank Campground is located on the east side of Glacier National Park and provides a sense of peace and quiet that may not be found in larger campgrounds within the park. The campground is accessed by a 5 mile dirt road off of highway 89. The campground is located among trees, providing shade and privacy for tent campers. RVs are not recommended due to the nature of the road and campground layout. Trailheads are near the campground for day hiking use or extended trips in the backcountry.
Campsites
Wilderness camping is available in 65 designated campgrounds throughout the park, with the exception of the Nyack / Coal Creek camping zone where both designated campgrounds and at large camping are available. Permits
A wilderness use permit is required for all overnight camping, and must be in your possession while in the backcountry. They are valid only for the dates, locations, and party size specified. Trip Itineraries
Itineraries must be contiguous. You cannot exit one trailhead and drive to another trailhead to access campgrounds on the same trip. Note: Hiking short road sections on foot—Many Glacier and Two Medicine developed areas, crossing Going to the Sun Road at Jackson Glacier Overlook—to connect longer itineraries is permitted. Group Size
The maximum party size allowed is 12. Each wilderness campground has 2-7 campsites. Each campsite is limited to four (4) people. Leave No Trace
Many of Glacier’s wilderness camping regulations are based on Leave No Trace (LNT) outdoor ethics. LNT tells us that by concentrating impacts, including eating, sleeping, and human waste disposal, we prevent degradation of a broader area. Concentrating impacts essentially creates small pockets of impact and leaves nearly pristine conditions over larger areas. For more information visit LNT.org.
Campsites
Wilderness camping is available in 65 designated campgrounds throughout the park, with the exception of the Nyack / Coal Creek camping zone where both designated campgrounds and at large camping are available. Permits
A wilderness use permit is required for all overnight camping, and must be in your possession while in the backcountry. They are valid only for the dates, locations, and party size specified. Trip Itineraries
Itineraries must be contiguous. You cannot exit one trailhead and drive to another trailhead to access campgrounds on the same trip. Note: Hiking short road sections on foot—Many Glacier and Two Medicine developed areas, crossing Going to the Sun Road at Jackson Glacier Overlook—to connect longer itineraries is permitted. Group Size
The maximum party size allowed is 12. Each wilderness campground has 2-7 campsites. Each campsite is limited to four (4) people. Leave No Trace
Many of Glacier’s wilderness camping regulations are based on Leave No Trace (LNT) outdoor ethics. LNT tells us that by concentrating impacts, including eating, sleeping, and human waste disposal, we prevent degradation of a broader area. Concentrating impacts essentially creates small pockets of impact and leaves nearly pristine conditions over larger areas. For more information visit LNT.org.
A dirt parking area located on Forest Road 895A, 8 miles from the town of Hungry Horse. The large parking area has space for 5-6 RVs and offers no services.
Legend
While this is a typical RV park in many ways, the tent sites are given a FRONT ROW location along the river. The host did say they weren’t going to have tent camping for at least until August of 2020 due to a lack of COVID supply availability. Still, there’s a lot of fantastic space to explore, lots of tall trees AND... hot air balloons take off from here. I kid you not. What could be better than being in a balloon floating over Montana during the summer?
Traveler
We tent camped ( primitive). Tent camping is somewhat grouped together, some open sites, some wooded. Bathrooms/showers are in need of updating. Showers are token operated( you get 1 token per night/per person that allows a six minute shower). There is a small store, and a restaurant on property. St. Mary’s entrance to Glacier NP is 1 mile away. Most tent sites are grass, you drive and park right up to site. We stayed 3 nights, 2 of the 3 nights were a little noisey up to midnight including LOUD music until 2:00 A.M. the last night. Personally, we would probably not stay there again unless updates were made. Not much of any view from campsite either.
Scout
Small and pretty area but there were big deal breakers for us. We spent 2 nights here tent camping as part of a longer motorcycle camping trip.
First and foremost, the store was closed. They have a store on site but it's closed until 2022. It would have been nice because the closest thing to a grocery store is 15 miles away.
Second, there are no defined campsites. It's first come first served around a little pond on the property. It's nicely shaded and quiet, but there are NO picnic tables for tent sites and no dedicated fire rings. So if you show up later in the day, you might be SOL for a fire. The RV sites have picnic tables. I bring this up because it's a really nice thing to have when you're tent camping. A place to cook, sit, put some of the crap you're hauling (especially if you're like us and on motorcycles with limited storage).
Third, the bathrooms and showers were cleaned up on a regular basis which was really nice but no hot water later on in the day. After a long, hard day of riding I just wanted to wash all the grossness off and was in freezing cold water.
Traveler
This camp spot is a dream come true for a family visiting Glacier. They have a family pool and an adults only pool in a separate enclosed. They have many different options as far as tent sites, hookup sites, camping cabins, luxury cabins, etc etc. Very cute ice cream shop and a wonderful little cafe that has dinners and espressos and coffee in the morning.
One of my favorite things about this KOA is they have a beautiful and private tent camping area away from all the RV people. Also the bbq at the little restaurant is amazing and I think it’s the owner out there on a grill and he’s a lovely talkative dude who wants to ensure everyone is enjoying themselves. The facilities are all well maintained and lovely. Can’t speak highly enough about this place.
LegendFor full disclosure we were compensated for this trip for testing the Dyrt's reservation system.
Our trip to Swan Lake Trading Post & Campground started out by reserving the campground through The Dyrts's new reservation system. Reserving the site was extremely easy and fast to use, way better than other systems we have used before. We had a confirmation from the campground with in a few hours of using the reservation system.
Now for the campground. We were highly impressed by this small campground. The tent camping area was located around a small pond/lake. The site has picnic tables and fire rings as well as plenty of chairs available for siting around the fire or along the little lake. The campground has 8 RV sites, 3 cabins and 3 yurts (the yurts had not been set up for the season during our visit). The trading post has all your basic camping needs and anything you need if you forget something, they even have Ice Cream. If you don't want to cook breakfast the trading post will take care of that for you by cooking up a breakfast sandwich for you. The campground provides clean restrooms and showers. Tent sites were very reasonable at $20, just two more dollars than the Forest Service campground down the road which does not have flush toilets or showers. The camp host are very friendly. We were provided with the camps wifi password, but you do have to be on the trading post back porch to use it. The porch has plenty of table an chairs for sitting at. They also have games you can use to pass the time, we didn't use them but was nice to know they were available. It was nice and quiet at night with very little traffic on the highway, plus the creek running by really muffled any noise from vehicles driving by. This campground will definitely be on our list to stay at the next time we visit the Swan Valley and Swan Lake.
Guide
Great tent camping away from the crowded Yellowstone sites.
Guide
We stayed in a little hut one night and camped the second. It was the first time I had been asked to pay for showers but have since learned it is the trend out West. Hut was crazy expensive for October and the tent site wasn't cheap. Only a couple tent sites are truly flat, just FYI. It was fine but for the money spent, a free hot shower was a no brainer to me.
Guide
The road was a little rough if you wanted to go all the way to the river. Fantastic site where you can tent camp, car or RV.
LegendI really want to give this campground 5 stars but the tent sites left something to be desired. The sites with the views that sit on top of a hill are for RVs (even for RVs, they are pretty tight spots). The tent sites sit in a field and like a previous review states, have little privacy. However the sites are flat which is a huge bonus. We were lucky and the tent sites were not very busy so we were not terribly disturbed. Site 68 is decent as there is an opening set back in the trees for your tent. Most of the fire rings and picnic tables are set pretty close together. The bathrooms were nice and there was always plenty of hot water, even when showering during the busy evening times. The restaurant is fantastic and we ate there 3 nights in a row. The night time stars are fantastic and the location is great for east glacier and many glacier (30 minute drive to many glacier). The campground is VERY clean and staff is super friendly.
RangerThis is a well loved for family owned campground. We stayed in the tent camping area and felt like it gave great privacy vs. the typical rows of RVs. There is tons of shade in the tent camping areas were as the RVs were more in the open but have the opportunity to have gorgeous distant lake views. We would stay here again as the location is perfect for getting into the park while being family owned and responsible priced.
Check out our blog at www.unnamedadventures.com and follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram or on our YouTube Channel at Unnamed Adventures.
Guide
At least 20 lake front dry tent sites, second row back from the lake is tent sites or small rigs with power. There are swimming docks, a boat launch, sunning lawn and a newly added concession stand. The water shallow for a long distance of beautiful colorful rocks (like Lake McDonald) and perfect for swimming of all ages. Camp crowd was quiet and well behaved perhaps because no alcohol is allowed? Great stop on the way to Glacier National Park. Why not 5 stars? Bathrooms and campsites were dirty, potable water is hard to get.
Scout
This campground offers cabin, rv and tent camping. There is a cafe open for breakfast and lunch. The office has cards and games for use and the hosts are always helpful.
Legend
Granite Park has a chalet that you can stay in (reservation only) and back country tent camping away from the chalet. Fantastic views all around. Definitely bear country, take the necessary precautions.
RangerTent sites are strange but it works. River access is right there for you and great view of the Bob Marshall mountain range.
Guide
Quaint spot! Right on the water with nice accommodations. A bit buggy becaIse of the warer. Pull in spots for RVs but also spots for tent camping. The camp hosts are super sweet!
Legend
2 1/2 stars. Keep in mind, I’m writing this as a TENT camper. While this place is off the road 100 yards, there’s still a lot of traffic noise from two sides. You’re used to this if you have an RV, but here it’s a little worse as the the tent sites are on open land and right off the entrance road. The stream next to the tent sites is nice though. The name of this place was changed to Three Bears RV Park in 2014, according to the friendly desk guy. There’s a lot of pride here - all the buildings are well-maintained. It’s also close to a great fishing hole down the road and a winery around the corner.
Ranger
Loved this campground. Great amenities. Loved the pool/hot tub. Nice big site with electric/water. Tent camped and the bathrooms clean and close by. Amazing store and they even delivered pizza right to our site. Pancake breakfast was wonderful.
Ranger
Camp right along Flathead Lake in a campground with modern amenities (running water, showers). The campground is quite large for my taste (I prefer tent camping in solitude), but it is clean and well-maintained with a killer view.
Traveler
We tent camped. There are many campsites available, just have to drive on a long gravel road to get there. No running water except a pump from the creek. 2 vault toilets. Deer were roaming the campsites all evening, very cool.
Ranger
The location of the campground is great, very close to the mountain town of Whitefish Montana and right along Whitefish Lake. The sites are small and the road is narrow but it is beautiful. I would be cautious about bringing any large campers to this area but the tent sites are nice. Be aware of ticks. Some sites are nice and level but others have a heavy slope.
Guide
Ashley Lake never disappoints. The camp sites are a bit rough to get too but as long as you're tent camping or have a very small and agile pull behind you'll be okay. It can get a bit windy later in the day but it's still beautiful.
Guide
Moose Lake is a really small campground at the end of the road. Plenty of parking for day use but limited to only a few spots for dispersed tent camping. Lake was very calm and quiet. I would have rated this 3 stars if they had more camping spots.
Traveler
It was a nice stay for a couple days. Showers and bathroom were clean and front desk was very nice. Seems like more people live there than visit though. Tent sites were very small and bunched together. Price was descent.
Guide
We camped at Fish Creek Campground during our visit to Glacier National Park - it was a good experience. The only comment we had is how tightly packed the campsites were. Think it was a result of the campers staying in the "tent camping" spots - the tent spots are just smaller so the presence of campers made things feel tighter. Clean and quite during the night - we'd recommend again.
ScoutThe staff are very friendly and helpful with hiking trails throughout West Glacier. The tent sites and even cabins are well spaced from neighbors, eco-friendly and kept very clean. The noise level is also minimal and no one is disturbed by RVs or restroom noises.
Guide
Not the most luxurious camp site, but was great for tent camping. Had a water spiket and electricity on site. The bathrooms and showers were nice. The owner was great. Loved that it was close to Glacier but also close to town for easy access to groceries and gas. Was only going to stay for one night but ended up staying for 5.
TravelerThey have 150 tent sites and say they typically have something available last minute. We did the grinnel glacier hike and we were camping all the way in whitefish so we stayed here for a night in Between. Hot showers and laundry! You do need shower tokens!
Tent camping near Essex, Montana offers a blend of stunning natural beauty and a variety of outdoor activities, making it an ideal destination for nature enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Essex, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Essex, MT is Blankenship Bridge - Dispersed Camping with a 4.3-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Essex, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 85 tent camping locations near Essex, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
