15 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Tent campsites near Fishtail, Montana offer a mix of established campgrounds and dispersed options along creek banks and mountain valleys. Rosebud Isle, located directly in Fishtail, provides primitive tent sites with toilet facilities and picnic tables along the water, while East Boulder Campground offers free camping with similar amenities about 15 miles east of town in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. Cliff Swallow, a highly-rated dispersed camping area about 7 miles west of nearby Absarokee, provides riverside tent camping with vault toilets.
Most tent sites in the Fishtail region have basic facilities with vault toilets but no running water or electrical hookups. East Boulder Campground features two designated tent sites with picnic tables, fire rings with cooking grates, and a central vault toilet. The access road requires traveling several miles on gravel, which can become rough in wet conditions. Sites typically accommodate 1-2 tents with minimal site preparation. Fires are permitted at most locations when seasonal restrictions aren't in place. A camper noted, "The vault toilet was very clean," but recommended bringing all supplies since sites are remote.
The tent camping experience around Fishtail provides excellent access to fishing and hiking opportunities. Campsites at Rosebud Isle are limited, with only 8 spots available, making early arrival essential. East Boulder Campground sits beside a river with good fishing access and hiking trails nearby. A visitor described it as "a great place to fish, rock hound and there are some trails very close." At Cliff Swallow, tent sites offer riverside locations where campers can wade into deeper areas for "refreshing dips." Many primitive tent locations offer mountain views as backdrops. Most tent campsites maintain good separation between sites, providing privacy even when campgrounds are at capacity. Wildlife sightings, including deer, are common at several tent camping areas.
"One vault toilet and no water source(other than the river) make this a primitive camp. We had cell service but not LTE."
"You are along a fast moving creek and the campsites are well spaced out with trees, vegetation or roads between each site. The sites themselves are well sized."
"Sign said tent camping only but I stayed one night in my Sprinter van with no problem. Did not use vault toilet so cannot speak to its condition."
"6 sites, each has a picnic table and a bear proof container. You can hear the West Fork of the Stillwater River from each site and trails lead down to the river."
"Site: 2 RESERVATIONS NO
FCFS
FEES: NONE
Open all year
No water Picnic table, fire ring, pit toilet
This campground is located right off East Boulder Road."
"There's no water, except from the stream, but there are good picnic tables and a well-maintained vault toilet."
"This site was quiet the night we stayed here and had good views of the surrounding mountains but there was a few excavating machines near the site."
"The camp sites are scattered throughout the trails and are not close to each other. They are easy to spot and not to bad to get to."
"That area has 2 pretty shaded spots, and both were taken. We headed over to Pilot and we were pleasantly surprised. Yes, there is a big open area with little privacy if it is crowded."
from $12 / night
Check Availability"The cooking area has a bear pole for hanging your food but you will not need it as the site has a bear proof food locker. A rock fire ring with logs to sit on is also at the site. "
"You go to sleep hearing the soothing sound of the creek, they had very limited number of sites 16 or 17 only."
from $3 - $15 / night
Check Availability
TravelerQuiet secluded sites near pine creek. Picnic tables, fire rings, and bear boxes at every site. Most sites have a level-ish spot to park. Multiple vault toilets, drinking water faucets, and garbage containers. No hookups and no dump station. Access road is narrow and winding but paved right up to the gate. Can walk to the pine creek trailhead. Sites in the 20’s back right up to pine creek as well.
GuideSnowbank is an excellent off-the-grid semi-developed and hosted FS campground. Spacious and private sites better for small RVs, trailers, and all tents. Clean vault toilets, bear-proof storage boxes, and plenty of community water spigots. Decent picnic tables and fire rings at each site. No hookups to my knowledge. The campground is on recreation.gov and sites are reservable. Access to a great trail and FS road from campground, other hiking nearby. Also, a 20 minute drive to Chico Hot Springs Resort and Day Spa (food, bar, soaking). Expect to see wildlife, and this is grizzly country so proper food storage and best practices are required by law. No cell service. Excellent spot before or after visiting Yellowstone.
LegendA well named campground as the grizzly bear activities in the campground precluded us actually spending the night in the campground in July of 2015. The ranger actually closed the campground down as we were pulling up, saying poor camper habits with food storage had attracted a sow and cub to the campground. He was going to set up a live trap and hopefully move them to a new home territory. That said, we were able to take a quick look at the campground before being shooed out. Nice, clean, about 20 sites not too close to each other with picnic tables, fire rings, food storage boxes, and vault toilets. We were able to hike around the outside edge of the campground (note the picture of the fresh bear print in the mud) to get to the Claw Lake Trail, an 8 miler that winds up over 9,000 feet past several beautiful named and unnamed lakes, including Claw Lake and Beauty Lake. Carry bear spray and mosquito spray!!
RangerPebble Creek was our favorite campground in Yellowstone National Park. A less crowded area of the park, probably why we loved it! 27 sites and all are available first come first serve- no reservations! The location and lack of reservations make this a quiet, peaceful campground. It sits at 6900 feet elevation. All sites have a table, fire ring, and food storage locker- it is bear country! There are vault toilets and seasonally there is potable drinking water. Our first night there we stayed in one of the"pull out sites" on the west side of the campground. It was ok, however they are not true pull outs, you just park on the side of the park road.... not bad considering the low use of this campground. On our second night we scored a spot on the east side right across from Pebble Creek.... it was perfect! We enjoyed drinks in our chairs at the creekside and a beautiful night listening to the peaceful sounds of the creek. It appears they have changed the site numbers since we visited to add some tent sites, so do not pay attention to the site markers in our old nostalgic photos!
LegendBack country site 2S2 sits on the southern edge of the Slough creek valley just south of the main trail. A brief hike along the access trail gets you to the site. This site sits in a group of trees which makes for a nice location out of the sun and with some wind protection, but the trade off is limited views of the valley, and the view of the valley are the best part about hiking this part of the park. Site has an excellent water source right next to the tent and cooking areas. The site has several good flat locations for your tents. While the cook/food area has a bear pole for hanging your food you will not need to use it as the camp has a bear locker for food/gear storage. The bear locker also gives you a great flat cooking area that doesn't require bending over your campstove. Fires are allowed when not restricted. Site is limited to 6 people for a max stay of 3 nights. Don't be surprised to find bison very near your camp as they rang through the valley.
LegendOpen: Early May - Late Sep
Fee area: $19.25 extra vehicle $9.50
Limit: 16 days
Sites 28 with a camp host
Reservations: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov
FCFS 20% of sites
Amenities: pit toilets, water, bear boxes, fire ring, picnic table, firewood for sale, trash
Sites 10 and 12 are good for solar. Sites are paved
This campground has a wonderful creek running through it. Well wooded with mature every green and leafed shade trees. Sites have privacy and the backdrop of the surrounding mountains is amazing.
GuideAn excellent campground near the end of the drivable section of the Boulder Road. Good fishing right from the campground and a trailhead across the street and another two a mile up the road. There are good fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets and bear boxes. If the campground is full, there are some dispersed campsites about a half mile south on the right.
TravelerPermit required if you look hard enough to notice. Pit toilet, no water, no electric, rock fire rings, several spots to set up, boat ramp. I was just passing through and needed a place to sleep for the night. It's a nice little spot with some great scenery. When I stayed, there were about 4 others there as well, all scattered about. It was quiet except for the train horn that woke me from my slumber a couple of times throughout the night. Nice little spot. Would stay again despite the train.
LegendCrazy Creek Campground is a nice wooded campground near the North East entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Crazy Creek is also the last developed campground as you head to the park that allows for tent camping, from here to the entrance the campgrounds allow only hard sided camping units due to bear activity.
Crazy Creek campground is a 16 unit campground. Each site has plenty of trees which was great as it allowed my to use my hammock. Each site has a picnic table and metal fire ring and plenty of room for your tent. Campground has a vault toilet. No water is available. Campground is not ADA accessible. Bear storage lockers are available as food must be stored in your car or one of the lockers. Dumpster is available for your trash. Sites are just $10 a night, but they fill up fast. A great feature of this campground is the Crazy Creek trail. A trail from the campground takes you across the highway to the trail, a very short hike brings you to Crazy Creek falls.
Dispersed camping areas near Fishtail, Montana sit between 4,500 and 6,000 feet elevation across the Custer Gallatin National Forest and surrounding public lands. The region experiences significant temperature variations, with summer evenings often dropping into the 40s even when daytime temperatures reach the 80s. Most dispersed sites require traveling several miles on unpaved forest roads that worsen after rainfall.
Fishing access points: Multiple camping areas provide direct river or creek access. At West Boulder Trailhead and Campground, the backdrop of mountains creates stunning settings for anglers. One camper noted the practical features: "The pit toilet is right at the entrance and the toilet was very clean. The campground has been bush hogged and the sites are mowed."
Wildlife viewing: Early mornings and evenings offer prime wildlife spotting opportunities around camp. At Lady of the Lake Trail on Lulu Pass, campers regularly encounter large mammals. One visitor reported, "We truly loved this place. It was so isolated and peaceful... Also spotted lots of moose, they are everywhere up there."
Hiking nearby: Several campsites serve as trailheads or connect to hiking networks. The Green Mountain Trail near East Boulder Campground provides a 6-mile hike to Natural Bridge. A visitor to Initial Creek noted, "You can hear the West Fork of the Stillwater River from each site and trails lead down to the river. The trailhead to other hikes is 1 mile up the road."
Privacy between sites: Many dispersed camping areas provide good separation from other campers. At Pilot Creek Dispersed Camping, a camper noted, "There are multiple dispersed sites that back up to the Pilot Creek Trail. Plenty of spots in the grass for big rigs and trailers." Another visitor described the options: "Yes, there is a big open area with little privacy if it is crowded. But... there are at least half a dozen wooded spots, setback."
Mountain backdrop views: The Absaroka-Beartooth mountains provide dramatic scenery from most camping areas. At Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site, one camper described the layout: "This is a great campsite. You are along a fast moving creek and the campsites are well spaced out with trees, vegetation or roads between each site."
Wildlife encounters: Many campers report frequent wildlife sightings from their sites. At Lady of the Lake Trail, one visitor mentioned, "We were only planning to stay 1 night and ended up staying 3 nights. We couldn't get enough." Another camper reported: "Nice spot for a night and we saw a bear, moose and deer."
Limited amenities: Most dispersed sites require full self-sufficiency. At East Boulder Campground, a visitor clarified: "There are only two campsites in this no cost Forest Service campground. There's no water, except from the stream, but there are good picnic tables and a well-maintained vault toilet."
Road conditions: Many camping areas require travel on rough forest roads. A visitor to Initial Creek mentioned, "Rough road which cuts down on traffic!" At Lady of the Lake Trail, a camper warned: "I came up the road which starts out very nice gravel but then gets pretty rough and rocky."
Competition for sites: The limited number of established sites fills quickly, especially on weekends. At East Boulder, a camper reported: "Both spots were filled on a Sunday night, so try to get there early or on a non weekend." Another visitor noted at Swinging Bridge: "Only a few tent sites, none very big. Would not recommend for trailers or campers, even a small teardrop would be tough to maneuver."
Altitude considerations: Tent camping near Fishtail occurs at higher elevations with temperature swings. At Lady of the Lake Trail, a visitor warned: "It was very cold at night even in August and we didn't know this when we set up camp but there was a few Grizzly spotted on the trail around where we camped."
Bear safety measures: Some sites provide bear boxes while others require proper food storage. At Slough Creek backcountry site, a camper noted practical safety measures: "The cooking area has a bear pole for hanging your food but you will not need it as the site has a bear proof food locker."
Stream access: Many campsites provide creek access ideal for supervised play. At Swinging Bridge, a camper observed: "We enjoyed a chilly overnight and woke to the geese nearby flying overhead. Excellent fishing opportunities as well- just bring waiters!"
Size restrictions: Most forest roads and campsites cannot accommodate larger RVs. At Swinging Bridge, a visitor advised: "Roads are narrow and curved- would not be good for a trailer unless you really knew what you were doing."
Limited maneuverability: Tight access roads require careful navigation for even smaller rigs. A camper at Swinging Bridge noted: "Really feels like you're camping in the backyard of the ranch you drive thru to reach the site."
Solar considerations: Tree cover varies significantly between sites. At Pilot Creek, one camper mentioned the practical layout: "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."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Fishtail, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Fishtail, MT is Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site - TEMPORARILY CLOSED with a 3.8-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Fishtail, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Fishtail, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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