Best Tent Camping near Fort Peck Project

This is a primitive campground in the American Prairie Reserve.  It seems to be a relatively unknown place and we were the only people in the campground for the night (there are 6 tent sites and 7 RV).  It was about 40 miles of high-quality gravel road to get here.  Near the campground, there is a research HQ for the reserve which is not open to the public and otherwise we didn't see anyone else the entire time.  

Tent sites are walk-in and and on platforms, which you are required to use.  This means if you have two tents like us, you'll need two sites.  You tie the tents down to lashing points on on the side of the platform.  Each site has a fire pit, picnic table and there is a community covered picnic area and fire pit as well.  Free firewood is available next to the toilets.  There are vault toilets and non-potable water sources in the loop.  The walk-in is only about 15-50 yards, depending on the site.  From the campground, there is a small auditorium and nature trail available.  Bugs were pretty bad the night we were there, so we didn't try much of the nature trail.  

Everything felt new and almost unused, like the campground had just opened.  The toilets were only okay in cleanliness, the main reason I took off a star.  It was a fantastic experience for the kids.  A buffalo herd roamed the area and even through the campground at night and in the morning.  Prairie dog towns were all over.  It was one of our most memorable camping experiences but definitely come prepared since nothing is available on site or nearby.  Many of the roads in the preserve are in pretty primitive shape so 4WD is recommended to get around the preserve, but you won’t need it to access the camp site.  We had a big windstorm come through during the night, so lash down carefully!

General: 86-site US Army Corps of Engineers Campground located on the Missouri River in four loops, each with a different name: Lismas, New Deal, Wheeler, and Faranuf. Wheeler is for tent sites, the camper pads are gravel, and there are no electric hookups; the other three loops have mostly 30-amp but several 50-amp sites and the camper pads are paved. Faranuf has pull-thru sites that can accommodate larger RVs. 

Site Quality: All sites are level and are spaced a decent distance apart from each other. There are some trees for shade but still many are in full sun. 

Bath/Shower House: The New Deal and Wheeler loops have vault toilets and Lismas, and Faranuf have flush toilets and showers. The restroom in Faranuf is air-conditioned! The one in Lismas appears new (the old one is still standing but roped off) but points off for no soap! Also no hand sanitizer in the vault toilet in New Deal. 

Activities: There is a paved recreation path that circles the campground and is about 2.5 miles. Other recreation activities include basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, cornhole, disk golf, and two playgrounds (one in Faranuf and the other in the day-use area). Recreation equipment is available to borrow. There is also a wonderful interpretive center where you can learn about the history of the dam, as well as past and present wildlife. In the summer, it is open Friday– Monday, 9 am– 4 pm and the hours are less in other seasons. A must if you have kids! Many in the campground had boats. Kelly, the volunteer at the gatehouse, was effusive about all the area had to offer. 

We were only there for one night passing through, but we did visit the interpretive center, and run on the nature trail. The only bummer about this campground was the persistent wasps that made eating and sitting outside challenging.

When they say bring what you need they mean it. There are toilets, fire pits and picnic tables...no wood and no water. But the sunset, sunrise and star gazing surrounded by beautiful lakes is worth it! It is a 4-mile drive in on a dirt/gravel road, and mostly dirt road in the campground area, so if you don’t have four-wheel drive the rainy season might get tricky. Good camp sites for tents or R.V.s. Quiet when we were there (early Sept after Labor Day). Plenty of room—only a dozen R.V.s other than our tent and another van. Cows do roam through and coyote sing to you at night. We would stay again!

Lots of space between campsites. But, being central Montana, there are almost no trees or brush. So, there is no privacy.

There is another campsite half a mile west that is set down in a private hollow. No table but really nice if you can do without.

Good light show... ??
Clear sky and full moon. Suddenly I saw the brightest meteor I have ever seen streak 3/4 way across sky. Brighter than the full moon. WOW! Do they do this light show every night or was this done just for me?

This is one of the best places to take in that Big Sky that Montana is famous for!  The combination of the rolling hills that seem to go on forever and the reservoir make this a great spot to camp!  There are tons of opportunities to recreate in so many different ways!  At most of the grassy camping peninsulas you can launch your boat or SUP right into the water!  There are places where you can get some solitude and other places that are fit for a reunion or weekend party/getaway!

Now getting to the actual campsites.  Most of them are relatively primitive with only a few fire rings and picnic tables scattered about.  The grassy peninsulas are also not really split into individual campsites and it feels more like a camping field.  This means that if its busy your neighbors will likely be right on top of you if you can't get one of the isolated spots.  There are vault toilets near most of the spots along with running water at the day-use areas.  Another great thing about these spots is the presence of a great fish cleaning station!  To get cheap gas and food head into the nearby town of Glasgow which will be at least $1 cheaper per gallon than the marina pumps

Notd that this campground has changed management and so is now technically the Hell Creek Recreation Area, so if Google maps tells you it's closed don't worry about it! You'll still get to the right place.

Other reviewers were not exaggerating about the road to get there. It was 20 miles of bumpy gravel road, took us 1.5 hours to get over and our motorhome hated every second of it. It was absolutely stunning though, and I have to imagine that if we hadn't been in a motorhome we might have felt very differently.

Only electricity at our site, very limited shared water source, and the showers were coin operated. The staff person there was so nice and welcoming.

So, if you have a vehicle that can handle a difficult road and you're willing to rough it a tiny bit, I would definitely recommend this place. If not, maybe skip it for now.

Pretty much just boating and fishing to do here. It’s a great stop along our boat camping trip along the Missouri (also accessible by car). Pros: some sites reserved for walk-ups, some sites close to docks, clean, outhouses, swimming. Cons: open and no privacy.

This campground has great lakeside sites and the people at the marina are very friendly!

Lots of fishing, swimming, and boating up Hell Creek!

20 miles down gravel, but highly trafficked still. But sandy beaches lining the camping areas. Great for animals and kids! Fire rings and plenty of sites, fishing access.

Lake Fort Peck has more coastline than the state of California. It's huge. Not great for non-motorized boats. The lake can get super windy. Overall worth a visit. Campgrounds are fine. Near the water.

Great free little campground, very busy on weekends with lots of local traffic. Some spots had shad some didn't, pit toilets. Free Dump and fill outside the Downstream campground.

Good area for car camping. There are multiple sites (first come first serve) down a gravel road right on the water. There are picnic tables, fire rings, and a pit toilet. Little privacy but nice views of the water. Also depending on the time of year, there were a lot of crickets and small little chiggers biting skin.

We only stayed one night as we were traveling through, the camp host was extremely friendly and welcoming.  He called us back promptly with information and also was there to greet us at our site even when we pulled in late (9PM).  Sites were level and paved and had lots of space.  Spacing between sites was very generous and campground was clean and well maintained.