Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Gallatin National Forest, MT is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Gallatin National Forest is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Gallatin National Forest and user-submitted reviews.
$18 - $30 / night
"On our way to Montana we stopped here for a first come first serve spot for the night. They had one outhouse bathroom and although it says they have a water fill up station we couldn’t find one."
"Missouri Headwaters State Park campground is a 17 site campground located just a short distance from the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers."
"Fairy Lake Campground is hands down my favorite campground I’ve ever visited."
"Sites were readily available the night we stayed, about 12 in the main campground and several more sites with fire rings outside by the trail entrance."
$58 - $70 / night
"Park for children
Great walking paths
Fire pit accessible
Trash and dumpsters."
"Showers, laundry, restocking the fridge, and letting the dogs run. Perfect spot on our journey"
"The Lower Toston Damp Campground is located a half mile below Toston Dam. The Upper Toston Dam Campground features four cover camp picnic table sites with metal fire rings."
$8 - $90 / night
"We had initially planned to camp at Glacier but were thwarted by fire and smoke. We booked this campground when we arrived at the State Park, no problem. The road circles the campground."
"There are also three handicap accessible cabins and one tipi. All are reservable."
"Small campground tucked away from highway. Right on shore of river/resevoir. Heavily used train tracks on opposite shore, so you get some train noise but not horrible."
$25 - $195 / night
"Not a lot of privacy between spots but to pull in, set up camp and leave the next day it was worth it."
"They were very flexible with check in and check out times and are pet friendly. Would definitely consider staying here again next time we visit the Bozeman area."
$26 - $60 / night
"Langohr Campground runs along Hyalite Creek and is tucked inside Custer Gallatin National Forest in a small open meadow with Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine, and Englemann Spruce. "
"This campground offers large sites (some are pull in and others are pull through), water sources, pit toilets, hiking access, electrical hookups, fire pits, tables, and some nice views."
$26 - $185 / night
"Great little campground on Hyalite Lake. Most sites have lake views and/or access."
"Bathrooms are pretty close as well. The driveway is big enough for 4-5 cars and you could also fit multiple tents on site"
$26 - $50 / night
"There are plenty of amenities such as toilets, fire pits, and tables."
"There is also a hillside right next to the road that is perfect for exploring, making fairy houses, and spotting little troll houses."
GuideAbout 20 minutes south of Bozeman, MT on scenic Hyalite Canyon Road sits Langohr Campground. There are 19 spacious single sites and the 20th site is a group picnic site for day use. Langohr Campground runs along Hyalite Creek and is tucked inside Custer Gallatin National Forest in a small open meadow with Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine, and Englemann Spruce.
I was fortunate to find a campsite as a walk-in even after arriving mid-afternoon at the beginning of June 2019 because it was too late to reserve online. Each site does have a picnic table and fire ring, and electrical sites are available. Some are drive-in or back into sites, and a few are literally next to Hyalite Creek which is an added bonus. A heavy snowfall occurred a week before and remnants of it were scattered along the campground. Good thing I brought a snow scraper to clear the picnic table of snow. The fee is $20.00 per campsite for two vehicles and $8.00 for any additional vehicles. The group picnic site is $45.00 for day use. I paid cash for the site, but I believe you may also pay by credit card.
Many of the campers were settling in and had parked RVs and pop-ups. Pets are allowed but must be on a leash as wildlife such as bears, deers, moose, and elk frequent the area. Bear lockers should be used for food storage or properly stored in vehicles. There are huge bear safe trash and recycling containers near the entrance for campers to use. The bathroom is clean, free of odor and bugs, and it is a vault toilet. There are no showers, dump station, or camp store, but you are close to Bozeman. The camp host was settled on site 11 and sells firewood for $6.00. You can take a walk along the Hyalite Creek or drive 3.5 miles south down to Hyalite Reservoir for other activities such as fishing, kayaking, canoeing, climbing, hiking, and boating. The night sky was pretty spectacular especially with the trees around on a clear day.
GuideThis campground is mentioned to only be free near the lake. We decided to take our chances on a slightly rainy night. I would highly not recommend unless you have 4 wheel drive and even then we saw a jeep wrangler sliding everywhere. We made it past the campsite and down a dirt road (it was extremely bumpy!), we saw a few other campers along the creek before climbing the slippery dirt road. We didn’t realize how bad it would be but we made it up the first stretch where there was a landing, after the landing there is another stretch of dirt road to climb and I’m not sure what was beyond that point. This campsite is located in the gallatin national forest and when we reached the landing there was a sign for no overnight camping within the forest. At this point the rain had picked back up so we decided to go back down the mountain and camp with everyone else along the creek. The mosquitos were heavy but didn’t bite. It was quiet and the spot was well kept with a rock fire pit!
ScoutWe arrived to this quaint little place after a long fun filled day in Yellowstone National Park. If you are looking for peace and quiet look elsewhere. If you have young children that go to bed before midnight look elsewhere. If you are looking for air-conditioning do not rent the tents because there isn't any. While the place has some cute rustic charm they are located behind a bar and the music goes until 10pm on Sundays and midnight on Friday and Saturday. They have live bands which are so loud that you can feel the music and cannot hear anything else. They do provide ear plugs but they do not help. I enjoying writing and was unable to do so because i could not concentrate, even my noise canceling Boze headphones did not provide any relief. They also need to update security because we had people coming onto the property without using the provided code.
TravelerWe were in need of a place to stay while attending a field seminar in Yellowstone. It is about a 30 min drive to Gardiner/Entrance to Yellowstone. The owners have experience in the hospitality industry and it shows inside the tent. We stayed in the Elk because we wanted a private bathroom. The room had 2 beds (super comfortable and well dressed), refrigerator, couch, writing table and electric fireplace (more for ambiance vs really providing a lot of heat) and still very roomy. They provide a little lantern for night walks to bathroom or back to tent if you don't have your own flash light. The deck off the front was ideal for sitting or practicing yoga. You do have to walk to the bathroom/showers. While we didn't have the opportunity to use the 2 community fire pits or horseshoes, butthey were well placed with a beautiful backdrop of mountains. There is also a small building with a coffee/tea machine and another small refrigerator. You can park right next to the tent.
If you want to take a walk, there are some dirt roads to walk by other surrounding farms.
The tents a pretty dispersed and seemed fairly private. There was only one other couple on the premises so not sure when it is a full house. They offer really nice kennels.
My only ding is they have a few kinks to work out, but I feel they will figure it out. They will be offering speciality breakfasts in the future, but now they are just store bought muffins with yogurt and orange juice. The location gets you off the highway, but you do need to navigate a gravel road for about a mile. Totally drivable for any car.
I think if I stayed here again I would take one of their guiding trips.
ScoutWe rented the Ibex cabin the first week of June. The cabin was in great shape. The area is nice and open, however a few more trees closer to the cabin for hammock use would have been nice. If you want to hammock there are a couple trees behind the cabin that would work but it’s kind of away from everyone if they’re hanging out up front. The open field was perfect for letting the kiddos run around while being able to keep a close eye on them. The fields were covered in wildflowers, which is always awesome! Despite that, the views were lovely and there’s a nice babbling stream right behind the campfire pit which added a nice ambiance. Fire pit was in great shape, nice solid grate for grilling. The cabin porch had a few notches where we had the pleasure of bird watching some pretty cool wood peckers come and go. Picnic table was in good condition, solid and layed flat which is always convenient. Sometimes you get picnic tables which are kind of wobbly, but this one was great. The pit toilet was fairly clean, most likely because the road had recently opened to vehicles so it was probably cleaned fairly close to when we were there. There’s also a trailhead right before the gate that connects to the neighboring Porcupine Cabin which is cool to have so close. There were quite a bit of flies inside the cabin when we arrived but luckily there was a fly swatter hanging on the wall so that took care of that problem. Nice big table inside, good for playing cards/board games. The bunk beds were slightly questionable. Two of us slept on the bottom bunks and the other two slept on ground pads on the floor just because the wobbliness of the top bunks made us a wee bit nervous. The wood burning stove was pretty small. We lit it for heat about a half hour before bed, had to restart it about five hours later, but it wasn’t too chilly outside so it wasn’t uncomfortable when it cooled off. If it had been colder outside, one would maybe have to keep waking up to relight it. All in all, great area to get away for the weekend. Highly recommend!
LegendThis campground was a pleasant surprise. We had initially planned to camp at Glacier but were thwarted by fire and smoke. We booked this campground when we arrived at the State Park, no problem. The road circles the campground. There are five loops inside the outer road, with about 7 campsites per loop, and the playground and bathrooms in the center. The sites have electric hookups. We were able to fill our water tanks with spigots centrally located throughout the campground, but could not keep it connected. No sewer, but the bathroom is very convenient. The site was level with a fire pit and very spacious. The State Park was awesome. We went hiking and the cave tour was great. They have two souvenir stores and one cafe near the cave. We stayed there for 4 nights which was perfect for what we had planned. Would highly recommend.
GuideOn our way to Montana we stopped here for a first come first serve spot for the night. They had one outhouse bathroom and although it says they have a water fill up station we couldn’t find one. Probably the most amount of mosquitoes I’ve ever seen at a campsite due to the marshy environment around the sites but, still beautiful. Make sure you have lots of bug spray or clothes that cover your arms and legs. Campsite includes a picnic table and fire pit. No bear boxes and no bears. The camp host was extremely nice and had firewood for sale.
RangerI showed up here late one night on my way to Big Sky and was lucky enough to get a spot. There are plenty of amenities such as toilets, fire pits, and tables. If you are looking to do some night photography there are some great spots just along the river, which the campground borders, that provide some breathtaking views. There can be a bit of noise in the morning with people heading up the road for off road fun but overall this is a great little spot tucked away just off the highway.
TravelerVery family friendly.
Park for children
Great walking paths
Fire pit accessible
Trash and dumpsters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Gallatin National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Gallatin National Forest is Missouri Headwaters State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Gallatin National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 21 glamping camping locations near Gallatin National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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