9 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Tent campsites near Greycliff, Montana range from established Forest Service grounds to dispersed locations alongside rivers and streams. East Boulder Campground offers only two tent sites, both with picnic tables and fire rings, located 19 miles south of Big Timber along a maintained dirt road. Cliff Swallow provides another primitive tent camping area about 7 miles west of Absarokee with riverside access, though signage indicates it's tent-only despite occasional use by small vans.
Most tent camping areas in this region feature minimal amenities and require self-sufficiency. Vault toilets are present at East Boulder and Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site, but many locations lack potable water sources. Campers should pack in all necessary supplies and be prepared to pack out waste. The gravel access roads to many sites can become challenging after rain or snow, with West Boulder Trailhead requiring navigation of a narrow, bumpy road for several miles. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, "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."
Tent sites throughout the area provide direct access to fishing opportunities and hiking trails. The East Boulder sites sit alongside a creek with one site directly on the waterfront, offering excellent ambient sound for sleeping. Sites tend to fill quickly on weekends during summer months, making weekday arrivals advisable. Initial Creek Campground provides six tent sites with bear-proof containers and trail access to the West Fork of the Stillwater River. Mountain views dominate the landscape at higher elevation sites, while river access defines many of the lower campgrounds. Campers frequently note the privacy between sites at locations like Swinging Bridge, where vegetation creates natural barriers. Fire restrictions commonly apply during late summer and fall, so alternative cooking methods may be necessary depending on conditions and timing.
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
from $12 / night
Check Availability"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."
"Huge, open space, great views, hiking, and privacy. Stayed in our rv this time, but the cabin is spacious and well appointed. Too bad they doubled the rates. Maybe making a reservation will be easier?"
from $35 / 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.
GuideAbsolutely breathtaking views with a long, beautiful dirt road in to the campsite. The campground is rural but perfectly well equipped with vault toilets (which needed tending to when we were there TBH), rock fire rings and picnic tables. We were looking forward to exploring this gorgeous area, but Mother Nature had other plans for us. We were able to easily find a private site and set up camp and have a peaceful evening under the stars, looking forward to our hike in the morning. We went to sleep all happy and cozy. We woke up to the craziest wind storm around 1am!!! Our tent took quite a beating, we are estimating that winds were above 50mph!!! Needless to say, we were exhausted in the morning and packed up promptly and promised ourselves we would return!
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.
LegendDeadman’s Basin Montana FWP Campground 10/24 Stopover for one night in 10/24. The reservoir along which this cg lies is low this time of year. Reservoir must be prettier in the spring and early summer when the water level is higher. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 4
Price 2024: See pricing in photo. Contrary to posted signs the website says that camping is free. Screenshot of website is also provided in photos .
Security: no
Usage during visit: our loop empty.
Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: no
Site Spacing: good
Pad surface: dirt
Reservations: First come first serve
Campground Noise: According to signage some action has been taken.
Outside Road Noise: no
Through Traffic in campground: no
Electric Hookup: no
Sewer Hookup: no
Dump Station: no
Potable Water Available: no
Generators: sb allowed
Bathroom: a clean pit toilet
Showers: no
Pull Throughs: yes
Cell Service (AT&T): 1 bar
Setting: near reservoir
Recent Weather: clear and w highs in70s and 80s.
Solar: very good
Insects: none
Host: no
Rig Size: large rigs should fit in some sites.
Sites: see pics.
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.
GuideMy wife and I were able to stay here for 3 nights. The grounds feature vault toilets, campfire rings, food storage lockers, and even a hand pump for water. There is someone who sells firewood at the camp which makes things easy on everyone. The tent site was level and large. There are some good hiking trails but they are open to mountain bikers so heads up! They may get pretty muddy. The kayaking was peaceful. I didn't catch much fishing but that's my fault not the campsites! We were on the Wild Bill Lake.
GuideWe came into this campground on a Wednesday and picked the best of three open sites. There were a lot of reserved sites, but they were mostly coming in on Friday.
The site was beautiful and very close to the river (the sound was great). The vault toilets were very clean. The water was available through a easy to use hand pump. The camp hosts had firewood for $5.00 per bundle.
We were tent camping and the site had a large pad, a place for my hammock, a nice wooden picnic table, and a GREAT fire ring. The sites were all very far apart from each other.
LegendThis is a free Montana Fishing Access Site next to the Yellowstone River north of Big Timber. There was one clean single vault toilet for about 5 sites. No water or garbage available but each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There is a boat launch for fishing. It snowed when we were there in very late September 2019. We were the only ones there the two days we waited out the snow. This is a campground where there are few public campgrounds.
I added another star as this is a quiet campground in an area with few public ones available. And, it was free.
Tent camping near Greycliff, Montana offers opportunities in a landscape dominated by the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness to the south and the Crazy Mountains to the west. Most sites sit at elevations between 4,000-6,000 feet, creating significant temperature variations between day and night even in summer months. Mining operations in the area have created a network of maintained gravel roads that provide access to remote camping locations throughout the region.
Fishing in the Stillwater River: The West Fork of the Stillwater River provides accessible fishing spots near Initial Creek Campground, where trails lead directly to the water from each of the six campsites. According to Jessica, "You can hear the West Fork of the Stillwater River from each site and trails lead down to the river."
Hiking to Natural Bridge: A 6-mile trail begins across from East Boulder Campground that leads to the Natural Bridge formation. Michael M. notes that the area offers "gorgeous Montana back country" that makes the long drive on stone/dirt roads worthwhile.
Rock hounding: The riverbanks throughout the area contain various mineral specimens, especially near Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site. The geological formations provide opportunities to find jasper, agate, and occasional fossils during low water periods in late summer.
River sounds for sleeping: Campers consistently mention appreciating the ambient noise from nearby creeks and rivers. Alyson M. from East Boulder Campground writes, "The river is beautiful and loved hearing it at night."
Site privacy: Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site offers well-spaced campsites divided by natural vegetation barriers. Art S. observed, "Sites are really separated down along the river. There's lots of trees and bushes that separate sites."
Wildlife viewing: The areas around these campgrounds support abundant wildlife. Alyson M. reported, "Lots of deer in the area!" at East Boulder Campground, while other campers frequently mention birds of prey and waterfowl sightings near river camping locations.
Limited availability: East Boulder Campground has only two sites which fill quickly. Sasha P. noted, "Just two camp sites, first come first serve. Both were full when I arrived (one family spread across both sites), though I made do."
Insect challenges: Several locations report significant bug activity, particularly near water sources. At Swinging Bridge, Taylor T. warned, "A LOT of bugs here," while visitors to East Boulder mention needing "fly spray for the toilet."
Road conditions: Access to many sites requires driving on unmaintained roads that deteriorate after precipitation. The route to West Boulder Trailhead and Campground is particularly challenging, with N I. reporting, "The gravel road in is very long and the last several miles the road narrows and it is rather bumpy."
Shallow water access: Certain sites provide safer water play areas for children. At Cliff Swallow, Linda C. mentioned, "Some algae near the shore of river but waded out deeper for refreshing dip," indicating gradual entry points to the water.
Sites with amenities: For families needing basic facilities, prioritize locations with vault toilets. Stacey N. reports that at Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site, "Each camp site has a fire ring with grate for cooking, picnic table and plenary of room for a tent or two."
Bear safety considerations: Initial Creek Campground provides bear boxes at each site, making food storage safer and simpler for family groups with multiple meals to manage during their stay.
Size restrictions: Most sites have limitations that make them unsuitable for larger trailers or motorhomes. Jeff K. advises about Swinging Bridge, "Would not recommend for trailers or campers, even a small teardrop would be tough to maneuver."
Alternative sites for small rigs: While signage at Rosebud Isle indicates tent camping only, Linda C. reported successfully staying at Cliff Swallow: "Sign said tent camping only but I stayed one night in my Sprinter van with no problem."
Accessibility concerns: Roads to many sites become impassable for RVs after rain. Thomas F. notes that Rosebud Isle has "Only 8 spots available," making early arrival essential for those hoping to secure a site for smaller vehicles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Greycliff, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Greycliff, MT is East Boulder Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Greycliff, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Greycliff, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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