Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Heart Butte? Finding a place to camp in Montana with your tent has never been easier. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Heart Butte'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.
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.
4 campsites near the South Fork of the Teton River. Some fishing for brook, rainbow, and cutthroat, though all populations are low. Go 1 mile west to the end of the road to the South Fork trailhead, and hike in the short distance to pristine Our Lake, near the border of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Our Lake is a fantastic place to see mountain goats year round, as well as the ever-entertaining pika and yellow-bellied marmot. Never approach or feed wildlife. Bears may frequent the area; keep all food out of sight in approved containers and remove all food from area after eating. Mandatory food storage is required.
$35 - $40 / night
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.
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.
3 sites near the Teton River. Fishing for brook trout in the river. Nearby winter sports area at Teton Pass offers downhill skiing and snowmobiling. When there's no snow to play in, hike up Jones Creek, about 3 miles north from campground. The Jones Creek trailhead is about 0.5 mile east of the campground.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Guide
Overall, not a bad place to stop for the night. My friend and I were driving to Glacier and needed a place. We typically tent camp, but neither of us felt comfortable setting up our tent here so we opted to sleep in the car. $10 in the box and you just park your vehicle. Not sure about bathrooms as we just went to the gas station down the road.
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!
LegendStayed in a primitive site with no hookups. Rv sites are close together. Tent sites are nice. We were in a little circle area with one other camper. Was a nice stay. Has dump station, laundry. 5 minutes from East Glacier entrance and 20 min to Many Glacier.
GuideThis small campground packs a tremendous punch! RVs (if I had to guess, accommodates 8-12 total), rustic cabins, two yurts, and pondside tent sites - there are no defined tent sites; anywhere along the pond perimeter is fair game.
We stayed just one night in one of the yurts ($35 summer 2021), which is equipped with two cots and a battery-operated lantern. After checking in with the camp hosts (who are lovely!), we got a key to the showers, bathrooms, and laundry room. The hosts keep these areas immaculate, cleaning often. There's also very limited wifi on the porch just outside the bathrooms/showers.
The campground has a great vibe and everyone is very friendly. Between the pond and Swan Lake just across the street, it is buggy, but you cannot beat the location!
The general store is still closed due to flooding last summer, but new construction is well underway.
TravelerHaving stayed at the West glacier KOA the night before, this was a bit of a let down. We were in a tent site. It was very unclear where we were supposed to park. There was a pool that was clean and a picnic shelter that served pancakes in the morning.
GuideI could only get WiFi at the office, so don’t go thinking to work remote. But, view is spectacular. Bathrooms are clean. The staff is just - incredible. 2 minutes from entrance of going to the sun road. Would definitely not hesitate to stay again. Tent sites are nice - little to no shade just FYI.
Guide
$25 for a tent site. Tents are thrown behind the main office directly in the beam of a security light that stays on all night. The picnic are covered in bird poop. They do have showers and they were clean and comfortable. Close to the highway so traffic noise slowed down around 10pm. Not our favorite stop but convenient when fling in or out of Glacier.
Scout
We found this campsite on our way to Glacier National Park when we needed a tent site for the evening. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. Only $22 for a site without electric hookups or $24 for one that does. The campground is very clean and offers showers, restrooms, laundry, dishwashing station, picnic table, cooking grill, fire pits, and WiFi included.
Ranger
This is a back country site and must be reserved in advance. There are 4 tent sites here, all level and sanded for ease. Clean camping - pack it in and pack it out. Communal cooking site, bear hang set up provided, bring your own rope. Latrine is not new but not bad, bring TP. Water filtration needed, short downhill walk to lake to get water. Be very bear aware here.
Guide
We stayed here for 5 days in July 2022 and it was one of the best tent camping experiences we’ve had. The river side campground that we stayed at was private and stunning! We would stay here again in a heartbeat.
I will say it was annoying to pay an additional $5 per shower, but I get it.
The hosts were amazing and incredibly friendly. But bring your bear spray, there were several bears reported by other campers the days we were there.
Guide
Not the most scenic spot, but for a safe spot to sleep for the night it was perfect. $10 for tent camping, +$5 for the showers. Showers/bathrooms were very clean and the campground staff was very polite. No laundry for some reason, but they did have ice for $2 a bag. We camped here for two nights because it was so close and cheap, couldn’t really ask for much more. Would reccomend calling ahead for a spot, as they were pretty full the second night especially.
RangerWe stayed here while on a hiking trip to Glacier National Park. We stayed in one of the small cabins, but they had RV and tent sites as well. They had a small shop with snacks/food, and souvenirs. We didn't use the pool but it looked nice. The cabin had a nice porch with swings. While small on the inside, it had everything we needed. It was good proximity to hiking within the park.
Guide
Gorgeous views, and a fox even visited our campground! There are actual bathrooms at this campground, with sinks and running water. Our site had a picnic table and a fire pit. We tent camped while we were here (August), and this was one of the few campgrounds which would allow it, as bears had been spotted in a few of the other campgrounds recently. There was a general store nearby, which sold firewood and basic food items, along with the typical kitschy souvenirs. I can’t wait to visit again!
ScoutWe happened upon this place later in the evening as we were traveling from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone. We were getting worried because it was getting dark. We got to the campsites after hours and the host was kind enough to come out and greet us even though their office had closed. It was $25 for a tent spot. They have clean restrooms and showers, a dishwashing sink, coin-op laundry, games of corn hole, a game/reading room, and a coin-op pool table. Our tent site provided privacy, fire pit, and table. We loved it. We didn’t get to enjoy it much since we got there late and left early, but it was wonderful! We would go back! Only downside was a loud siren going off around 6AM that sounded like an air raid siren from a nearby mill.
Ranger
Loved the location to Glacier. It’s a small park and a tight squeeze between campsites. Our awning nearly touched the neighbors window shade. We really didn’t mind since we were inside while it rained and exploring the park when it was sunny. We had #1 which was on the end under trees. We prefer shade rather open exposed spots. Staff was sweet as could be! Laundry room clean with a new large front loader washer and dryer. Many tent sites tucked along the perimeter.
Make the trip to Many Glaciers! Be aware, there’s a few miles of dirt road that’s bumpy and some large ruts. You’ll be paid off when you reach Swift Current Lake. I felt transported to Switzerland! Absolutely beautiful! Wish we knew sooner so we could have camp there for a day or two. Although I’d be a little hesitant on bringing the RV over the dirt road.
RangerWe stayed at St. Mary's for 1 night, then got up early the next day and found a spot with a tree at Rising sun. Many of the tent sites at St. Mary's are out in the OPEN prairie and so very blazing hot in July and August. Remember the sun doesn't set up here until 10pm. Our neighbors washed dishes IN THE fresh water spout, DON'T DO THIS, gross and you might kill me. I also saw people washing in the RV dump room, DON'T DO THIS, gross and you might kill yourself. Showers were hot and pretty clean. Camp hosts were super kind and helpful. Be sure to eat at Johnson's of St. Mary's. Fried Chicken and Good Soup are AMAZING after a 10 mi hike. I don't have a picture because I was so miserable roasting in the throws of Hades.
Ranger
This back country site must be reserved in advance. There are 4 designated tent sites, one pit latrine with no toilet paper (you need to pack your own) and a communal cooking site. Everything is very clean here and well maintained. Please use back country smarts, clean cooking and clean camping to protect all wildlife, and yourself. No open fires. On arrival to the lake, we were the first and could not choose a bad site of the 4, all beautiful in trees near the lake. As we approached, we saw a cow moose swimming across the lake! What luck! Then, inside of 10 minutes, a bull moose starting swimming the other direction, and ANOTHER bull moose swam AT THE SAME TIME! It was a sight to behold. Later in the day, we too, took a chilly dip in the lake. One moose walked through camp in the middle of the night, we laid quiet as to not scare it. Fun evening hike up to snowfields to the south. Early morning spotting of mountain goats up high, doing their thing. Early August, bugs not bad. This was the first night of a back country trip for us, we left Two Medicine via boat ride and hiked in with our two children.
LegendWhether you're needing a tent space, are car camping, or have an RV/camper, Johnson's of St Mary's has you covered. No matter your plans, schedule 1 meal of your stay to check out the cafe, which has some excellent food, decor, and family history.
The tent sites come with a picnic table and a fire pit. I noticed from walking around not all have a grill, so if that's important to you I'd specifically ask during reservations.
The grounds are located very close to the national park, and given how quickly the national park campgrounds reserve each year, having this oprtion close by and available was a life saver.
If you're looking to do some backcountry in the park but don't have a permit, you are well advised to show up to the backcountry offices as early as possible, and this place is nearby a station, so I liked having this option for arriving late the night before with a guaranteed spot. It was nice to be able to fill up the water bladder with potable water before all the excursions as well.
It's got token operated showers, and you get 1token/person/day with your reservation, which should be fine. Showers last 6 minutes. From the offices you can also purchase ice and firewood.
WiFi is free at the office and cafe, and available for a fee at your campgrounds. I had full bars of service at my site. It will take you 5 minutes to get to the National Park entrance, gas stations are down the road. Views from the grounds are OK, and shade is plentiful.
LegendWe did a two night loop in the Two Medicine are of the park and this was our first night's destination. As mentioned in the previous review, there are 4 tent sites available here and all must be reserved through the National Park's permitting system (different in every park). We retreived our permit 24 hours prior to entering the backcountry and were able to get our fist choice for the loop. This was in late August so on the tail end of the busy season in the park.
All four sites are flat and just up from the shore of No Name Lake and are well spaced from one another. Just a short walk from the communcal cooking space, complete with benches and a large bear box. The box is large enough to accomodate all four parties' food, dishes and toiletries, eliminating the need to carry a bear can into this site if you want to cut the weight.
A relatively new and maintained pit toilet is a short walk from the cooking area (you pass it on your way in). You do need to back in your own toilet paper as well as soap and hand sanitizer. Be sure to keep the door latched when not in use to prevent the privy from being destroyed by wildlife.
We too, encountered moose on our way to this site (we hiked in from Two Medicine Lake). We also had one visit during the night, crossing paths on a midnight visit to the privy. I'm not sure who was more startled, probably the human in the situation.
Legend
Reservations are required and you must obtain a backcountry permit. The sites within the campsite are first come/first serve.
We spent the second night of our 3 day/2 night backpacking loop here during a visit to Glacier. The day's itinerary was Upper Two Medicine to No Name, a nice and relatively easy hike for the day. The campsite is well maintained and easy to find thanks to some nice sinage. There was a small crew of NPS maintenance workers creating some new seating and a new bear hang system while we were there. It was nice to see improvements happening right before our eyes! Sometimes I worry that the backcountry sites in our parks are forgotten and deteriorating.
This site has 3 separate tent sites, each can accommodate two small backpacking tents. We had a tarp for two and a one person tent pitched in our site and had plenty of room. The sites are also nicely spaced from one another.
This site has a nice maintained pit toilet (bring your own TP, soap and hand sanitizer) as well as a new bear pole for hanging food. Given that there is not a bear box here, be sure to carry the equipment (stuff sack, rope, caribeaner, etc.) to use the pole or an approved bear can.
Moose frequent the area so be aware, they seem to like to swim in the lake. There is a nice little water source that flows into the lake that is easy to fill water bottles, bladders and pots from. Be sure to treat or filter your water prior to drinking. There area has a nice cliff area where mountain goats can be spotted and you can spend a lot of time watching them. The lake is a bit chilly but not as cold as the water feeding into it. We enjoyed a nice dip at the end of our hike.
Tent camping near Heart Butte, Montana, offers a chance to immerse yourself in stunning natural landscapes while enjoying a peaceful outdoor experience. With a variety of options available, campers can find the perfect spot to set up their tents and enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Heart Butte, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Heart Butte, MT is Skyland Rd Dispersed Camping with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Heart Butte, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 39 tent camping locations near Heart Butte, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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