Best Cabin Camping near Gallatin National Forest

About 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.

We 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!

Staying at Strawberry lookout cabin in December was a great experience, well worth the 1 mile uphill hike to the cabin.  Our Venturing Crew stayed the night after pulling gear in a sled to the top in light snow.  Everyone had a great time at the cabin.  The cabin has a wood stove and firewood was provided.  Keep the fire small or you will cook in the little cabin, even when its cold outside.  A propane stove was provided but you will need to bring fuel.  The propane lantern was broken, but luckily we took along our own light sources.  Pots, pans, dishes and utensils are available in the cabin.  Plenty of games were in the cabinet to keep everyone entertained.  The cabin has two bunk beds, and a table with chairs.  Water is not available so you will need to bring it with you.  A vault toilet is next to the cabin.  Outside has a picnic table next to a fire ring.  Plenty of room if your group is to big for the cabin to set up tents.

Stayed in cabin 8. Paths to the cabin were clean and well landscaped. Campground bathrooms were so/so. Hot Springs locker room was much nicer. Grounds were quiet at night (quiet hours from 11pm were respected), which was good because the cabin windows didn’t seal tightly so the sound came in. The heater in the cabin was also efficient for warming it up even though it was chilly and rainy outside. The hot springs access is what makes it worth the price. I soaked in the evening and early the next morning and both were relaxing. Live music was awesome for ambiance too.

We stayed in a little cabin and it was so cute. Clean, comfortable, and the outdoor area was really nice. The nearby hotsprings was the cherry on top!

We stayed in a cabin on the river. One of my favorite spots. It was our first time staying at a KOA and would recommend it.

nice KOA, some cabins are right on the river, we stayed in our motorhome, they have grass and gravel pull thrus and back ins, lots of tent areas, indoor pool. nice and quiet!

Came in late in the rain…they had cabins available for not much more than a tent site. That was a blessing for us since we have been tent camping. Staff is very helpful and friendly!

This property has been freshly updated with natural rocks, landscaping and upscale amenities. The staff is outgoing and friendly. We have been going here for over 10 years and the pools at different temperatures are heavenly and refreshing. Family oriented, clean sites and cabins sit along a running creek. Bathrooms and showers are centrally located, warm, secure and clean.

I was able to snag a kamping cabin the day before for one night on the way through bc the campgrounds off the interstate all said the train was loud. Totally worth the extra 15 minutes one way! River on one side, mountains on the other. Wish I could have stayed longer m

We stayed in the cabins at the campground, which were clean and well taken care of. There is a playground in the middle of the campground, as well as many trails to explore and places to ride a bike. The caverns were closed for the season, but the visitor center was open and fun to visit.

Right in the river this is a great location to base camp. Lots of families but quiet and well kept. We stayed in a cabin right on the river and it was lovely cool and quiet. Drive into pray mt for some awesome bbq and bluegrass music ! Chico hot springs a short drive away as well

Lots to do in this park with local history and geology being the focuses. Not far off 90 if you’re road tripping. The campground is simple and open. Pros: different sleeping options (tent, RV, cabin, yurt, tipi), cave tours, river access, short hiking trails, lots of history (native, mining, settlers, etc), ranger talks, ice/wood camp store, helpful rangers, stargazing, nice modern bathrooms. Cons: very open campground with no privacy nor shade, no tent-only area, lots of RVs. We’d definitely visit again.

The layout of this state park was somewhat unusual: there are five loops within one larger loop with 32 sites plus seven additional pull-through sites on the outside of the loop. There are also three handicap accessible cabins and one tipi. All are reservable. This campground appeared to be very family-friendly, with many kids riding bikes and playing on the playground (first campground I’ve seen in a while that had kids playing on it). There are some trees, but they don’t necessarily provide shade (certainly not for B4!) Flush toilets plus (fee) showers; it was nice that there was HOT water! The path leading from Loop B (where we were) to the bathroom went between one of the cabins and their driveway, making it feel like we were walking through their yard – a little bit awkward. There is one 6.5-mile trail from the campground but the real attraction is the cave tour (and no, Lewis and Clark never saw the caves)! The Classic tour is $12 and lasts approximately two hours and is very interesting. You cannot make advance reservations for the tour, but we had no problem walking up and buying tickets at 5:30 pm on a Friday. It is a 3/4 mile UPHILL walk to the cave entrance and a half-mile walk back to the visitor center when done with the tour. There was also a covered picnic pavilion and a day-use area, but it appeared to be closed when we were there.

We rolled in late and were extremely disappointed with our site in the B row. Our picnic table was less than 5 feet from our neighbor's camper and we couldn't have a fire for fear of burning their car. We canceled our 2nd night as soon as the office opened the next morning.....as we walked around, we realized there are good sites- we just didn't have one. We were able to rebook in C row, where we had a lot more room(more expensive). Unfortunately, we realized the sprinkler systems will soak your stuff if you leave it out😡, but it was a good site. 

This place isn't cheap, but it does include entrance to the springs, which are pretty nice. Be careful which row you book in and you should be ok. In the end, the cabins look like they are the best deal.