Looking for the best options for tent camping near Kootenai National Forest? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
$7 / night
Suggested donation $10/night.
Grave Creek Campground is located 4 miles north of Fortine on road 7061. The campground has 4 campsites with tables and fire rings and able to accomodate up to a 20' rv. Amenities include vault toilets.
Kintla Lake campground is Glacier National Park's most remote frontcountry and car camping campground. It is located in the uppermost northwest section of the park known as the North Fork, approximately 40 miles from the west entrance. Access is via a rough dirt road. Trailers not permitted. Due to its remote location, the campground is very quiet and rarely fills, offering tent campers a sense of solitude. The campground sits on Kintla Lake.
Kintla's summer season is typically early June to early September. Weather dependent, there is a primitive camping season from early September to the end of October. Note: In 2023, this campground will be closed for the fall due to construction beginning on September 6.
$10 - $15 / night
The Lake Creek Campground is located approximately__32 miles southwest of Libby off the West Fisher road. The campground has 4 sites all with tent pads, tables and fire rings and able to accomodate up to a 32' rv. There are also 4 dispersed campsites. Campground roads and and parking spurs are gravel or native material. Amenities include potable water and vault toilets.
$50 / night
This is a very small campground with 2 sites, a vault toilet, picnic tables and fire rings. There is a walk down boat launching site for kayaks and canoes. Access road has sharp hairpin corner so RV's are not recommended. Stay limit is 5 days.
Traveler
This old Guard Station is in the perfect location. Easy to drive to and close to miles and miles of trails in the Kootenai National Forest. Plenty of beds for a full family - four upstairs and one downstairs. History galore in the building and surrounding areas. Some complaints of mice - but that’s to be expected from a building from 1908.
Guide
Less than five miles from the highway, this is a nice sized lake stocked with fish. There were a pair of white swans on the lake when I was there but no one else around. A large parking area, could accommodate a travel trailer or two in addition to a couple tent sites with fire rings. One picnic table with a fire pit and rock fire rings at the tent sites. There are two access roads, the first is more appropriate for van, truck or hike in to tent site. Not a lot of turn around room, wouldn't bring a trailer in. Second turn off goes to a much larger area, multiple sites and boat launch access to the lake.
Scout
Rough road going west from Polebridge not suitable for RvS. Much better road eastbound from Eureka side. Nice camp for a tent camp or camper. Creek close. Beautiful mountains getting there from Eureka
Ranger
The location of the campground is great, very close to the mountain town of Whitefish Montana and right along Whitefish Lake. The sites are small and the road is narrow but it is beautiful. I would be cautious about bringing any large campers to this area but the tent sites are nice. Be aware of ticks. Some sites are nice and level but others have a heavy slope.
Guide
Ashley Lake never disappoints. The camp sites are a bit rough to get too but as long as you're tent camping or have a very small and agile pull behind you'll be okay. It can get a bit windy later in the day but it's still beautiful.
GuideMoose Lake is a really small campground at the end of the road. Plenty of parking for day use but limited to only a few spots for dispersed tent camping. Lake was very calm and quiet. I would have rated this 3 stars if they had more camping spots.
ScoutThere are a handful of tent sites here. Several are on a hill next to each other beside the parking lot. 4 sites sit right along the lake. Great spot if camping near lake is your interest, however, lacks privacy as sites are directly beside each other. Awkward sites.
Guide
Just about a mile from the highway, this site is right on the river with some nice deep pools. There are three separate fire rings with a vault toilet and picnic table. It's a short drive in but more suitable for truck camping, van, tent camping or very small trailer like 13' max due to narrow track and limited maneuvering area. High clearance required!
Guide
Pulled into this campground in our RV in late September and only encountered one other party in the campground. Loved the remote setting. We were able to snag a spot close to the river, so we slept to the sound of rushing water. I’d estimate that half the primitive spots could fit a medium sized RV, the others are car/tent sites.
Scout
We enjoyed our time at this camp. Most sites are for RVs, but we got a tent site. Unfortunately, my two year old son didn’t settle for bed easily when camping. I ended up in hotels a couple nights, just because I didn’t want to bother the other campers. The time I did stay there was nice. The hosts are very helpful and kind as well.
Guide
McGregor Lake campground is a family favorite. The lake is big, clean, has great fishing and crawdadding. The camp grounds are nice and level with tent camping along the lake. Most RV's and pull behinds are parked in a separate area but with such an amazing view it's all just perfect. Speaking of perfect... the camp hosts. So friendly and personable. Just remember to follow the posted rules, you will get chased off if you try to swim off the boat ramp. 😉
Legend
Sure, I have a bias against tent camping in RV Land. There's usually no tree coverage, all the spaces are the same, and you have to deal with fumes, motors and people who are, essentially, driving around large living rooms. That said, there are some good folks to meet, colorful camphosts and extreme ease of setup. This spot, while not the sexiest, checks off a lot of boxes. You have lots of mountains, lakes, the glorious Glacier National Park nearby and some cute cabins.
ScoutA very nice small campground. About 2/3 of the sites are full hookups. Rest water and electric. Tent sites. Owners are great people. Very helpful for sure. They have a path you can walk down right to the Kootanie river with chairs and picnic tables to sit on. Very nice. Grounds are clean and tidy. Owners care a lot about their customers. Bathrooms are clean. Showers also clean. Would recommend staying here if your in the area.
GuideDear God above, the train...it runs right next to the campground at all hours. Fun for the kids to see from the lake at 3pm, hell for a family tent camping at 3am. It is the reason we won’t go back.
The facilities are great. Bear vaults provided. Lake access is awesome. The Watersport rentals are nice and affordable. By all means, pay the fee and hang out here for a day. It’s a great day-use area. And if you can sleep through the end of the world, camp here happily. Everyone else, pick another option in the area. There are plenty.
Guide
This campground is operated by the US Forest Service and it is hosted from May to Sept. During thoes months it is $10 a night. HOWEVER, it is open year round wether and road closures considered. There are 18 campsites and the roads and site parking is paved. Other amenities include vault toilets, potable water spicgots and picnic tbles. And that is all, excepted for magnificent views. This is the Bull River Valley of western Montana after all. More to the point, just down the road a few miles is an Ancient Cedar Forest and there is a boat launch and dock nearby for Bull Lake access.
Drawbacks are the possibility that wildfires might limit access in late summer. Mosquitoes and the fact that the nearest camp store with ice, gasoline and provisions is 25 miles away in Troy. But seriously, an Ancient Cedar Forest…
We stayed here in early October. The days were short and cold and we were tent camping, but there was spectacular lake access for our canoe.
ScoutTo start off, I rarely write reviews. We were in the area in August of 2019 and we stopped here to potentially tent camp. We went inside and asked if there was anything available for the night. We wanted a quiet campground with access to the Kootenay River in which they had both. So one of the owners let us check out the sites and trail to the river. However, we wanted something right on the river and it was a little bit of a walk to gain access to it.
We went back in and said we wanted something along the river and the owner recommended a different campground further down the road. (Which ended up being a great recommendation.) She didn't have to do that. She wasn't greedy whatsoever. That's how businesses should operate. That what makes people want to come back because of little stuff like this. I even offered to buy some firewood because she recommended a different campsite and she told us to get it at the camp in which we were staying.
That's why I'm writing this review because it's hard to find good service like that anymore. Although we didn't stay here, I highly recommend this campground. Great service, very clean, and nice atmosphere.
Legend
Nearby Whitefish, MT has a growing reputation for fantastic trails, hikes and mountain bike areas, and this full-service oasis takes advantage of all of it. The $50 per night fee (for the tent sites) comes with a sauna, bike repair and washing station, gift shop, hot showers, laundry, wi-fi, a bike skills area, trails for all levels…all intertwined with the Beaver Lake series of trails and small lakes. Very kid and pet friendly, a community-building locale. There's a large lodge for people wanting a roof over their heads. As another example, if you bike in, they would usually try to make space for you (even if everything was full) and charge $15. Plus, there are bike trails/easy routes to every other major biking area around Whitefish - Spencer Mountain, Lyon Mountain, Reservoir Lake and Big Mountain Nordic. I could be nit-picky and say that the camping sites are a little on the small side and crammed together, but there's personality to each one and to the area in general. Word of caution - reserve in advance! 😯 There was only one campground left on a Sunday evening in June. The friendly attendant said they can make some exceptions for large groups.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! Park Place in Montana has a great quiet spot to bring your camper, setup a tent, or stay in their cabin and enjoy some time away, while also having lakes and other conveniences not too far. Check them out and share your stay on the Dyrt!
Legend
While there’s nothing stand-outish about the tent area, at least it’s furthest from the highway, tree-lined and secluded from the RVs. It would be relaxing if there were, at most, only a couple of other tent campers, because it's just an open area. There's decent open space within and especially outside the RV park. You have a lot of uncluttered valley and mountain views. The international airport is about a mile away. It’s a bonus if you like that sort of thing. One of the most gorgeous Montana sunsets happened while I was here. Big Sky Country at its very best.
Traveler
We are normally tent campers. Bought an RV and tried it here first. Great little spot to spend a few days away from town. Pros: Awesome host, nice campsites, clean bathrooms, hiking trails nearby, firewood delivered to your site, fishing, boating, swimming is just a small walk away. The deepest or second deepest lake in Montana.
Cons: Some of the road is washboarded, but not to bad if you drive slow. No electric (not needed anyway, you are camping ;) )
All in all... a great place to go enjoy some nature.
Scout
Clean bathrooms and water close by. The tent pads are level and usually rock free. The park keeps the campgrounds clean and accessible. We spend a lot of our summer here. 🤙🏼
Guide
A real gem of a find! Although the campsites are not lakefront, it's only a short walk to the day use area with a fishing dock, boat launch and dock, and a nice public area. Although the lake isn't particularly large, the people we saw fishing were catching. There appears to be 8 sites, one of which is outside of the gate which may be locked after the end of September. At least half of the sites have a nice sized tent area. Most people were tenting when we were there. We arrived at 2pm on a Wednesday and had 4 sites to choose from
Guide
Showers, laundry, WiFi, small store. River access and a swimming pond. Owners are really nice. 4 tent spots or overflow parking. Nice and long with electric and water spouts
Guide
If you like paved and well maintained camping this is a very nice spot. Lot of camping spaces, many along the river. Nice, clean facilities. They have firewood available for you. RV and tent spots. The Yaak is a beautiful area!
Traveler
We came here as all other campgrounds were packed. The tent area was strange (it was on a weird tiny hill) but hey I’m not complaining. Showers were free and warm.
Guide11 camp spots , pit toilets and 1 yurt. The yurt was $25/night with reservation and the tent spots where $7.
Easy accsess to the water.
There are four campground along this road. Yaak falls, red top (only 3 spots) white tail, and Pete’s creek.
Traveler
Right on the lake, with a couple sites overlooking water. Path down to shore is short. Water is an extremely clear turquoise and cool. Rocky, not Sandy. Gravel tent flat provided. Lots of trees, but sites very close to one another.
Tent camping near Kootenai National Forest in Montana offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to different preferences and needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Kootenai National Forest is Yarnell Island Campground with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
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