Searching for a tent camping spot near Livingston? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Montana camping adventure.
This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night. Accessible - yes (toilet as well)
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no services (such as trash removal), and little or no facilities (such as tables and fire pits) are provided.
Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas. You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans. Please pack out all your trash. You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 16 days. After 16 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Please use existing fire rings and avoid creating new fire rings. Contact your local district office for information on fire restrictions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Where can I disperse camp? To find out where you are allowed to disperse camp, please refer to each district's Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). These maps will show which roadways allow disperse camping and it tells you the distance you are allowed to drive off the road to camp. Please note that some roads have more limitations and restrictions than others. Please consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map or call the district office for more details. To see our Motor Vehicle Use Maps, click here.
Can I have a campfire? Please use existing sites and fire rings. Firewood permits are not needed if wood is used on the forest. If wood is transported home for personal use, you will need to purchase a firewood permit at the closest district office. This permit should be obtained prior to you gathering or transporting any wood.
Before you leave your campfire make sure is it completely out. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned; it should be cool to the touch. Stir the ashes to make sure all embers have cooled. This is very important! Many forest fires are caused by abandoned campfires that were not completely out.
The National Forest has wildfires each year. Many of these are human caused from escaped campfires in dispersed sites. Campfires are allowed unless there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. You can learn about any fire restrictions by contacting the nearest Forest Service office.
Dispersed camping means no bathrooms and no outhouses. That means extra care has to be taken in disposing of human waste. To dispose of feces, dig a hole six to eight (6-8) inches deep at least 200 feet away from any water source. When you are done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground. Do not simply cover it with a rock. It could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.
We offer space to park or pitch your tent. I've been at this for 13 years, so there's not a lot I haven't seen. BYO sleeping arrangement.
We have a hot shower and restroom facilities, which right now is a bright blue porta potty. It is serviced each Monday.
Go-Fast campers are just up the road. We've hosted many.
Car campers and vans are welcome as well.
I don't do homeless camps or man-camps.
Yes, I've seen it all!
*A NOTE ABOUT YOUR DOG* Don't surprise me with them. We are animal lovers, but this is a working farm. They must be ON LEASH at all times and you are expected to clean up after them. This includes poop and hair. Remember, I've seen it all!
Farm=mud & manure so it smells like a farm.
Located on a historic farm just minutes from town. We have lived here all of our lives and work the land we live on.
Our farm includes 2 antique shepherd's wagons, a cabin, which are listed on Airbnb.
Serenity Sheep Farm Stay and The Wool Mill.
The space
This listing is for up to 3 people. Let me know if there are more than that in your party. $10 for each additional person. Please don't surprise me with your pets. We are pet-loving people, but this is also a working farm. I need to know in advance.
We have 2 antique shepherd's wagons for rent as well as a cabin. This tent space is in a field that is shared with them. There is one outhouse and a propane, heat-on-demand shower house as well as a fire pit. All are shared spaces. This tent space is a field on a farm. We have lots of farm animals wandering about. The chickens do roam. We also have Richardson's ground squirrels, more commonly known as gophers, who can dig holes and tear up the ground. With all of that said, we are not a campground per se. We only allow 2 tent guests at a time, so this is not like a large commercial campground. You will share a fire pit with any other guests here on the farm, if there is no burn ban in effect.
We are 8 miles from Belgrade and Yellowstone International Airport, 10 miles from i-90 and 20 miles from downtown Bozeman.
$25 fee to pick up your dog poop!
Quiet, private, not a campground. It's a working farm.
20 minutes from Bozeman.
Guest access
You'll be sharing a composting outhouse and or port-potty and shower house with other guests.
Other things to note
Our bedtime is 9:00 pm. Some days earlier. We realize travel plans change and late arrivals are a part of that. It's common for guests to come in late, so I can give you easy, specific directions to the place in that event. Past 9:00 pm, we sleep! :-)
I've found it best to lay it all out for guests so they know what is expected of them. Someone is always here if you need anything and we are happy to assist, but there's nothing we can do about the weather.
The first wagon on the left on your way in is a farm store. Be sure to check it out and see what all we do in the wool mill.
$30 / night
A campground in the west boulder area on the Yellowstone District. Open all year. Access is limited during the fall and winter due to snow. Access road not suitable for vehicles longer than 20'. This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night.
$12 / night
Traveler
What a beautiful spot to escape to! A single, private campground surrounded by a cottonwood grove sounds like the perfect place for a peaceful getaway. The 60 acres on Miner Creek offer ample opportunities for relaxation and adventure. Speaking of getting away, if you ever find yourself needing to craft the perfect description or promotional content for your own adventures, consider using lastminutewriting.com writing service. They offer fantastic support in creating engaging and high-quality texts. Enjoy the tranquility of nature and make the most of this beautiful campground! It sounds like a wonderful place to unwind.
Scout
The only thing that would make this campground super great would be power at each site. The fees charged here are a bit high for a basic campsite.
Scout
This is a nice place to boondock. There are a few level spots up here, but the road is pretty rough and pretty steep. The view into Yellowstone is gorgeous.
Scout
Easy to find off of I90. Nice clean and safe place. Once the rafters and fisherman rolled out in the evening it was peaceful. Will return.
Traveler
We were looking for an easy dispersed site to stay at while visiting a friend in Bozeman. This was an easy option for us with a 20ft camper. We stayed at the first pull off a few minutes off the main road. This site was easily accessible, right off the main road, close to town and close to some hikes.
Guide
This place seemed promising at first. It was hard to find a decent spot at night due to only using headlights of my van. Most of the road is extremely rugged/uneven/full of large holes. The only place I was able to stay for the night was the road leading up to the locked gate. This is about the only nice spot. Other than that this place is • quiet w/occasional traffic along the high way (right next to reservoir) • very few people here, but far enough away from me • no fee required • provides OK view to the mountains • great when you bring along a pet • you will need to be fully prepared for primitive camping
Guide
There are only 2 sites here. It’s a great place to fish, rock hound and there are some trails very close. The road in as well as the pit toilet are well maintained. One morning about 12 people showed up and just walked onto my site and went fishing despite my objections. They were really aggressive and they felt completely entitled to do whatever they wanted.
Scout
I visited this lake last week. I love it and slope game. The water is pristine and visually appealing with no obstructions like stumps or logs, as mentioned earlier. The lake underwent complete drainage and dredging. It has been populated with eight different types of fish. I recently reeled in two bass weighing 2-3 pounds each. My wife has successfully caught numerous quality channel catfish. This lake is quite lovely. However, the landing area is shallow, restricting the launch of large bass boats.
Traveler
About 7 miles west of Absarokee, 2.5 of them gravel. 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. Some algae near the shore of river but waded out deeper for refreshing dip.
ScoutBased on the dispersed camping guide provided by the Forest Service office in Gardiner, you’re not supposed to camp in the spot listed on this site. Take a left off Traveltine road, go past the rock quarry to find good sites
Scout
Quiet, secluded dispersed sites about 15 minutes outside of Gardiner. No trees so it gets pretty hot without shade. There are random animal bones scattered around the sites from what I assume previous hunting trips, which is a bit eerie.
I’d certainly stay here again for a couple nights!
Scout
This is pretty much a tourist trap. We got out of work late and didn’t find a spot at loch leaven and had to be on the river early, so we just gave it a try. $30, no fires allowed, essentially just a grass field. There were a couple picnic tables scattered about. Would be better off at the free old saloon camping field.
GuideNice roads and huge beautiful sites. Being a small female solo tent camping I felt safe. There are lots of elk and rabbits.
ScoutBeautiful spot by the Yellowstone River. Train whistles woke us up four times.
Scout
Not to mention the single-lane cobblestone road, I have a truck and was bouncing up and down the whole way! I didn't find one area big enough to set up camp. I definitely would NOT recommend this spot
Guide
The best part of the park to see wildlife is without a doubt the north end. We saw everything from elk to bears and with such close proximity to mammoth there is so much to do.
Gardiner is so close if you need a dump station or a laundry solution.
Guide
Stayed 8-1-24
Good: KOA like expected, but great view.
Bad: Mile long dirt road to get to entrance.
Would I stay again: ?, I might try West entrance next time.
Ranger
We stayed here on our way home from Colorado. Pulled in it was 98 degrees so full hook up power was great. Swimming pool was an added benefit.. campground and shower house is very clean. We will stay here again.
GuideThere's about three good spots up on the hill, the two out on the edge have reliable service. But as soon as you go back up a bit, it vanishes.
Stunning views of Yellowstone and the mountains. Be aware, there are NO trees, so it will get stiflingly hot with no clouds. But, close to town, and the road isn't the worst. For sure go slow, but even low clearance should be able to pick out a path.
Guide
This is an amazing camp spot that is almost almost to the top of the trail to fairy Lake campground. There’s an established firing, and there’s room for multiple vehicles.
Traveler
We stayed here for a few days off one of the main trail head. There are not many sites off the main trail head and we’re all full when we arrived.
We have a 25ft off road travel trailer and attempted to go down two side trail heads. The further one was so bad we had to back all the way out. The closest side trail head was slightly better. We made down the road. However there wasn’t many sites here as well. There was maybe 3-4 sites along this whole trail head. We needed up stay in a pull in a valley early on in this trail head
Guide
First come first serve, toilets, on the yellowstone river. BLM managed land. FREE.
GuideSmall family friendly campground Very close to town for supplies. 15 minutes from 4 separate summer weekend outdoor music venues. Local yellowstone river float trips. Available.
Guide
This is one of the nicest campgrounds around Big Sky I was told, but they fill up fast! I drove through hoping I could get just one night when I really needed it and I lucked out. Spot 8 had a sign that it was open for just that night! I loved it. Very private, surrounded by trees and the creek behind. I fell asleep to the water and the neighbors were all very quiet and respectful of each other and the space. Definitely a hidden gem in the chaos of Big Sky.
RangerThis was an ok stay outside of Bozeman. The coordinates took me to a spot which was occupied but looked like the only spot on that stretch of road. It began to get extremely rutted and I didn’t want to push any farther after that spot. I camped in what looked to be a dispersed campsite that they closed off
TravelerThe location and views were great and it’s hard to beat free. That said, this is not an ideal place for tent camping. The wind was brutal all night, one of the RVs ran their generator constantly so it was loud, and there were a lot of large rocks in the ground. It’s a great location in general, but just not ideal for a tent.
Guide
I booked 2 nights on Recreation.gov less than 3 weeks in advance. I was camping while working an event in Big Sky.
The campground is quite large, and this time of year, completely full every night. It is right on the river and very close to the highway. This means it is not quiet. Still, it’s 10 minutes to Big Sky, clean and well equipped. Overall a good choice in this area if you can make a reservation.
There are bear-safe food storage lockers, fire rings, and picnic tables at each camp site. Long before the bears eat you, the mosquitoes and deer flies will. Bug spray advised. Pit toilets are well-used but reasonably clean. The on-site hosts make sure to mark reservation cards on each site, and put signs at the entrance when the campgrounds is full. This kept traffic inside the campground to a minimum. Much appreciated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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