Searching for the best camping near Lolo National Forest, MT? Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Lolo National Forest is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Montana camping adventure.
Welcome to Missoula, Montana KOA. We are the perfect base camp for all that Western Montana has to offer! We are an oasis within the city of Missoula, surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. You will find the staff friendly and accommodating while enjoying the beautiful flowers and landscaping.
We offer a heated pool and hot tubs, Pedal Kart rentals, an arcade, and min-golf. RV sites for all size RVs and we are big rig friendly. Camping Cabins and Deluxe Cabins are available at Missoula KOA. We also offer a variety of tent camping options for you to choose from. We are your base camp for everything Missoula has to offer.
Located just off I-90 on Reserve St. (Exit 101), you are within easy access to everything that is Western Montana. Close to shopping, great restaurants, craft breweries and a myriad of sporting and cultural activities. Explore the Lewis & Clark Trail, Garnett Ghost Town, National Bison Range, and the Smoke Jumpers Museum to name just a few attractions. A great stopping point between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. Join us for great camping and an unforgettable experience!
$75 - $192 / night
Right off of I-90, Jim & Mary's is a spacious RV Park that offers 70 unique spaces perfect for your getaway. Our beautiful gardens, Made in Montana gift shop, and other amenities make us one of Montana's most enjoyable and comfortable RV Parks. We're less than a 10 minute drive to downtown Missoula, and have no shortage of things to do in the area. Visit us today and you may never want to leave!
We offer full hook-ups at all of our RV sites while in season (April - September), meaning you'll have access to water, sewer, electric, and Wifi. We have both 30 & 50 AMP spaces available.
Our restrooms and showers facilities, as well as our laundry room, far exceed industry standards for cleanliness and convenience. Our guests agree, year after year, that they are among the best they have seen in any RV Park.
We are happy to have you and your pets stay with us! For the comfort of all of our guests, we simply ask that you abide by our pet policy, which can be found under our park rules & regulations. All pets must be on a leash when outside your RV. When they poop, please scoop.
12 dispersed camping sites with fire rings along the Clark Fork River near fishing, rafting, and swimming opportunities. No water or trash receptacles are available - Pack it in/Pack it out.
There are many dispersed camping opportunities on the forest. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities, please contact the ranger district offices.
Close to the Ninemile Ranger Station and Grand Menard Picnic Area, this campground has several sites and offers mountain biking opportunities.
Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table.
This campground in a lodgepole and ponderosa pine forest is located near the Ninemile Ranger Station and Grand Menard Picnic Area adding to the fun things to do when camping here. And if that isn't enough, there are mountain biking trails too!
$10 / night
Formerly called Jellystone Park Missoula
**To Book Please Visit **https://www.camplife.com/1338/reservation/step1
Set up camp and kick back in the best of both worlds—nestled in the foothills of Lolo National Forest, yet conveniently located near major shopping, restaurants and attractions. Granite Peak RV Resort is 55-acre property complete with private hiking trails, mini golf, a heated pool, and full-service facilities to accommodate weary road warriors and avid explorers. Located at the hub of U.S. Highway 93 North and Interstate 90, Granite Peak RV Resort plants you at the center of everything, with easy access to outdoor adventure in every direction. Think rivers, lakes, wildlife, ghost towns, mountains, mines and more. After all, this is Montana. Speaking of adventures, Granite Peak is a quick 12 minutes from downtown Missoula, 10 minutes from fishing the world-renowned Clark Fork River, and less than 30 minutes from summer chairlift rides and huckleberry picking at Snowbowl Ski Area. The hardest part will be splitting your time between the amenity-stocked RV resort and surrounding attractions. It doesn’t matter if you’re staying for a night, a week, or the whole summer—Granite Peak RV Resort is committed to being an unforgettable destination for all.
$40 - $150 / night
There are many dispersed camping opportunities on the forest. Most of them are not currently on this web site. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities, please contact the ranger district offices.
Welcome to Missoula, Montana KOA. We are the perfect base camp for all that Western Montana has to offer! We are an oasis within the city of Missoula, surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. You will find the staff friendly and accommodating while enjoying the beautiful flowers and landscaping.
We offer a heated pool and hot tubs, Pedal Kart rentals, an arcade, and min-golf. RV sites for all size RVs and we are big rig friendly. Camping Cabins and Deluxe Cabins are available at Missoula KOA. We also offer a variety of tent camping options for you to choose from. We are your base camp for everything Missoula has to offer.
Located just off I-90 on Reserve St. (Exit 101), you are within easy access to everything that is Western Montana. Close to shopping, great restaurants, craft breweries and a myriad of sporting and cultural activities. Explore the Lewis & Clark Trail, Garnett Ghost Town, National Bison Range, and the Smoke Jumpers Museum to name just a few attractions. A great stopping point between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. Join us for great camping and an unforgettable experience!
$75 - $192 / night
Right off of I-90, Jim & Mary's is a spacious RV Park that offers 70 unique spaces perfect for your getaway. Our beautiful gardens, Made in Montana gift shop, and other amenities make us one of Montana's most enjoyable and comfortable RV Parks. We're less than a 10 minute drive to downtown Missoula, and have no shortage of things to do in the area. Visit us today and you may never want to leave!
We offer full hook-ups at all of our RV sites while in season (April - September), meaning you'll have access to water, sewer, electric, and Wifi. We have both 30 & 50 AMP spaces available.
Our restrooms and showers facilities, as well as our laundry room, far exceed industry standards for cleanliness and convenience. Our guests agree, year after year, that they are among the best they have seen in any RV Park.
We are happy to have you and your pets stay with us! For the comfort of all of our guests, we simply ask that you abide by our pet policy, which can be found under our park rules & regulations. All pets must be on a leash when outside your RV. When they poop, please scoop.
12 dispersed camping sites with fire rings along the Clark Fork River near fishing, rafting, and swimming opportunities. No water or trash receptacles are available - Pack it in/Pack it out.
Guide
Pretty campground. Saw lots of deer running around. Pit toilets were clean and sites were nice. Enjoyed having a fire and it was free in the off season.
Ranger
Private campground. Level sites, stayed in #6 right by office. Sites fairly close together. Nice pet walk area. Showers clean. Full hookups. Solid, clean, well kept place to stay.
Ranger
The campsites are big and spacious. Even though the sites are open, they still feel private thanks to the natural layout and surrounding trees. The lake is incredibly clear and beautiful. One of the highlights of our stay was the stunning sunrise over the water—waking up to those colors reflecting off the lake was absolutely breathtaking. There was only a few campers when we were there. Warning: there are bears in the area. We didn't see any, but saw some evidence of them.
Traveler
It was a good spot despite that I was in the middle of a windstorm. The only part that genuinely made me concern and what docked points was the fact that I had multiple people throughout the night, pulling up to the spot and like walking around my truck
Scout
Cross the bridge at the exit and there is a wide turn around. I'd pull my teardrop down here, but unsure about longer trailers. Close to the interstate so a little noisy, but close to good fishing access.
GuideGreat camping spot. We camped over on a Friday night at the end of September. Free because it was out of the normal season, but because it was the last sliver of summer, it definitely filled up. However, they only had the first loop open (group and second loop of sites were closed). Being out of normal season, trash was all locked up but not a big deal.
Lake was spectacular and beautiful, would recommend!
ScoutLoved this spot. Toyota Tundra pulling a 14' trailer. We were able to back into site (flat !) and do a 180° turn ok to exit. We stayed one night 9/23/24 and had the place to ourselves. Nice rock fire pits.
ScoutNice and quite considering how close it is to town. There doesn't seem to be an official way to get from the camp sites to the river despite being only a few feet away. People have bushwacked their own trails through. We are here in mid September so not much in the way of bugs. The toilet is clean and well stocked for a pit toilet. Lots of bear warning signs around so be sure to bring your bear boxes and bear spray.
Scout
We arrived late and only stayed one night but this place is very well run and has everything we needed. Convenient and a nice place to stay. Long term or passing through it’s a good choice for the Missoula area.
Guide
The Missoula KOA appears to be the only game in town. I guess that is why they can charge a premium price and leave you with two choices, take it or leave it. Only problem is we could not find another place so we "took it".
This is a big and busy campground. Lots of good things about it. For example, for a premium price, you can get a site with your own private dog run. Two older but OKay hot tubs and a heated swimming pool. Bicycle and other stuff rental. Everything from tent sites, cabins, small full hook-up sites to large spacious premium sites. Despite some of the bad reviews, the staff was very friendly to us and, because of no parking for our Tesla, they were able to move us to a better site. WARNING: You are not allowed to plug in any electric car. We were warned that if we plugged in our Tesla, we would be fined and asked to leave the park immediately. The Tesla supercharger was less than two miles away so no problem for us. Wifi was great. 34 mbs. AT&T was 2 bars 5G.
The BAD: Very busy. Many days in summer they are 100 per cent booked. Make reservations early and be specific what you need. Be ready to pay a premium price, even for tent camping. Camp is old but well kept. Bathrooms are clean but very old style and shower stalls are very small and not handicapped friendly. Surrounded by lots of older double-wide's. Some well kept and some not so well kept. Not friendly to electric cars (see warning above). Several times during our stay they paused their golf cart in front of our Tesla, I assume making sure we did not plug in.
ScoutTheir customer service is the best! They made a three day extension over Labor Day weekend happen! This place is also beautiful and clean.
Scout
I was surprised how nice this was since it's just about 5 minutes from the highway. You feel miles away - absolutely no noise. It's super clean and pretty. Very clean pit toilets and nice private spaces with plenty of room. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to be in the forest in the middle of a long drive across Montana.
Scout
So gorgeous! Tent camped along the river! Very spaced out campsites, nice for lots of privacy and quiet! Signs to be aware of bear country but took precautions. Rock fire pits at each site. Super easy for quick stop road tripping (0.5 miles off main road)! Stayed in early September on a road trip to Glacier, was able to find our site decently well in the dark! Verizon cell service 3-4 bars! Loved it!
The west is the only safe way to enter onto the road to the campsites. On the map, it looks like you can enter/exit either way from 135… but the east side of the road to get back onto 135 is impossible… so we just had to turn around and exit the same way we came in (from the west).
Guide
This area allows disperse camping Beyond a certain point (there is a small sign). There is a map provided at the road trailhead. However it is confusing since I believe the map is upside down. On my drive up I did not see any established distributed campsites. However there are some turn offs that you could park at. This area would probably not be ideal for RVs. Four wheel drive does not seem to be a requirement. I ended up camping at a turnoff and walked a bit off the road to set up my hammock. The road was not very busy I did hear an occasional car pass by. Good views and decently private. I was able to get Verizon signal at my campsite. However driving up signal was spotty
Traveler
The campground is fine. It has toilets and showers. Not much to write about. The sites are all different sizes, but had 30amp and water for $40 a night. The Hot Springs are $15 and worth the relaxation. This is old Montana so don’t expect fancy, but unique. The host was kind enough to keep be us to a spot not in between a bunch of RVs which was nice.
No cell service but the Hot Springs, the bar and the office all have wifi.
Traveler
As others have said, traveling down 90, this place is great. Stayed in Loop G, so under the tunnel. Flush toilets, clean sites, not on top of each other. You can scan the QR code and pay easily. Just needed a night and be able to set up Starlink to do some work. Found a more open spot and it was perfect.
ScoutFound this great little riverside spot while checking out the paid campgrounds along St Joe River. Saw several similar sites that were already taken. This one has a small boat launch and several fire pits. Camping is prohibited from spring to mid July. Not the best spot for swimming due to the current in this section of the river but good enough to wade in and cool off anyway. We slept in a tent and loved the river sounds. There were some mosquitoes but with bugspray it was fine.
Legend
We decided to stay here because we’ve seen this campground(CG) featured the last five year’s we’ve been on the road by CG review websites, travel forums, and big-name RV bloggers. So we thought we’d give Nugget a try. We followed our RV GPS to the CG that is near I-90, but far enough away that you don’t hear highway noise. There was another camper checking in when we arrived, but check-in was fairly quick and thorough. There was a sign about being a Good Sam Member and we had to ask to get the discount as that option was not available for the online reservation. We then had a very friendly escort to pull through site 63 with FHUs, which is supposedly a premium site. This gravel site has a little grass yard with a picnic table. The site is across from a community fire pit and couple of their little trail heads. When we were there in July, there was a fire ban so not having a site fire pit was no big deal. The utilities are nicely placed in the middle of the pad. Water pressure is good at about 50 psi. We got 2 to 3 bars on Verizon. As there are a lot of mature pine trees in this CG, satellite is iffy. Our campsite was at the north end of the CG facing the woods, so we used our Verizon MiFi versus Starlink. We probably could have gotten the Starlink to work if we put the antenna on our roof, but as we were only here for three nights, we didn’t try. There’s a nice trail system around the CG to walk with your kids and it is dog friendly. They offer a lot of amenities of which laundry was one that we did use. There’s a nice 9-hole golf course just down the road. They used to let veterans golf for free on Wednesdays, but now charges vets only$5. The CG also had a food truck one evening that was convenient. We wanted to see what all the hype was about and we got the chance. This CG has a lot to offer families or campers who desire a lot of comforts. Overall, its a nice and well run CG, but we are not compelled to repeat with all the other options in the area.
Traveler
Old lady was sweet to us, I saw the reviews about her being not so sweet but she was nice and got us in last minute. The gentleman brought us a whole tractor full of wood and was nice as well. Trees were down like other reviews stated, they mentioned they had a massive storm. Not something I feel they should be judged for, they were concerned about my kids and asked them to keep away from the left side because of that.
TravelerDispersed camping at the "Peninsula" Recreation Area. 6 day stay limit according to the sign. No potable water. Stone fire rings throughout.
We stayed mid week during August. Stayed in a medium sized site on the river. Small steep slope to the water.
Pros:
Plenty of space, both large and small sites.
Room for a 30' in a couple of the sites.
3 bars Tmobile.
Some sites on the water with a short steep slope down.
12 miles to gas station.
Beautiful views.
Cons: No pit toilets (edit: another camper said they are at the end of the campground) No potable water. Road/train noise. POISON IVY (found it... found all of it)
Overall we loved this spot. Being ok the water in a mostly private setting with such amazing views is our goal. Little bit of road noise but hardly noticeable over the wind in the trees.
Sites were clean but well used, so thank you to all the campers that took care of this place!
TravelerI was alone while camping, parked my car at the first fire pit I saw open and it was perfect. Absolutely beautiful river, beautiful spot. Great for fishing, swimming, etc.
Guide
Reserved this deamy site right on the water. Tent 1 is closest to parking but has the most traffic going by to the other sites.
Pit toilet nearby and a quick drive to flushable toilets. Showers available with tokens from the camphost ($3 for 6 minutes) but camphost weren't around when I was looking so no personal experience here.
Guide
Got a walk in site when I showed up in the afternoon. All that was left was an RV site and they let me tent there. Even though I wasn't on the water, still got a water view! Pit toilet bathroom was close by, and sometimes the smell wafted over when the wind changed.
SUP, kayak rentals on water, reasonably priced. The beach was rocky and perfect!
In the morning, I spotted a black bear on a hill. Follow bear protocol well.
Guide
Do not follow maps directions to this spot. Click the one a little south east next to the river titled “Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area”. This is the right location. Good spot.
GuideTurn onto the road, once you reach end of that road, there’s more spots to the left. If you drive far enough you’ll find pit toilets. We had good service on Verizon and T-Mobile to work. River is beautiful. Would definitely come back
ScoutGreat quiet spot next to the road. Not much traffic, we slept great in our car and felt very safe.
TravelerGreat customer service! Helped us set up, talked with us. Checked in with us. Quite. It’s definitely a resort. But it was a great spot for a one nighter.
Camping near Lolo National Forest, Montana, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and a variety of campgrounds to choose from. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly spot or a quiet getaway, there’s something for everyone.
Camping near Lolo National Forest, Montana, offers a variety of experiences, from quiet retreats to family-friendly adventures. Whether you're in an RV or pitching a tent, there's a spot waiting for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Lolo National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, Lolo National Forest offers a wide range of camping options, with 156 campgrounds and RV parks near Lolo National Forest and 21 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Lolo National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Lolo National Forest is Missoula KOA Holiday with a 3.9-star rating from 42 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Lolo National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 21 free dispersed camping spots near Lolo National Forest.
What parks are near Lolo National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 14 parks near Lolo National Forest that allow camping, notably Flathead National Forest and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
