Planning a dispersed camping trip near Lolo? The Dyrt provides you with a diverse selection of places to camp, from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. Search nearby dispersed campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
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.
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.
If you are looking for a great backpacking adventure you've come to the right place. The Bitterroot National Forest offers something for everyone, whether that be an out and back overnight trip or a multiple day excursion.
If you are looking for a great backpacking adventure you've come to the right place. The Bitterroot National Forest offers something for everyone, whether that be an out and back overnight trip or a multiple day excursion.
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.
One thousand people called Garnet home in the 1890s as they scoured the mountains for gold. Largely abandoned 20 years later when the gold ran out, today the town is well-preserved and offers a glimpse into the struggles of those early miners and homesteaders. The visitor center has information about 19th century life here. Two rental cabins are available December through April; arrangements need to be made in advance by calling the Missoula Field Office BLM. Depending on weather, the visitor center is open daily from late May through September from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.
This trail winds through a variety of environments including an area burned from a wildfire 2003, forested areas, a creek, open ground, and alpine forest. The trail leads up to Boulder Point at 7100 feet which overlooks Boulder Lake.
Guide
first dispersed camping spot for Lolo from the entry road for this Forest Service land entry. Just cross the bridge, and be careful of high water (signs stating it's impassable 100 yards past the photo of the bridge when high water.) The grey area is public land the white square at the end of the road is private property by the map legend.
maps attached are screenshots from the National Forest Service online map as of Sept. 8th, 2023.
The dots show where dispersed camping is allowed for this spot.
Guide
This is my favorite area for dispersed camping in the area. Lost Horse creek is beautiful. Can get a little tight with campers in peak season.
Ranger
Many states out west allow dispersed camping on select public lands owned by the Bureau of Land management. You need to pick up a map of exactly where you’re allowed to camp (there are no facilities, obviously). You can also rent “cabins” which are buildings from before the building became ghosted (but have been updated). Even if you don’t want to camp you can tour the town and have a surreal afternoon imagining what it’d be like to be a miner back in the day.
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
GuideFrom the highway 93 turn it is 4.6 miles to where we camped. The last 2.3 miles of the drive was on a fairly rough, but very manageable, forest road. (Mostly washboard and a few holes) It was 11.8 miles from our camp to Darby, and about 13 miles to the Yellowstone Ranch.
We grabbed a nice big spot right next to Lost Horse Creek late Friday afternoon. Another RV came into the area later in the evening and crowded us a little bit but we still had plenty of room to spread out. The road in is BUSY. We have camped at a number of dispersed locations over the years and this was BY FAR the busiest forest road we have seen. On Friday night we counted 50 cars passing by before we stopped counting. We drove west down the road a ways Saturday and saw a handful of other sites, but not enough to justify the traffic. We found out that “Twin Lakes” is about 20 miles down the rough forest road from our campsite. We didn’t venture that far as we could only go about 8-10 MPH max in our truck on the washboard road. Maybe we should have tried because it seemed to be quite the attraction given the traffic. This place will do in a pinch but if you are looking for a quiet dispersed camping area kept driving. This is not for you!
Guide
Maybe 6-7 spots for cars/trucks/vans. We fit our 170 sprinter no problem and would work for half the sites. Sign says no trailers where all the camp spots are and I would agree as there is no turn around room or ways to back in.
Sites looked clean and was very quiet while we were here for a Sunday night.
T-mobile 5G UC signal from campgrounds. Day use area has wide open sky to recharge if needed. Camp spots are shaded by trees. River access is along camp spots and also near day use area. No trails from campsite so pretty limited in exploration options, just more a beautiful place to stop for a night or 2.
ScoutThis spot is not a camping spot. Day use only.
Traveler
super easy to get to! just exit off I90 onto Petty Creek Road and go straight for a mile or two. not totally isolated, the site is not too far from the road but not the interstate, so there is a bit of noise but not frequently. service is spotty, verizon and at&t had only 1 bar. found some random bones, saw some deer, and lots of bugs. small area with a few places to park, thankfully nobody was there when we were but could be fun for a group!
GuideCamping is dispersed and a little eerie. This ghost town is complete with still stocked shops, empty hotels with beds left in and slowly aging buildings. It is an interesting look at the mining industry in Montana. There are numerous interpretive signs and information about the building throughout the town and rangers on site during the summer months to answer questions. During the winter two of the cabins (the larger of which is the old saloon) are available to rent through the forest service. Most of my recent trips have been during the winter months, where the town is only accessible by ski, snow shoe or feet. Then it is silent and strange but heart breakingly beautiful.
RangerAbout 5 miles one way to Peterson lake, anither 1 and 2 miles to Duffy and Holloway lakes above Peterson. Nice secluded valley heading into Bitteroot-Selway wilderness. You gain around 1700ft in elevation before dropping down around 800ft into the first lake.
ScoutThe dispersed campground near the start of Johnsrud Rd (Mile Marker 28 on Hwy 200) has been removed. However, 2 new campgrounds have been added, and the entire road is now paved making RV accessibility much easier.
The three campgrounds are as follows:
Thibodeau Campground- 5 mi in
Corrick River Bend - 11 mi in
Ninemile Prarie- 13 mi. in
ScoutA ton of dispersed sites right near the creek, but poorly taken care of by campers. We encountered more trash here than we’ve ever seen camping before. I mean, full trash bags left behind that were of course then scavenged by wildlife and spread all over. We also found human poop and used toilet paper in multiple spots, even though there IS a toilet provided here! We found tampons too…it was seriously disgusting…and obviously a popular spot for burning pallets because we found handfuls of nails scattered around, so be mindful of your tires!! This area just seems to attract a different kind of camping crowd, one that doesn’t respect the land or keeping it clean and better than you found it. It was pretty unfortunate because it really is a pretty and overall peaceful area.
LegendConveniently only 4 miles down a well maintained road and positioned next to the river, this campground has vault toilets and bear boxes. It’s very nice!
Heads up for trailers, the coordinates will take you to the official campground which seemed potentially a little snug, but if you take the right toward “Rivulet” at the T at the bottom of the road, there are more campsites!
I had no service here.
RangerAwesome lakento hike into, best accessed during summer after snow has melted. Trail that descends the steep grade down to the lake is not horse friendly, difficult for those who struggle with steep terrain.
Numerous primitive campsites around west shore of lake, old growth grove at base of cliff is fun to explore. Burned remains of Boulder Lookout sits at the top of the cliff overlooking the lake. Awesome views to take in. There was a pair of loons mesting at the lake when we visited a few years ago.
RangerRight off the road and easy to get to. I only saw 2 spots and the other was occupied. Both had fire rings but we were in a fire restriction. I got the site closest to the road and it was not so bad, I was camping in my car anyway. The spot seemed pretty level. The trees were gorgeous. Not bad for a free spot.
Guide
Sign says camping permitted to 14 days in a 30 day period. Adjacent to dirt road with a few trees in between. Not the most private but a good option if you need a place for the night if the nearby campsite is full. No amenities. T-mobile cell service is good here.
River access just at the entry of the turn in. Could easily pull a big rig in but may have a hard time turning it around as there is not a pull through. There is a concrete slab that is level and about 12'x25' in size which could be good for a trailer or van without having to do much for leveling. Many vehicles/tents could fit here in the dirt area but would likely be comfortable for a single group rather than multiple camp groups.
LegendCamp beside one of Montana's best preserved ghost towns!! Garnet!! Learn rich history of pioneer days of Montana and visit cabins among the town. Not many amenities available here. Yes I believe in ghosts!!
ScoutNot the best in terms of views, but worth the drive to get out of the city. You will have the occasional driver coming up and dust you a bit, but if you can get past that, it's a nice area to set up camp. You've got to go in at least 5 miles to camp.
RangerBlue Mountain is a great place to recreate! Very dog friendly and tons of trails for hiking and mountain biking. Camping is allowed west of road 365. The area can get busy during the day but is quiet at night.
ScoutThe recreation area is nice but there’s not actually anywhere to camp unless you want to camp on the road.
RangerAround 7 miles one way to the lake, only gain 3000ft over the course of the hike with around 1000ft of elevation gain in last mile. Scenic mountain meadows lots of vegetations, creek nearby for a good portion of the hike.
GuideBeautiful spot a little ways south down petty creek road, stayed here one night after rock climbing at Alberton. Fire rings and accessible by cat
TravelerWhat a great spot! 3 sites in a beautiful spot, about 5 minutes off the highway. We pulled in about 7pm and we were the only ones there. Someone else pulled in around 9 but the sites were separated by enough trees we could barely tell they were there. Felt very private, and the stars were fantastic! Creek bed runs right next to the back site, but it was completely dried up in late July.
ScoutGreat quiet spot next to the road. Not much traffic, we slept great in our car and felt very safe.
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.
TravelerIt 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
GuideIt’s a spot to pull up and sleep for the night
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Lolo, Montana, where nature's tranquility meets the freedom of the great outdoors. With a variety of spots to choose from, you can enjoy a peaceful retreat surrounded by stunning landscapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Lolo, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Lolo, MT is Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping with a 4.6-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Lolo, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 21 dispersed camping locations near Lolo, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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