Best Dispersed Camping near Missoula, MT

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Missoula

49 Reviews of 21 Missoula Campgrounds

• J

  Jordan G.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Was a great spot

  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

• R

  Robert T.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 26, 2024

  Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Great spot (1 night stay)

  Loved 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.

• 

  Ben H.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 7, 2024

  Blue Mountain Forest Rd 365 - Dispersed

  Dusty dirt road

  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

• 

  Curt D.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 25, 2024

  Garnet Ghost Town Dispersed Camping

  There is no camping here

  Just a ghost town no camping

• W

  Wessel D.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 13, 2024

  Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Perfect for one night stop

  Great quiet spot next to the road. Not much traffic, we slept great in our car and felt very safe.

• S

  Sarah S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 6, 2024

  Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Amazing quiet and private spot!

  What 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.

• 

  Lauren M.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 25, 2024

  Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  Small but good stop

  Right 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.

• 

  Bobby J.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  Awesome stay

  This was a great stay right on the river with night sites and a vault toilet. Only issues I had was the train across the river runs throughout the night and it sounds like it’s coming right through your tent

• 

  Liz P.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 10, 2024

  Rock Creek Dispersed Spot - Lolo

  Not a camping spot.

  This spot is not a camping spot.  Day use only.

• 

  Joshua C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  Informal Dispersed Campsite at Fish Creek Properties Montana State Park

  Big Spot adjacent to the road, Good if in a pinch

  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.

• 

  Joshua C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  Big Pine Campground

  Great camp spot, limited space

  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.

• 

  John F.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 28, 2024

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  Muchwater Montana

  Muchwater has earned a top spot for my camping areas. There’s a river nearby that’s great for fishing or swimming. The campgrounds has fire pits ready to go and well maintained. There’s plenty of space between you and your neighbor. And it’s dog friendly. Oh and the hiking is pretty good too.

• 

  Chelsey S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 25, 2024

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  Treasure oasis

  Found a great spot - level with access down to the river. Fire pit. So peaceful. No service with Verizon. A little buggy.

• 

  Katrina H.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 18, 2024

  Squaw Creek Road

  Beautiful Spot And Very Remote

  We camped along a lovely creek, we were hyper aware of the fact that we were in bear country but we didn't seeing any traces of them. We didn't have any phone service and were very far away from any civilization, which made us uneasy, but if that's your thing, then this is the perfect place for you! No one traveled the gravel road while we were there.

• r

  robert K.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 12, 2024

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  a beautiful place to stay on the river

  stayed in site 1 first campsite on your right-hand side, big rig friendly plenty of room for our set up 70+ ft RV and trailer short walk to the river. quiet, clean and plenty of space between camps. it was cool to see and hear the trains go by.  will definitely be back.

• 

  Laura D.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 11, 2024

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  Amazing camping

  This place is incredible! Wish we came sooner. Stunning views, several sites to choose from, some have access to the river. The road conditions are wonderful—towed a 20 ft trailer. Some spots are more open to use Starlink. Highly recommend this site. There are a few bathrooms which are very clean

• s

  sophia M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 6, 2024

  Petty Creek Road Dispersed Camping

  beautiful spot by the creek

  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!

• 

  Terri F.

  Scout

  

  May. 22, 2024

  Placid Creek Pull Off

  Primative but usable

  Open. Near creek. No amenities aside from outhouse. Rough dirt entrance. 4-5 semi designated parking spaces. More if you were cozy. Not recommended for low clearance or large vehicles

• 

  John F.

  Guide

  

  May. 12, 2024

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  Peacefulness by the river

  This is by far one of my favorite camping spots. Dispersed. Pet friendly. Quiet. Plenty of space between you and other campers. A river right by you. What more could you want? Oh and it’s right by a hot springs resort, in case you want to take a dip while you’re camping.

• 

  Andy C.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 25, 2024

  Lower Blackfoot River Dispersed - BLM - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

  Closed - but new options available

  The 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

• 

  Danielle B.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 17, 2023

  Blue Mountain Forest Rd 365 - Dispersed

  No actual camp spots

  The recreation area is nice but there’s not actually anywhere to camp unless you want to camp on the road.

• A

  Ahron B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 9, 2023

  Rock Creek Dispersed Spot - Lolo

  dispersed camping

  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.

• 

  Tee C.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 2, 2023

  Big Pine Campground

  Near river, not far from 90

  Conveniently 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.

• 

  Tee C.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 2, 2023

  Muchwater Recreation Area

  Beautiful quiet and cozy!

  This is a wonderful camping area right off of quiet rt 56 along the Clark Fork river. I only saw one other van there. It’s a nicely maintained gravel road to the campsites and there are two tracks that give you access to the river. I didn’t get any Verizon service here, however.

• K

  Kelly

  Guide

  

  Dec. 31, 2022

  Rock Creek Dispersed Spot - Lolo

  Standard

  It’s a spot to pull up and sleep for the night

• 

  Amy & Stu B.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 24, 2022

  Muchwater Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area

  Beautiful, right by the water

  Lovely dispersed camping area. Very pretty. We stayed for a night and were in good company. By the end of the day each site was filled and there were several folks driving through still looking for sites.

  They’re spaced out well from one another giving all campers lots of privacy. Very wooded with paths down to the water. We hung out on a hammock most of the day but it rained throughout the night and into the next day so I wasn’t able to snag any good photos.

  We small camper trailers, tents, single cots, and full RVs in this campground. Our site and seemingly most sites could have supported a 50 footer.

  Although a popular spot, it wasn’t loud and we didn’t really interact with other campers.

  There is a single vault toilet but no hookups. It’s dispersed camping. No water source beyond the river.

  Great spot, highly recommend. I would try to get there early to grab a spot (first come first serve.) We went late September and every spot ended up filled.

  ATT & Verizon service work well. Sites very unlevel

• N

  Nicholas

  Guide

  

  Sep. 12, 2022

  Muchwater Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area

  Great spot

  Yes, there are railroad tracks across the river, but the trains don’t use their horns here. The train noise is infrequent, brief, and mostly just a low rumbling.

  The area is large, and individual spots are gigantic by most standards. Spots have tables and fire rings with grills, and there are toilets available. Sites are flat, clear, clean, and easy to maneuver in. Road is gravel but very well maintained.

  You aren’t “on” the river, but you are on a small bluff above the river. Riverfront sites have paths down to the water, though some are steep and unstable.