Best Dispersed Camping near Plains, MT

Recent Dispersed Reviews near Plains, Montana

39 Reviews of 17 Plains Campgrounds

• 

  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

• 

  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.

• 

  Josh S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 26, 2024

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Quiet open site on the river

  Dispersed 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!

• 

  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.

• 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!

• b

  brett M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 18, 2024

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Dispersed, nice

  Pulled off, quickly found decent dispersed site. A bit buggy, no mosquitoes though. Great night sleep until OHVers came screaming through early

• K

  Katherine S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 6, 2023

  Clark Fork River

  Clark Fork River

  Beautiful secluded site with view of the river. Easily can fit multiple rigs. I have xfinity mobile and had 3-4 bars the whole time.

• 

  Sarah C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2018

  Muchwater Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area

  Nice primitive camp

  Most sites have river access. This is bear country so plan accordingly. No water available. Pack in, pack out. The road is somewhat close and train tracks across the river. Not really secluded but nice for a night or two.

• 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.

• 

  The Wandering Shores ..

  Guide

  

  Aug. 26, 2022

  Muchwater Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area

  Amazing Free Camping in Montana

  We loved our time here at Muchwater. As people have mentioned before the only real drawback is the trains on the other side of the river. During our 12 day stay her we averaged about 6-10 per day. A couple of times they rolled thru at 2am but all the positives outweigh getting woken up a few times. 

  Very easy access, two pit toilets in the camping area. Plenty of spots to pick from and not very busy during our stay. State route 135 currently has construction just outside the campground so there are often cars backed up for as long as 20minutes at a time. You get a little road noise but nothing that is too bad. I imagine when the construction is finished you won't even hear the road. 

  Couple items to mention if you are planning to stay for a while. It has been pretty difficult to find potable water in the area. The"free spring" just south of Paradise has been turned off as of August 2022 and locals say it is unlikely to be turned back on. Closest gas is down in St. Regis(about 15 minute drive). Closest Grocery is in Plains(about 20 minute drive). 

  No Verizon or Tmobile but had a nice spot on the river that gave us great Starlink service. 

  We have also done a video review for our Youtube Channel if you want to check it out. https://youtu.be/ZmWOcAWBiHg

• J

  Julia R.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 11, 2024

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Easy, peaceful and beautiful

  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).

• 

  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.

• J

  Jason S.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 21, 2024

  Cliff Creek Campground Primitive Dispersed

  Great location near the Hiawatha trail

  This is primitive off grid camping. No services, no water, no tables, just a bathroom in a field with a few campsites around it near the creek. Great location to stay if you're doing the Hiawatha trail and want to camp in the area. The busses picking up hiawatha trail users go right by the campground multiple times a day in the summer.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  Quinn Z.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 29, 2020

  Muchwater Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area

  Right off the highway, near the river, free, can be noisy.

  I stayed here back in May. Decent stretch of campsites nestled between the road and the river. Toilets and firepits available. Some sites are closer to the road and you can hear the cars, others are right up against the river. It was pretty popular when I was there so I had a spot at the end that was both near the road and the river. Irrespective of road or river, be ready to hear the trains rolling through in the night. The track is just on the other side of the river and they are loud. I like the sound of trains, but if you're noise-sensitive, this might not be the campground for you.

  Lots of smaller downed trees when I was there. Still fresh, so not ideal firewood, but we still gave it a go.

  Nothing all that special, but definitely works and costs zero. Can't argue with that.

• 

  Tricia S.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 2, 2024

  Clark Fork River

  Fantastic!

  The further you drive on the road the closer you can get to the river! There are some pit toilets too! Absolutely beautiful!

• 

  Maui F.

  Guide

  

  May. 29, 2024

  Clark Fork River

  Clark River peninsula

  Great spot there’s three to the right off train bridge and a lot on the left side of it I pulled into first on from left. Had 3-4 bars of Verizon cell service.

• J

  Jason C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 18, 2024

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Chillin

  Great location. Road is in great shape. All the sights are great.

• A

  Audrey L.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 26, 2024

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Peaceful and Beautiful!

  I 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.

• M

  Meaghan M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2023

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Beautiful spot right by the river

  Beautiful site right next to the river.

• T

  Tracen P.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 12, 2023

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Great spot close to town

  Stayed here on our way through headed back to Bozeman, Great spot with plenty of room for activities campers, tents, hammocks, and friends. Lots of room for multiple campers. Verizon and Atnt had service the whole time, close to Highway, and railroad so not super quite spot. But overall great overnight pullover spot!

• 

  Olivia E.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 20, 2024

  Dispersed Site - Lolo National Forest Recreation Area

  Liked it a lot!

  Turn 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

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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