Best Dispersed Camping near Plains, MT

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Plains

39 Reviews of 17 Plains Campgrounds

• J

  Jason S.

  Ranger

  

  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.

• 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.

• 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).

• F

  Frederick R.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Dispersed Site on St. Joe River Rd

  Free spot right by the river

  Found 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.

• 

  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!

• 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.

• 

  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

• 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.

• 

  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!

• 

  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

• 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

• 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.

• 

  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.

• 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!

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 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!

• 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.

• 

  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.