Best Dispersed Camping near Polson, MT

The GPS coordinates for this place are slightly off. Look for Hungry Horse Rd and follow it 4 miles until you reach the Hungry Horse Reservoir Dam. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere along the road after the dam.

Plenty of places to pull off, the road goes for miles. There are also many established state campgrounds along the road. The sites that I saw were nothing fancy, some with fire rings and some not. I read about some places that are nicer if you take the fire roads that branch off the main road, but I came in late and just used a pull-off. I'd recommend going to the Ranger station located in Hungry Horse and ask for some dispersed camping information (The area is very large).

No services, pack in, pack out. No reliable service for Verizon.

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

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!

This is a good spot for smaller rv’s or tents but any spot I seen for rv larger than 30’ was taken or really not available. Some paid for camping spots but they were full, after dragging my 38’ rv up the road I wished that they had signs at the bottom noting all the paid for sites were full. Otherwise narrow road and no cell services.

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

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.

If your lucky, you'll get one of three epic campsites right on the river at the end of a mile gravel logging road. The road is rough, but has room at the end for a boat ramp, campsites, toilet and an overflow camping field that can accommodate several low fuss campers. Look for the sign "Blair Flats" for access.

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.

Easy to get to. Can park a decent size rv in some spots and group camp in s couple. There are only a few spots thought.

You have to “walk down” a steep drop to access the river. When it’s high don’t try or say goodbye. Train runs often across the river and will disrupt your night unless you live in Montana then you’re already used to it. The toilets are stocked but not cleaned regularly. There was a you g lonely moose crossing the river and sleeping in the camp at night during my stay. If you’re not from Montana expect those that are to be unfriendly, that’s a thing here. Fire pits are a joke and burn band are common

Details: Free up to 14 days No water or trash Easy 15 min drive to St Regis, supplies and tourists traps aplenty Expect people to just ignore you as they walk right through your site to access the river Sheep can be seen across the river sometimes Pics are better than reality Uncomfortable atmosphere

Easy to get to. Can park a decent size rv in some spots and group camp in s couple. There are only a few spots thought.

You have to “walk down” a steep drop to access the river. When it’s high don’t try or say goodbye. Train runs often across the river and will disrupt your night unless you live in Montana then you’re already used to it. The toilets are stocked but not cleaned regularly. There was a you g lonely moose crossing the river and sleeping in the camp at night during my stay. If you’re not from Montana expect those that are to be unfriendly, that’s a thing here. Fire pits are a joke and burn band are common

Details: Free up to 14 days No water or trash Easy 15 min drive to St Regis, supplies and tourists traps aplenty Expect people to just ignore you as they walk right through your site to access the river Sheep can be seen across the river sometimes Pics are better than reality Uncomfortable atmosphere

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).

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.

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

Pros: Was a decent site, nice fire pit at #2. Great view of the river. Lots of trees but still get the sun peeking through and good sun bathing on the river bank.

Cons: tree roots everywhere. Hard to find flat ground for a tent because of the roots. Gotta watch your step everywhere. Neighbors are VERY close, too close for my liking. If you don't whisper your neighbors will hear every word. Mosquitos were pretty bad. Might be a little lighter during another time of year. We were there mid-June. No wood left near the sites. If you're going to procure your own wood better be prepared to do a few hours of labor.