Are you planning a tent camping trip to Pompeys Pillar? We've got you covered. The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Pompeys Pillar campsites are perfect for tent campers.
Please call the local BLM Office for current recreation site conditions and restrictions. Howrey Island Trail is damaged from river flooding. Travel at your own risk Howrey Island Recreation Area consists of approximately 592 BLM-administered acres and is in the floodplain of the Yellowstone River. This is a 'Pack In, Pack Out' area and all garbage must be removed. Some road sections may be closed due to high river flows or to protect habitat. The entire area is open to walk-in visitation, regardless of conditions. Overnight camping is permitted. No fireworks are allowed. Be mindful of seasonal and area fire restrictions.
Guide
We needed an easy stop crossing from WA to the Midwest. When we arrived, a number of sites were being used, but they were just there for the day. We loved our spacious spot with an amazing view of the river. Few bugs in September. We backtracked the next morning to explore Pompey's Pillar National Monument.
ScoutWe stayed October 7&8 2023 and it's a good place to boondock. No services. A couple of fire pits. The pit toilet is far from the camping, so don't rely on it. This area was flooded a few years ago so rocks are everywhere. A nice 1 1/2 mile trail runs around the island. People take boats in and out at differing hours so there is some traffic, but is fairly quiet except for the train whistles which I enjoy but some may not. Tried to get coffee in town at the gas station, but the town's water supply is not working and no one knows when it will be repaired. Not sure if this is due to the flood a couple of years ago? We plan to return soon.
Scout
Great place to pull off to get some rest at drive up campsites. The road right before getting to the park was washboard like (late Sept. 2024). Can drive quite a ways down but make sure your vehicle has Clearance cause the dirt road gets rough.
GuideDidnt camp but stopped to cook lunch, seems fine for tent or car camp, theres a few old picknick tables and an outhouse toilet. A few boaters at the boat ramp and one small area to get down to the river for dip (beware fast rapid spots), or use pier for fishing. No bites after a few casts but wasnt planning to stay as it was 92 degrees with not much shade.
Legend
Got on around 7pm and the office was closed. Easy night procedures. Still able to access the mini golf and pool. Kids had a blast with both and the playground. Nice full hook up back in spot. A little pricey for a quick turn but nice neighbors and great amenities. Just wish campground were open later.
Scout
New owners have been here about a year and you can see all of the new improvements! Cute store! Vending machines in the laundromat, one of the offers ice cream, and frozen food. 2 Huge dog parks and pet wash. Bathrooms are clean and staff is very friendly..
TravelerThere are only four spots to camp here but they are large and grassy. Each of them faces the river with a firepit and a table. There is a vault toilet near the boat launch. The spots are relatively secluded. The Yellowstone River is a fast moving and dangerous ricer but there is a great swimming hole on the other side of the boat launch. It’s easy to get to the campsites. There is a train track near by. LOTS of cool bird activity.
Guide
We reserved for a night but wished we could have stayed longer. Very clean bathrooms and laundry. The sites were a bit close together but it was not full and they spaced us out. The full hookup was fantastic. The sites level. They allowed us to let our hunting dog run in the open fields. Also loved that they let their Christ light shine with a cross on the hill next to our great flag and country’s symbol of freedom.
Guide
Decent pit stop if you’re traveling through. Sites are nothing fancy, a bit over priced. Restaurant is not open Sunday or Monday.
Scout
Tent camping here is not very private. You basically pitch a tent in the middle of a bunch of RVs with very little tree cover. Also, we were in T1 and near the bathrooms which made it so people would cut through our campsite often.
That being said all the facilities are very nice and the staff as well.
Tent campers beware but not that ware.
Scout
This camground was fairly quiet. Close to town. Only issue with this campground is how they have sites marked. Took a little bit to figure out the site markers for tent camping. They have little concrete circles on the ground with numbers. After we figured that out it was easy to get set up and paid.
Scout
Other places along the river had too many people for my liking stayed here no one else right place for my dog to Rome nice breeze did have Bug issues
TravelerGreat spot short drive into Billing’s but in the countryside
Ranger
The Custer fishing access site was closed for no reason so I found this spot about 30 miles from billings. Only about seven or eight pull in sights and not very large. I have a 28 ft total length and there were only one or two spots that would work. Only two spots I could find right on the Big Horn river, but a beautiful and Serene location. One Vault toilet and a couple of garbage cans in one locale. No cellular service whatsoever.
GuideFortunately, there is good signage guiding you in here from the frontage road. If there wasn’t, one would almost feel as though they were driving onto someone’s property as opposed to public land.
I loved this place because it was close enough to I94 to feel convenient but far enough away that the noise from the freeway wasn’t bothersome although it’s so peaceful here, you can still hear the road. But you’re hearing it from a distance. It’s far from overpowering.
We were lucky enough to get the site under this truly massive tree that was likely here when captain clark was on his expedition. The pics don’t do justice to its size but use my camper for comparison. Haha
Sites are well spread apart. Fire rings and picnic tables at each. FYI, there is no place nearby to purchase firewood. Stop in Miles City or Billings on your way in depending on the direction you’re coming from if you need it.
You do have to have a MT Conservation License to stay here. They out of state variety that I had to purchase was $10 and is good for an entire year at this and any other location in the state that requires it. The good news is that the sign board at the campground has a QR code on it and I had three bars of Verizon to do it from the campsite.
No one ever came through to check if I had it, but one would have to understand that they do maintain these places to some degree and that maintenance has a cost.
We saw several geese. Heard several wild turkeys but never saw them. And we were greeted with an amazing sunrise right before we set out on our way.
Definitely recommend this place if you’re traveling I94. Would most definitely stay again.
TravelerA Montana State Parks Conservation Permit is now required to camp here. Don't know if they enforce that requirement. Here's the link. Your permit is good all year.
https://ols.fwp.mt.gov/landing_input
This is a great spot. I was here on a week night very quiet. Only one other couple. Lots of birds. You can see where the beavers have been at work felling trees on they way in. Wild turkeys were pretty vocal last evening.
Easy to imagine Capt. William Clark floating past in 1806 in his lashed together canoes on his way to the Missouri to rejoin Capt. Merriweather Lewis.
It is actually a fishing access point with boat ramp. A little slow going in on the dirt road. Could be slick if rainy. There are 4 campsites with fire rings and a pit toilet at the far end.
Length limit on vehicles is 20 feet. They clarify 20 ft tow vehicle and 20 ft trailer. Don't know how strict they are on this. It would be tough to get anything big in here anyway. You can stay here up to 7 days.
TravelerVery clean and well organized. Good showers and grassy strips between site.
Guide10 spots full hook up
Guide
Not sure this is an actual campsite
GuideThe Google map directed me to the park. I couldn't see how to park nor could I determine if it was pay to stay
Guide
Quiet. Close to the musselshell river. Some town traffic. Non camping traffic.
LegendThis interesting little campground (CG) was right off I-94. You pull up to the self-check-in kiosk(for better words) adjacent to the restaurant to get your envelope to pay for the site. There is a drop box to deposit your envelope after completed. We had called a month earlier about RV reservations, but they only had a couple of campers come in the two days we were there; maybe in the summer months, you would need reservations. They had one long-termer. A few truckers overnighted on the far side of the property in a large parking lot. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so we called the number on the board, which is the owners, to let them know we were here and would like reservations at the restaurant on Tuesday since we were staying here for two nights, but as this was off-season and not the weekend, we didn’t need them. There are 20 sites here; if you would share utilities and drive in opposite directions, otherwise there are 10 sites. The sewer connection on site 8 was more flat to the ground, so we backed into that FHU site. In the first 4 sites, the sewer connection is about 4 to 6 inches above the ground. There’s a large grass area so that you could pull in like a pull-through, but your utilities would be on the opposite side unless you chose site 1. The utilities are pretty much in the center of these hard-packed grass sites with some gravel mixed in. All the sites are in a straight line parallel to I-94 with a large field/parking lot for the restaurant in front, which made backing a breeze. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi, and there was no problem with the electric or sewer as they looked new. We got 4 bars on Verizon, and there’s a clear shot of the sky in any direction, as there are no trees or obstacles. There are no picnic tables, firepits, or WiFi. The majority of CG reviews on this place stated that the highlight of this place was the Fort at 49 Restaurant, which is open Tue- Sat. They used to be open for lunch Wed-Sat, but are not anymore, just dinner from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. The restaurant utilizes a chalk menu with about 8 items, with 4 of the items being weekly special rotations. The wife and husband(Becky and Dave, who were delightful hosts), owners of the restaurant and CG, are both professional chefs and actually met in culinary school in Texas. Dave does most of the cooking, and Becky attends the bar and tables. The restaurant has a full-service bar with a decent wine selection, which features a local winery, Yellowstone, that uses grapes from Oregon. We tried two different Yellowstone red blends, and they were both very good and well-priced for a restaurant. The food was really, really good and worth the stay. Other than that, there is nothing special about this RV park, nor is the town of Custer. We’d overnight here again but would make sure to stay on a night the restaurant was open.
GuideI am usually pretty doubtful about booking privately run campgrounds and try to mostly avoid them. However, this place was the exception to that rule. The place is pristine, nicely landscaped and it’s obvious they work hard to keep it looking so welcoming. All sites are pull thru with full hookup. Plenty of open area to get out and walk. We travel with 2 large dogs and the campground has excellent places to walk dogs. They also don’t mind your dog off leash if outside the “fenced”area. The store sells homemade food items and the welcoming free ice cream bars are a thoughtful and yummy touch. Ice can be purchased in the store. Bathrooms are exceptionally clean. Showers hot with good water pressure. Laundry facilities- 3 washing machines, 3 dryers which did become a high demand while we were there. One reviewer complained bitterly about the train keeping him awake. I’m a light sleeper and had no trouble sleeping. If I had found it troubling I believe our rv fan/a/c would “cover” the train sound. The sunsets are beautiful. This campground was a relaxing way to “recharge” after a long day. Peaceful and restful.
ScoutGreat park! We stayed 2 nights. Close to Little Big Horn National Memorial ( must see). The couple running it are so kind, love being escorted to our spot. Bathrooms and shower were super clean
RangerSuch a nice campground. The husband and wife team were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They gave us a token for free ice cream. The Wi-Fi and cell data worked well. Nice views.
TravelerWe stayed 3 nights amazing views Wi-Fi works good
Guide7/13/-7/14/2023:
We stayed 1-night. It is a quiet park with a lot of space where the RV camp sites are not identified. Instead, there are open grass spaces between trees to park even the largest of RV’s. We had no trouble finding adequate space for our 34’ fifth-wheel trailer. There is a water faucet near the restroom and another at the far end of the campground. There are two restrooms but one was closed with an outhouse blocking its entrance. The other was pretty dirty, had a flush toilet but no door on the stall, and although there is running water a sign above the sink states“NON POTABLE WATER NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION”. There is a large dumpster near the restrooms and I only saw one stone fire pit in the park although there may be others. There is a sign warning of the potential of falling branches. The campsite is free, but there is a sign asking for donations, which we did.
Although the restroom was pretty sketchy (I wouldn’t use it) it was otherwise a nice little park and we would stay there again. Just FYI, the name of the campsite shown in searches come up with a few variations of Cow Belles Corral: Compendium and The Dyrt show the name with Belles, Google with Bells, the Musselshell County website as both Belles and Bells, and sign entering the campground as Cowbelles Corral campground. Verizon wireless had 5G: 4-bars, 4G: 4-bars and 4G throughput measured 22.6Mbps down and 12.7Mbps up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Pompeys Pillar, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Pompeys Pillar, MT is Pompeys Pillar FAS with a 3.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Pompeys Pillar, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
