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There are many opportunities for dispersed camping on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
Forest-wide stay limit: Camping in an area, campsite, or developed campground is limited to 16 accumulated days within any 30 day period.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: https://www.campendium.com/camping/boondocking-101/
Guide
For a dispersed BLM camping area, this is lovely. Plenty of sites that each have a picnic table and long gravel spot to park an RV. There’s a cute little river and some interesting rock features. Close to the freeway so an excellent stop for a night spot.
GuideThis place looks like a paid campground, only free! All the spots have a picnic table, fire pit and bear box. The mountain views all all around you are gorgeous. Some other folks camping here went trout fishing - so that's an option. Only downside is that my dogs had some trouble walking on the gravel.
GPS: 45.702416, -112.736869
Scout
The road to this location is closed, the bridge is out. There is no access.
Traveler
We were looking for an easy dispersed site to stay at while visiting a friend in Bozeman. This was an easy option for us with a 20ft camper. We stayed at the first pull off a few minutes off the main road. This site was easily accessible, right off the main road, close to town and close to some hikes.
GuideBlm camping on the big hole river, montana, free up to 16 days. About 15 spots. Boat ramp, fishing hiking fire pits, no wood available.
Guide
This is an amazing camp spot that is almost almost to the top of the trail to fairy Lake campground. There’s an established firing, and there’s room for multiple vehicles.
Traveler
We stayed here for a few days off one of the main trail head. There are not many sites off the main trail head and we’re all full when we arrived.
We have a 25ft off road travel trailer and attempted to go down two side trail heads. The further one was so bad we had to back all the way out. The closest side trail head was slightly better. We made down the road. However there wasn’t many sites here as well. There was maybe 3-4 sites along this whole trail head. We needed up stay in a pull in a valley early on in this trail head
RangerThis was an ok stay outside of Bozeman. The coordinates took me to a spot which was occupied but looked like the only spot on that stretch of road. It began to get extremely rutted and I didn’t want to push any farther after that spot. I camped in what looked to be a dispersed campsite that they closed off
GuideLots of open space and locations to pull out--beautiful views as well! To access this place we went towards Copper City Trail Head, and drove by the entrance onto BLM lands. Also, note that this place seems common for mountain bikers and trail bikers, so you'll likely run into a few of those. Also also, this place is DRY--so be sure to bring your own water (but on the plus side, no bugs!!)
TravelerGorgeous campsite only 20ish min from the outskirts of Bozeman. Stopped in for 1 night passing through on a bigger road trip and couldn’t be luckier with this location. Fire rings at all campsites. Very quite road. Level ground for car camping. Would 100% come back just for this gem.
ScoutPlenty of pull out sites with some scattered man made fire rings. Secluded quiet and great views
GuideGreat spot right on parts of the trial! It’s open and you can see miles in each direction. No shade, no bathrooms, but most have man made fire pits.
ScoutFew sites, best suited for smaller campers. Beautiful area. OHV and horseback riding.
Scout
Only 5 min from highway on a smooth road, spacious with vistas and private. Best yet
ScoutIt is easy to get to and very nice views. We did have a creepy experience. Three trucks drove by our spot and parked just staring at us and would leave. They did this 3 times before we decided to pack up and go elsewhere. Also saw a bunch of bear poop. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going back.
ScoutThe gate was closed when we went. We were also in an RV that doesn't do great with snow so we were going out to turn around anyway. Found a spot in the town of Bozeman. Would be great to know when these gates are open or closed though.
ScoutThe spot was close to the highway - lots of potential spots - some “locals” who seem to live out there and run generators 24/7 - we had no problem and got a good night sleep to carry on our journey.
There are MTB OHV and walking trails nearby.
GuideMy partner and I stayed here in September. It wasn’t the easiest spot to find, but we stayed two nights and nothing happened to our tent set up while we took the car to go hiking for a whole day. Definitely busier than I expected, especially with the condition of the road; we had multiple cars coming down the road we were on and then they would turn around and come back but it wasn’t obnoxious. The sight we stayed at actually had been moved across the road from its original site so the car was a little further away than it normally is but it was still a quality site to stay at.
TravelerAbout 25 minutes from downtown Bozeman. There’s more spots available up this FS road and the FS roads off-shooting from it, like FS 3164, so explore your options. Quite and very pretty views, road is easily navigable.
Legend
This campsite is right off the exit, but not very noisy. There were several other campers and RVs and trucks there. Even just parts of cars. Kinda a weird vibe, but down the various 2 tracks, there are hidden sites that afford some shade and privacy. I got 3-4 bars LTE of Verizon here! Plenty of fire pits and access to a couple lakes. And it’s only about 8 miles from Butte!
Legend
Only 3 miles from the highway, this campsite is at the end of a well maintained, slightly rutted gravel road. It’s wide enough for trailers.
Along the road, there are a handful of pull offs that are big enough for an RV to pull into.
The coordinates bring you to an open gravel lot with nice clean pit toilets. There’s a creek nearby. Big beautiful rocks, some shade, pretty epic views on the way in. Beautiful!
No cell service, unfortunately. Another con is that there’s another road that goes in further, but it’s narrow and eroded. I attempted it in my campervan, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and parked in the open lot instead.
GuideAttempted to visit this site but it was closed off. It looks like the road is unpassable due to deep mud. Hopefully it opens later in the season.
We ended up staying on the side of the road at a pullout just up the road. We also also other campers parked along the road.
TravelerIt’s easy to get to and there aren’t bad potholes. No problem getting there without 4 wheel drive. I was able to find a pretty private campground by going a little further then the initial parking area.
ScoutWe pulled in for the night on a whim. Nice spot, the road was a little wash boarded. Just made a quick stop off the highway. Nice and quiet.
ScoutFollowed this road up a few miles and found the perfect camp spot.
ScoutThere’s a big area that had a dozen RVs & tents, but it was late & we wanted space so we followed a rough dirt road 1/2 a mile to find a spot in the trees. The Homestake Trailhead down the road has a bathroom. We did have a weird experience: a truck camped near us with two people who openly watched us the entire morning & followed us to the trailhead before driving on.
TravelerI went a little further up the mountain than the coordinates (about 5 miles) and found a spot off the road (4wd highly recommended, no big rigs). The mountains were pink and purple at sunrise, awesome views! I went for a little walk in the woods and saw a black bear (keep your food and trash stored safe!) No amenities of course but most sites have a fire ring already there. It's about 20-30 minutes outside of Bozeman, MT. Happy camping!
Camping near Pony, Montana, offers a mix of stunning landscapes and unique experiences. Whether you're looking for a quiet spot to unwind or an adventure-filled getaway, this area has something for everyone.
Camping near Pony, Montana, is a fantastic way to enjoy the great outdoors. With a variety of campgrounds and activities, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Pony, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Pony, MT is Homestake Pass Dispersed with a 3.9-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Pony, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 19 dispersed camping locations near Pony, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
