Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Pray? Finding a place to camp in Montana with your tent has never been easier. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Pray, Montana's most popular destinations.
This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night. Accessible - yes (toilet as well)
The Gardiner district covers the southeast part of Custer Gallatin National Forest, bordering Yellowstone National Park. Both Gardiner, MT and Cooke City, MT are within the Gardiner district.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. It also means no services (such as trash removal), and little or no facilities (such as tables, fire pits or toilets) are provided.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no services (such as trash removal), and little or no facilities (such as tables and fire pits) are provided.
Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas. You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans. Please pack out all your trash. You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 16 days. After 16 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Please use existing fire rings and avoid creating new fire rings. Contact your local district office for information on fire restrictions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Where can I disperse camp? To find out where you are allowed to disperse camp, please refer to each district's Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). These maps will show which roadways allow disperse camping and it tells you the distance you are allowed to drive off the road to camp. Please note that some roads have more limitations and restrictions than others. Please consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map or call the district office for more details. To see our Motor Vehicle Use Maps, click here.
Can I have a campfire? Please use existing sites and fire rings. Firewood permits are not needed if wood is used on the forest. If wood is transported home for personal use, you will need to purchase a firewood permit at the closest district office. This permit should be obtained prior to you gathering or transporting any wood.
Before you leave your campfire make sure is it completely out. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned; it should be cool to the touch. Stir the ashes to make sure all embers have cooled. This is very important! Many forest fires are caused by abandoned campfires that were not completely out.
The National Forest has wildfires each year. Many of these are human caused from escaped campfires in dispersed sites. Campfires are allowed unless there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. You can learn about any fire restrictions by contacting the nearest Forest Service office.
Dispersed camping means no bathrooms and no outhouses. That means extra care has to be taken in disposing of human waste. To dispose of feces, dig a hole six to eight (6-8) inches deep at least 200 feet away from any water source. When you are done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground. Do not simply cover it with a rock. It could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.
A campground in the west boulder area on the Yellowstone District. Open all year. Access is limited during the fall and winter due to snow. Access road not suitable for vehicles longer than 20'. This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night.
$12 / night
Traveler
We stayed for one night and camped in a tent. The river access was nice, as were the campsites. However, there were not many marked tent sites and there was dog poop everywhere. Other than that, it was very nice! They have 2 vault toilets.
Scout
Came in late in the rain…they had cabins available for not much more than a tent site. That was a blessing for us since we have been tent camping. Staff is very helpful and friendly!
Guide
Between the free coffee, breakfast, & hot spring access our stay was worth it. Tent sites were small, no privacy. I wish we would have had our RV. Not an ideal place to tent camp in my opinion. Near a busy (noisy) highway. Clean facilities. Staff were all friendly & helpful.
Guide
This is your average family campground with RV park and grass closely packed tent campground (like literally right on top of one another split by single pine trees). Very much like a KOA (pool, shop, WiFi, showers, laundry etc.) but half the price ($26/night for basic tent site). No fire pits, there is a picnic table for each site.
Traveler
Tent camped here. Definitely bring bear spray as this is a remote campground in the woods.
Had great availability last minute. $34 for the night. Sites 1-13 are pretty grassy and good for the tent! Site 14 was tent friendly, but it was harder to find a flat surface with no tree roots. A 2 person tent was used at site 14 and we made it work. If you have a bigger tent I would definitely go for sites 1-13 first. Each campsite had a bear locker to put food in!
Guide
The first clue of how large this campground is, is during check in. A whole row of agent's are checking campers in. Once you enter your loop however things become quiet. I stayed in a tent camping loop, where almost all campers were sleeping in their vehicles like me. The problem is, tent sites have on-loop parking, there is no driveway, so it was literally a string of parallel parked rigs on both sides of the road, and the road was sloped. Each site had a private bear locker for personal storage. Bathrooms have nice, enclosed large kitchen sink for meal clean up to prevent bear attracting smells at your site. This is a high altitude camp and was very cold (high 20s) at night. Great base for explaining Canyon country and Hayden Valley. Nearby lodge, shopping and groceries.
Guide
Currently rooftop tent camping all over Montana had stopped here for the night ran into a guy and was told this was the Last river that does not have dams and that the locals are fighting to keep it that way
TravelerAs mentioned in other reviews, trains were loud. There was also a child messing with our tent early in the morning and being super noisy. Tent camping is crowded and unorganized, but neighbors were super respectful. Something to mention with tent camping: you will NOT get a view like the plug in sites do. Nice showers and bathrooms. There is a pool that isn’t super crowded. Price was about $40/night which was high for a site with no view, and no privacy, but I understand the appeal of the pool and showers!
Guide
A private campground just north of Yellowstone national park which offers for hook ups for larger rakes as well as tent sites along the Yellowstone River. A little pricey but very convenient. We took a tent site for $30 a night for our VW van. I can’t post was nice enough to allow us to recharge our house battery in the morning while we took showers.
Scout$60 for a late check in tent site. Pass
Guide
Nice roads and huge beautiful sites. Being a small female solo tent camping I felt safe. There are lots of elk and rabbits.
GuideNice camping close to Bozeman - which is home to Montana State and a couple good microbreweries. Really liked this campground - but didn’t get enough sleep. Tent camping is nice here, some trees for wind cover and flat ground with picnic benches. But the trains roll through the entire evening, with horns sounding their arrival. Made it pretty tough to sleep. Nice amenities with a pool, showers, water, etc.
GuideGreat little KOA. Awesome views of the Absaroka range. Book early. Tent sites were great. Nice dog park, small though.
Traveler
Tent camped for 1 night. Campground was quiet and had very clean bathrooms/showers. Would definitely stay here again but pay the extra $10 for dry camp as it was pretty muddy
RangerOK this place is awesome. Great hotsprings. Greatly needed after hiking in the area. Clean rv and tent camping. Supurb staff. Lots of things to do for the kids. Free breakfast. Lots and lots to do in the town.
Traveler
The location and views were great and it’s hard to beat free. That said, this is not an ideal place for tent camping. The wind was brutal all night, one of the RVs ran their generator constantly so it was loud, and there were a lot of large rocks in the ground. It’s a great location in general, but just not ideal for a tent.
Traveler
About 7 miles west of Absarokee, 2.5 of them gravel. Sign said tent camping only but I stayed one night in my Sprinter van with no problem. Did not use vault toilet so cannot speak to its condition. Some algae near the shore of river but waded out deeper for refreshing dip.
TravelerWe stayed her for 1 night on a road trip in one of the tent sites and it was perfect. There were several options to put our tent on our site including an area covered by trees and secluded from the rest of the park. It was right on the Yellowstone River. The staff was VERY friendly!
Scout
We upgraded from a tent site to a cabin because there was a storm coming through as we were driving. We enjoyed the cabin quite a bit, and we'll do it again. We love the campground, but the traffic noise and occasional trains were quite irritating
Legend
We entered Yellowstone through the Northeast from Silver Gate Montana to avoid traffic and locate a smaller campground. Pebble Creek was great for tent camping. There are about 30 sites at this location which is best suited for tent campers or those traveling with a small camper or van. The have the toilets and fire pits. They don’t take reservations at this site. You need to be here early to get a site. The wildlife is the area is amazing. We saw plenty of bears and bison everywhere. Yellowstone did not disappoint. The summer crowds were overwhelming in some of the more popular area. I would like to come in the off-season and do some more hikes.
Traveler
A great simple campground inside Yellowstone. we were there the weekend before July 4th and found a site easily. Many of the other campgrounds had fIlled early each mornIng. There are bear proof boxes in each site for your food items, be sure to use them. Tent camping is okay, and they have nice pads to set the tents up on in the sites. There’s vault (pit) toilets and no other hook ups for RVs.
TravelerThis was our families first stay at a KOA. We really enjoyed our time. We tent camped. We had electric and water at our site, and we were just a short walk to an inflatable trampoline, a heated pool, the camp store, showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities. The staff were very helpful with anything we needed. Great campground to stay at!
Traveler
I really hated my time here. I gave 2 stars because the people are nice and the site and facilities are generally well kept. Maybe my problems were largely seasonal, I stayed in mid September. First of all the tent sites are very close to a highway which is busy with big rigs and traffic all night, there is also a train that goes off as it nears. While I was here next door was also construction that had vehicles beeping early in the morning. Sleeping here was rough, I woke up from noise at all hours. The other main issue for me was the bugs. They were on EVERYTHING (pictured), again, maybe a seasonal issue. The tent sites are also under these trees that drop sticky leaves all over the site and leave a sticky residue all over your car and tent. RV camping here is probably much better because it's quieter and not so close to the road. I would recommend, at least in this season, spending a little more and going to the hot springs campground.
LegendPebble Creek is a cool little campground that because of it's location in Yellowstone National Park, it offers a much different experience compared to most of the other campgrounds in the park, ie, it's more like just being in the mountains, and it's also off the beaten (heavily beaten) tourist path.
There are bears in the area though, so be careful, especially in tents (sometimes they won't even allow tent camping here)
Guide
Tent camping sites are snug and offer no privacy. Scenic spot high above the river. Bathrooms clean, showers without timer. Right on highway but little traffic and quiet at night. Good overnight if you plan to explore Mammoth and Lamar Valley. Typically I'm traveling by motorhome so I always check out the sites....this campground had tight RV sites, no privacy, generous hook ups.
GuideNo light or noise pollution. We heard wolves and moose during the night. No flush toilets or showers, but those are available in the center of the park at guest services. Smaller RV and tent sites. No generators allowed and no electricity. Fires were allowed in rings. Located in a forested part of north Yellowstone Park
ScoutBeautiful sunsets, clean bathrooms and laundry room. We tent camped and the grounds are beautiful. Fun little hike behind the campground to see the hills and valley. Pool is great, does get busy in the middle of the day. It does have a lot of road noise and trains but I love the train sounds so it isn’t an issue for us. Friendly and kind staff, overall wonderful campground if you want to be close to Bozeman.
Tent camping near Pray, Montana offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in stunning natural landscapes while enjoying a variety of outdoor activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Pray, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Pray, MT is Travertine Road Dispersed - Yellowstone with a 4.5-star rating from 31 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Pray, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 59 tent camping locations near Pray, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
