Best Campgrounds near Red Lodge, MT

This is in the middle of nowhere off 6 Mi of unpaved road, the last two of which are really not good. Claims this is at the base of the Beartooth mountains there at least three miles away. Host claims they would meet me and provide clear directions. They did not, GPS does not work out here, and I got lost while trying to find the place although eventually found it by chance. I tried calling the host twice for help in finding the location and got voicemail both times. Nice scenery but very far from anything and 40 minutes to Red Lodge. If I had known the road would be this bad I would have done dispersed camping closer to Red Lodge and taken a chance which I did here. The road was so bad even though I was doing five to seven miles an hour that it knocked the base off my jack, and knocked off one of my Snappads. Going to complain to hit camp and ask for my money back even though it wasn't that much because the host is not existent and non-communicative.

We were able to haul our 45-ft fifth wheel and find level ground. There are some additional locations to park higher on the hill but the road to get there is a little more rough. I've seen smaller camper vans but we couldn't haul our big rig up there. We boondocked here all week. Not far from Yellowstone and the town of Cody with amenities. The sheep mountain hiking trailhead is right here and lots of off-roading trails for single and double track. Great views. It was rainy and windy half the time we were here (late May). The roads were dirt but still solid and well maintained. Some of the hiking and OHV trails got muddy up on the mountain.

This review is from an overnight or short stay perspective. While planning our Alaska adventure, we came across some glowing reviews of this campground (CG) and were happy to say it lived up to the hype. Its incredibly easy to find just off I-90. If you're heading west, you’ll take a right off I-90 and be there in seconds. Coming from the east, its a left turn, but keep in mind theres a 13' 9" overpass. That's fine for most rigs, but with our Brinkley G3500 and it's high-profile A/C units, it would've been a tight squeeze. Thankfully, we were coming from the west, so no issue. We had booked Site 4 online, and since this isn't a huge CG, it was easy to spot our long gravel pull-through with full hookups. The utility connections were thoughtfully centered on the pad, making setup a breeze. As we were getting settled, we were greeted by Jerad. He welcomed us warmly and mentioned the$10 one-time pet fee, which we hadn't noticed when we booked(it was a while ago). That fee includes a handy little poop bag holder with a built-in flashlight a fun and useful touch for dog owners. Water pressure was a solid 50 psi. We had 4 bars each on both Verizon and T-Mobile, and the CG Wi-Fi clocked in at 26.5 Mbps down and 11.9 Mbps up, pretty solid for a small CG. The sites are nicely spaced for a private park, with lush grass between pads and newer picnic tables. While there isn't a designated dog area, there's some green space to walk your pup, and the town itself is charming and very walkable. We had a great chat with Jerad and Ivy, the CG's new owners as of November 2024. They were both welcoming and genuinely interested in feedback, something you don't always see. They're already working on bathhouse and laundry upgrades, and it’s clear they’re passionate about making this a top-notch stop for travelers. Yes, you'll hear some highway and occasional train noise, but it didn't bother us. For an overnight stop, this place hit all the marks to include walking distance to the Waterhole Saloon with good drinks& food—you get a 10% discount on food and drinks when you mention you're staying at the campground. And with fishing access just up the road and more local exploring to do, we'd definitely consider a longer stay next time.