Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Red Lodge? Camping with horses is a beautiful way to experience nature. These scenic and easy-to-reach Montana campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
Emerald Lake is in the West Rosebud drainage and is nestled in the trees between Emerald Lake and West Rosebud Lake. West Rosebud Trail (#19), Pine Grove Campground, Emerald Lake Fishing Access and West Rosebud Lake Fishing Access are also located in the West Rosebud drainage.There is a 16 day maximum stay in all Beartooth Ranger District campgrounds. For a road map of the area, with locations of campgrounds, please see our Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM).Camp sites: 32Host: NoMax trailer length: 30ftAccessible Facilities: ToiletTrash Pickup: Centrally located Bear resistant dumpsterFirewood: No. Don't move firewood to other areas or bring in outside firewood. Prevent the spread of tree-killing insects by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it there.Reservations:No Reservations: This campground does not use a reservation system; it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware that the campground is very popular and may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months. You should arrive early to ensure there is a space available for the night. There is a 16 day stay limit. Some sites are equipped with bear resistant food storage lockers.This campground is maintained from approximately Memorial Day to Labor Day (call district office for exact season dates). During these dates there is a fee to stay in the campground (listed below).Outside of the peak summer dates (Memorial Day- Labor Day), the campground remains ungated, free, and available for use (no services, not maintained, roads are not plowed). If you visit outside the peak fee season, please bring your own water, toilet paper (outhouse will remain open), and please pack out your trash.Directions from district office:Drive north on US Hwy 212 for 2.1 miles and turn left (west) onto MT-78. Drive 30.0 miles and turn left (west) onto MT-419 towards Fishtail. Drive 4.4 miles (through Fishtail) and turn left (south) onto West Rosebud Rd. Drive 6.5 miles and turn left (south) to continue on West Rosebud Rd. Drive 12.4 miles to the campground, on the left.Information:Beartooth Ranger District6811 US Hwy 212Red Lodge, MT 59068(406) 446-2103
Meyers Creek Cabin is located within the Meyers Creek Work Center in Custer National Forest at an altitude of 5,646 feet. The cabin offers opportunities to enjoy relaxation and recreation in beautiful surroundings. It is reservable from May through November. The cabin is accessible by vehicle. 4-wheel drive is recommended during wet weather.
Trails crisscross the area, including the Meyers Creek and Lodgepole Creek Trails. This area offers recreation for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. Horse facilities are available at the cabin. Anglers can fish for rainbow and brown trout in nearby creeks.
The cabin is situated in the western end of the Beartooth Mountains and surrounded by pastures, which are used for grazing cattle. Roses, irises, rhubarb and lilacs grow around the dwelling. The surrounding slopes are covered in pine, aspen and sagebrush, with wildflowers blooming in the summer. This area supports a large bear population ( bear safety ). Bighorn sheep, elk, deer and a variety of bird species also inhabit the mountainous terrain in the Beartooth Ranger District.
The Stillwater River Trailhead, with access to the Absaroka/Beartooth Wilderness, is 16 miles south of the cabin.
$90 / night
West Bridger Cabin is open-year round for the enjoyment of outdoor enthusiasts. Guests have access to a variety of recreational activities in a beautiful, peaceful mountain setting. The cabin in generally accessible by car, but spring and winter road conditions may limit access. Snow conditions can preclude wheeled vehicles for up to the last mile to the cabin in the winter. The cabin features an electric cooking stove and lights, but other amenities are limited. Guests will need to bring MOST of their own gear and supplies.
Hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails and roads heading west from the cabin ascend into the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains and dip into the Deer Creek valley. The 8-mile Derby Mountain Trail starts at the cabin and takes hikers around the east side of Derby Mountain, ending at Arch Rock. Casual anglers may catch a fish in West Bridger Creek. In-season, big game hunting in designated areas is also a popular pastime.
West Bridger Cabin is nestled in a valley along West Bridger Creek. It sits at an altitude of 4,847 feet in a clearing surrounded by the Beartooth Mountains, some of which are densely forested with evergreens, while others have sparse vegetation. This area is home to moose, mule deer, elk and grizzly bear. Birders may spot bald eagles, owls, Stellar's jays, western meadowlarks and mountain bluebirds.
$75 / night
Guide
Stayed 7-31-24
Everything you expect from a standard KOA + Free pancakes.
Guide
Stayed one night late March. The road in wasn’t terrible, a little rutted past the gate up to the cabin, but easy enough to manage. It was quite cold when we arrived, and we started a fire pretty quickly. The cabin has an electric stove, small fridge and freezer, and a couple small lamps and even a toaster and coffee maker. The cabin is quite drafty and we struggled to keep it warm. We pinned a sheet up in the doorway to keep the heat contained in the sleeping area, and that helped considerably.
GuideWe didn't get to spend a ton of time here, just one night, but it's a pretty standard KOA. All the things you'd expect, like the activities and lodging options. We stayed in a kamping kabin and got a queen+ bunk beds version which I wasn't expecting. We had thought we had the queen-bed only. There wasn't much to be done about it as everything was booked. The bathrooms were clean and the dishwashing station was well maintained. The pool looked nice but we didn't get a chance to test it out. The tent sites along the side of the property were shaded and looked nice, but the ones in the middle were pretty basic with no trees.
TravelerStayed two nights after YNP. Sites gravel, level, hook ups good. The pool was closed for cleaning after some flooding when we arrived, but had it open very soon. Grandkids liked the pool.
Quite at night.
Nice place for a few days.
Showers and rest rooms clean and good.
GuideVery clean KOA with a pool for kids. Offers shuttle to nightly rodeo in town. Lots of BIG RVs with pull through spaces. They actually had a pretty good area for tents too.
GuideOkay park with nice staff. Not to far of a bike ride to Cody. There is a bus that goes to the rodeo every night, but we stayed in the hot tub and pool. Cool little lake just up the road too. Great place to chill for a couple of days.
GuideNeeded to be back on the grid for a few days and this is a great place to do it. Fast internet, nice spots, and pretty empty this time of year. Very worth it.
Guide
The cabin was great. Beds were comfortable, had all dishware needed plus cleaning supplies. If you have horses bring long hose. The hydrant is located about 115 away, no water tanks. It is located at the start of a trail. You will have a small amount of traffic
Ranger
Lots of campsites most in the woods with only a few next to the creek between the two lakes. I got there on Saturday at 3 pm and there were only 2 spots open. With the final gone within 30 minutes. Bathroom are a little far from the sites and don’t smell great but most of the sites have campers or RVs with many people spending the night to hike up to mystic or kayak in emerald lake.
RangerSites are extremely close. There are no trees. Hook ups for RVs are adequate. The pool area is the highlight with 2 pools (one kiddie) and a hot tub. All very clean. The basketball area is very nice too but too hot to play for us today. There’s a playground, large outdoor chess and scrabble.
The store is small but packed with a lot of souvenirs mostly. I didn’t use the restroom on my stay. The game room looked a bit worse for the wear. Free pancakes in the morning, but the kids weren’t interested. I’m gluten free so no pancakes for me.
GuideThe staff is awesome and they have a nice pool. Other than that, it’s lots of dirt, gravel, and weeds.
GuideWe loved it here. It rained a few of the days, but it was nice to get out of the heat in town. We still got to try out our new paddle boards on the lake and it was such a nice place to try them out for the first time. The lake isn’t very deep so it’s great for paddle boards, kayaks and fishing. The campground was clean. The spots were really nice, not a lot of spots for RVs our size 28ft, but we found one. We got to the campground on a Thursday, by Friday evening all the RV spots seemed to be taken. It cleared out almost completely by Sunday.
TravelerWe liked this campground. Friendly staff. Smooth check in. Bathrooms were clean!! Sites not to private. Plenty for kids to do. Free pancakes every morning(juice,sausage, etc extra). Overall, enjoyed our stay.
TravelerIt's everything you expect from a KOA. Nothing missed. Had a windstorm during the stay, tent campers were put up in the game room.
Scouti go here every year so beautiful
GuideThis is one of the best camping cabins for equestrians that I found so far in Montana. Getting from the main road into the cabin can be a bit tricky for vehicles over 30 feet. This cabin has plenty of room to sleep 6. There are Corrals for horses and pasture. And the trails into the forest service are endless in a couple different directions. There is also a vault toilet for day travelers. The cabin has electricity and running water a fire ring and it's also close to a creek. The only down holes are mosquitoes and you cannot overnight camp only rent the cabin so if you're planning a trip you need to plan and Reserve this cabin in advance as it goes really fast every year.
GuideThis is one of my favorite places to camp with horses. There is a 40 acre pasture fenced to turn horses in with a creek running through it. There is also a nice little Corral if you have any horse that doesn't get along with other animals or one that you can't catch very easily. There are several places to ride. It's a bit of a tight squeeze to get a big horse trailer in there I would not recommend anything much over 30 feet. If you go a few miles up the road you can go to the trailhead that allows you to go on up to Deer Creek cabin. We rent the two cabins often park at the lower cabin and ride our horses up to the Deer Creek cabin and stay . you cannot drive to the Deer Creek cabin itself only to the trailhead
GuideStayed in teepee for 2 nights. Has fan and heater. must bring own sheets blankets and pillows. Overall good night sleep. Park is all gravel, thus neighbor driving at 4am around makes a bit of noise. Airport is next door too. Had an enjoyable stay
TravelerThis was a nice little overnight stay on our way to the Grand Tetons. The site we stayed in had a nice cement patio complete with sturdy chairs to relax on. The site was also very long allowing us to keep our Jeep hooked up for the night. I will say the sites are close together, but not unusually close for a KOA. The grounds were well maintained and was an overall nice atmosphere. Connectivity was good. T-Mobile was the winner on speed with about 6 Mbps, but Verizon and AT&T also had a strong signal.
RangerThe campground serves pancakes in the morning for free. You buy extras like sausage juice etc. reasonable price. Roadeo in town every night and campground shuttles to it and back.
TravelerVery nice and very clean campgrounds. We stayed in a tent and had a great time. Although we weren’t traveling with kids, this campground had lots of activities for anyone who is traveling with them
GuideI stopped here for one night and changed my reservation upon seeing the park. It’s a gravel lot. Campers were on top of each other. Forget social distancing. Bring earplugs because parties are happening late. I chose to go somewhere else after that.
TravelerThis campground is just outside Cody, WY. Easy access for people just passing through, just off a main road. They offer free pancake breakfast in the morning and a very cute store with almost every necessity for campers. tent sites, RV sites, cabins, and TeePees!
Travelersites are set up with alternating hookups so you are not picnicking over your neighbors dump hose. most sites have a paved patio as well.
Scoutwe had a great time. situated between emerald lake and west rosebud lake with a creek going next to half the camp spots. toilets and hand pump water.
TravelerClean with plenty of space between sites. Great free breakfast. Store hours very accommodating and staff very friendly.
TravelerI have visited this campground many times. The lakes around the campground are amazing for fishing and any other light water sports. I mostly fly fish and the streams feeding the lakes are great to fish. Fish of all types from whitefish to brown and rainbow trout. The campground is great and easy to camp in. I mostly tent camo and have yet to find a camp spot I didn't like. Great place for family camping and anyone else looking for great views and awesome fishing. Also an easy drive to the mystic lake trailhead.
Horse camping in Montana offers a unique blend of stunning landscapes and outdoor adventures, making it a perfect getaway for equestrian enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Red Lodge, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Red Lodge, MT is Emerald Lake Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Red Lodge, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Red Lodge, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
