Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Rexford. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Finding a place to stay in Montana while traveling with your horse has never been easier. These scenic and easy-to-reach Montana campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
Bowman Lake campground is located in the North Fork area of Glacier National Park approximately 32.5 miles from the west entrance and 30 miles from the Canadian border. The drive to Bowman Lake is a very slow, dusty, and bumpy ride on dirt roads. Trailers are not permitted. The campground is located close to the shore of Bowman Lake and camp sites are within trees for shade and some privacy. Tent campers looking for peace and quiet will enjoy Bowman Lake for its serenity and remote location.
Weather Dependent Primitive Fall Season
October 9–October 31
Bowman Lake Campground's typical summer season is from mid-May to early September. If weather permits, a primitive camping season can extend into the fall between early September and late October.
$10 - $15 / night
Grave Creek Campground is located 4 miles north of Fortine on road 7061. The campground has 4 campsites with tables and fire rings and able to accomodate up to a 20' rv. Amenities include vault toilets.
Campground has 7 campsites tucked high up and far away in the Whitefish Range. Several trailheads are within hiking and riding distance. Stock facilities are provided for equestrians (feed bunks, hitch rails, vault toilet, and load ramp) Tuchuck Campsite Tuchuck picnic table Food Storage
This remote cabin was built in 1908 and served as an administration building for the Wolf Creek District of the Blackfeet National Forest. The Blackfeet NF was dissolved in 1935 becoming part of the Kootenai & Flathead NF. Fairview was used as a remote work station until 1980. In 2011 major work was done to restore the cabin and put it on the rental system. The cabin is open year-round and is accessible by car.
Opportunities abound from this location. Hiking, fishing, floating, hunting, scenic and historical driving tours are just some of the activities to be enjoyed.
The Fairview Ranger Station is situated near Wolf Creek at an elevation of 2,995 feet within the Salish Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains in the Kootenai National Forest. Wolf Creek and its many tributaries provide habitat for a variety of trout and big game animals. Wolf Creek has been an important route through history as a trail for the Kootenai Indians, early prospectors and railroads.
$75 / night
Guide
We've camped all over...all over Glacier and all over the country, and this is hands-down one of our favorite campgrounds. 100% our fave national park campground! An authentic unplugged, quiet camping experience.
The remote location is amazing, and the campsites are nicely spread out in a moody, dark forested area with near full shade. There are a couple of paths directly to the lake, literally a 2-3 minute walk from anywhere in camp. Sites have fire rings and picnic tables, and there are a few vault toilets and several trash bins and potable water spigots. No showers or sinks. Deer galore! The visitor tent is pretty cool, especially for families with kids. It has activities and games like scavenger hunts, books/tools for identifying wildflowers/plants/scat etc. And there's a camp host onsite seasonally, also.
Note that all sites are FCFS. Rangers at the entrance usually have a fair idea of whether you'll get a spot.
Even though the park has gotten much busier in the past few years, Bowman still remains a quietER gem. The long road keeps people away, I guess - although some 2023-24 construction/improvements has made it quite a bit better.
Legend
It’s Saturday and no one is here but me. Picnic tables, metal fire rings with grills, vault toilets. Big pretty pine trees! I get one bar of Verizon service but it’s not very useful.
LegendLong, rough dirt roads leads you to this primitive campground at the gorgeous Bowman Lake.
The sites are roomy with lots of trees. Clean pit toilets and a few water spigots are available.
For those who want it, there is no cell service!
Spend the day kayaking or paddle boarding in this serene, remote location. Polebridge Mercantile is about 30-40 minutes away for a small selection of food supplies you might need.
GuideFirst let me say DON’T plan on camping here unless you have the proper vehicle to get you safely up that road. If you are driving a low profile vehicle you are likely to blow your suspension as it is a dirt road with lots of potholes. I was fine with my 4Runner but I definitely saw some people in cars that should not have been driving on the mostly uphill road. With that being said this was my definitely one of my favorite places I’ve camped. The sites are huge so you’re not on top of your neighbors, lots of trees to hang a hammock etc. it was so quiet & peaceful. Lots of wildlife, the lake is a short 2 minute walk down a designated trail. You can kayak, paddle board or canoe on the lake. There are tons of areas to sit around the lake to relax or have a picnic. Due to the remote location they only have pit toilets and a few water spigots around the campground. There is no cell service and even my satellite GPS was finicky at times. There were a couple bear boxes open to anyone but none on the individual sites. Everything must be stored inside of your LOCKED vehicle due to bear activity. Polebridge is about 30 minutes and they have a small store with the best baked goods. You can drive to Kintla Lake it’s about an hour on the dirt road. Kintla Lake is even more secluded, but worth the drive. I will be returning to Bowman Lake as it was one of my favorite places in Glacier.
Guide
This is a great campsite. The pit toilet is clean and it is set up as a horse camp. Ramps for loading horses and trough for feeding. Plenty of space for tents and small campers but as noted before, the road from Polebridge is a little tough for RVs.
GuideWe were visiting GNP in mid-June 2021 and originally wanted to stay at Apgar, or another campground closer to the Going to the Sun road, but since we did not have reservation to get into Glacier National Park & going to the Sun Road, we headed up to the north fork area of GNP to see if we could get a campsite at Bowman lake or Kintla Lake Campground. When we arrived at the Polebridge Ranger Station the ranger thought we should be able to get a campsite at Bowman so we headed the 6+ miles down the curvy dirt road to Bowman Lake. When we arrived around 2pm there were only 3 campsites occupied so we found a nice level campsite to pitch our tent. The campsites were spread out enough that you had plenty of privacy (except for those dang deer and chipmunks that keep on visiting us). This campground only has pit toilets. The views from the lake are unbelievable and we enjoyed our hike around the lake. We also drove the 15+ miles up to Kintla Lake (the campground was empty and had only a few campsites compared to Bowman Lake). When we returned to GNP in September of 2021 we were able to get a campsite at Apgar but we took a day off from hiking and drove up to Bowman Lake, this lake is a hidden gem, so peaceful and so beautiful, definitely worth the long bumpy trip. Bowman lake is definitely my favorite lake at GNP.
GuideBe ready for a bumpy ride to this campground, but it is nice and secluded within Glacier NP.
RangerSuch a beautiful place to stay. Recommend late May stay or Mid August 🤘🏻
TravelerThe drive to Bowman is anxiety inducing with the ever changing potholes, tight curves, and white knuckle driving. But it is 100% worth it for the secluded sites and lake views. It was nice to get away from the Glacier crowds and meet like minded camping people who wanted to experience the more wild side of Glacier. The vault toilets were decent and the bear boxes easy to use.
LegendNice NPS campground within walking distance to Bowman Lake and several trailheads. This is a good spot to camp if you plan on hikeing or boating near/on the lake. Super clean, lots of shade and hammock trees, vault toilet, first come. I was surprised there was only one bear box for the whole campground to share instead of one at each site. Especially after seeing a leather deposit of bear scat on the Bowman Lake trail. No showers here but you can pay for a shower down at Polebridge Market Place, which you want to visitor anyway for their amazing baked goods (pizza after 3 pm too!). There was a ranger hanging out in the parking lot of the trail head area if you have any questions (though her job looked to be more traffic management than anything else).
TravelerThere is the old warden camp and down on the creek. No services, semi remote, very quiet, dusty, views of the mountains. You are in grizzly country. Lot’s of deer walking around, very safe , locals are very friendly.
ScoutCool spot to hang around for a couple days. The 3 hikes right off the campground are pretty cool with the Bowman lake trial being the easiest. Relatively busy campground while I was there. With the first come first served, lots of people drive through looking for a place. The view of the lake from the campgrounds beach area is awesome. It was pretty smoky while I was there but that’s summer in Montana.
GuideWent in mid June 2019 best trip ever.
TravelerWe spent a single night here. It was so good. Super quiet. Tons of wildlife (saw multiple deer, various birds, a grizzly on way in). I couldn't sleep any more so I got up at 4:30, made coffee, and walked down to the lake about 5 am. It was like a painting.
The ranger was super nice, too.
TravelerIt’s a good 7 mile hike in, but a beautiful hike and the destination is worth it. The site itself is right on the shore, with plenty of room for multiple parties to enjoy the lake at once.
Scout
My family and I stayed here for a week, if you’re looking to get away from it all, this is definitely the place. We can’t wait for our next vacation!
GuideTuchuck campground is a perfect location for an overnight camp when traveling from Polebridge MT to Eureka MT. The road is well marked but does pass thru several locations that have been covered with rock slides due to recent forest fires. Road is single track in spots but does pass thru several remote locations. Camp ground has a creek running to the south side with a good amount camping locations. Fire rings and benches are available in most spots.
GuideBowman Lake has to be one of my most favorite locations in Glacier Park. Bowman Lake has a wonderful hiking trail (26.2 mile round trip) located here. The road leading up the campground is narrow and trailers are restricted from use. During the summer months this location will need advance reservations due to limited space. Best time to visit this camping location is duding the months of September and October.
GuideOn our last day in Glacier we headed over to Bowman Lake in hopes of finding a campsite. Despite it being the end of June we got there at 2 PM and found plenty of sites open. We had our pick of the little. The sites are all great. Lots of trees to use for hammocks, good picnic tables, and nice fire pits. The campground only has pit toilets, but the secluded area makes up for it. This is the place to go to avoid the regular Glacier camping crowds. The campground is about a 5 minute walk to the lake and just a short drive form Polebridge. Absolutely gorgeous and my favorite place to camp in Glacier.
ScoutRough road going west from Polebridge not suitable for RvS. Much better road eastbound from Eureka side. Nice camp for a tent camp or camper. Creek close. Beautiful mountains getting there from Eureka
RangerOnly spent 1 night here in Aug 2019, but it was amazing. The cabin itself is a nicely restored 2 story with kitchen (including gas refrigerator and range) and sleeping space for 6, with folding futon downstairs and 1 full size upstairs across from 2 singles. Nicely fenced in yard gives an extra feeling of security when you hear the bears or wolves at night. There's a nice sized fire ring and plenty of wood in the garage. There was even a bike in the garage. Although unrestored, there are 2 cabins out back, within the yard. One was the original mess hall, and the other was the bunkhouse. Behind those, there's a well made horseshoe tossing area. Gas lights provide plenty of light in the ranger station. Bring your own water and bedding. There's a well kept outhouse, just outside the gated area. Can't wait to return.
Traveler
The greatest backcountry campsite I’ve ever been to. This site is pristine! The tent sites are right along the water, the pole is already set up to hang your bear bag and there is a ready-made fire pit with benches to sit on. To top it off, the whole site is clean, easy lake access, and a top notch backcountry shitter.
You are doing it wrong if you don’t brave the cold for a dip in the clear turquoise blue water. I simply can’t praise the site enough.
The only downside is there are a decent number of mosquitoes, so make sure to bring bug spray.
LegendBe prepared for a dusty, bumpy, narrow, pot-holed drive in on the road. There's a sign at the beginning of the incline that indicates parking availability… pay attention to the sign, it will tell you if no parking is available. If the road is wet, it is treacherous! Remember to bring bug spray and bear spray, be aware of your surroundings.
You'll be a high elevation so be ready for cooler nights. I used my 0-degree sleeping bag, and that worked great. Limited campsites so get there early on the weekend. Several trails lead into the mountains, one leads along the lakeshore. There is drinking water, pit toilets, fire rings, picnic tables, plus some bear-proof storage boxes.Highly recommend taking the time to explore and camp at this location.
GuideI love Bowman Lake. I've camped here more than anywhere else in Glacier. I've seen bears, the northern lights, and done many wonderful hikes in the area.
The best thing about the campground, though? It's near my favorite place in the US—Polebridge. Seriously, if you go to Glacier but don't make the trek up to Polebridge, you'll never understand what you're missing!
GuideThis campground is secluded and beautiful. The campground itself was very well maintained. At the time that we went (late May/ early June 2018) there were only a handful of other people there so it was very quiet which was awesome. I thought being from Arkansas we could handle some mosquitos but oh no the mosquitos are on a whole other level here. No amount of Off Deep Woods could save us. Definitely wish we had brought a thermacell or something like that which would probably make it a lot better. We didn’t hike in this area because of the mosquitos but there are several trails. We kayaked on the lake and it was amazing! Don’t be like us though and think you can kayak the entire thing and back unless you start EARLY when the water is smooth because otherwise you are going to struggle.. for 5 hrs🤪
GuideThis beautiful, remote campground is absolutely gorgeous, and sits on the shores at the head of Bowman Lake. Unlike the easily accessed campground at the foot of the lake, which gets a tremendous amount of traffic and pressure from tourism, the back country one has only a few sites (5 I believe), and the access is via a 6'ish mile (one way), flat, picturesque trail along the lake. The sites are level and graveled, there is a separate cooking area, and a pit toilet. And the views...incredible. Back country permits are required for all park back country camp grounds, and must be purchase from the park service and are available via online early registration, or within 48 hours of your stay, but must be picked up in person at the ranger station in Apgar, in Glacier Park. There are no exceptions, so don't go if you haven't secured a permit. Weather is unpredictable there, so prepare for every kind of weather. Trails to further back country areas continue from this campground, and it's a "must stay" if you're hiking in the park.
GuideThe spots aren’t very private. The mosquitos are intense. The walk to the lake is 2 mins. The view at the lake is amazing. Get there early because it does fill up.
Horse camping in Montana offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Rexford, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Rexford, MT is Bowman Lake Campground — Glacier National Park with a 4.7-star rating from 31 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Rexford, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Rexford, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
