15 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Tent campsites near Roscoe, Montana range from primitive riverbank spots to backcountry tent camping locations in the surrounding national forests. Cliff Swallow offers primitive tent camping along a riverbank about 7 miles west of Absarokee, while East Boulder Campground provides secluded tent sites alongside a mountain stream. Lady of the Lake Trail on Lulu Pass features isolated walk-in tent locations scattered throughout hiking trails, with several backcountry options for those seeking greater solitude.
Most tent camping areas feature basic amenities with rustic conditions. East Boulder Campground has only two designated tent sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring, plus a vault toilet located between them. Campers should bring their own water, as drinking water is unavailable at most locations. At Cliff Swallow, tent sites are positioned near the riverbank, though users report some algae near shore. A review mentioned, "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." Most primitive tent areas operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with no reservations accepted.
Tent-only camping experiences offer exceptional natural settings and wildlife viewing opportunities. At Lady of the Lake Trail, camp areas are widely separated along trails, providing genuine backcountry solitude. A camper wrote, "The camp sites are scattered throughout the trails and are not close to each other. They are easy to spot and not too bad to get to." Wildlife sightings are common, with multiple reports of moose, bear, and deer around tent sites. East Boulder sites feature mountain backdrops and stream access, though the gravel road access requires patience. Higher elevation tent campsites experience colder nights even in summer months, with overnight temperatures dropping significantly. Most primitive tent areas have seasonal access limitations due to snow, with many higher routes inaccessible until late spring.
"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."
"One vault toilet and no water source(other than the river) make this a primitive camp. We had cell service but not LTE."
"You are along a fast moving creek and the campsites are well spaced out with trees, vegetation or roads between each site. The sites themselves are well sized."
"6 sites, each has a picnic table and a bear proof container. You can hear the West Fork of the Stillwater River from each site and trails lead down to the river."
"Site: 2 RESERVATIONS NO
FCFS
FEES: NONE
Open all year
No water Picnic table, fire ring, pit toilet
This campground is located right off East Boulder Road."
"There's no water, except from the stream, but there are good picnic tables and a well-maintained vault toilet."
"This site was quiet the night we stayed here and had good views of the surrounding mountains but there was a few excavating machines near the site."
"The camp sites are scattered throughout the trails and are not close to each other. They are easy to spot and not to bad to get to."
"That area has 2 pretty shaded spots, and both were taken. We headed over to Pilot and we were pleasantly surprised. Yes, there is a big open area with little privacy if it is crowded."
"The cooking area has a bear pole for hanging your food but you will not need it as the site has a bear proof food locker. A rock fire ring with logs to sit on is also at the site. "
"You go to sleep hearing the soothing sound of the creek, they had very limited number of sites 16 or 17 only."
from $3 - $15 / night
Check Availability"Backcountry camping site 2S6 is the last campsite along Slough Creek Trail. "
TravelerQuiet secluded sites near pine creek. Picnic tables, fire rings, and bear boxes at every site. Most sites have a level-ish spot to park. Multiple vault toilets, drinking water faucets, and garbage containers. No hookups and no dump station. Access road is narrow and winding but paved right up to the gate. Can walk to the pine creek trailhead. Sites in the 20’s back right up to pine creek as well.
GuideSnowbank is an excellent off-the-grid semi-developed and hosted FS campground. Spacious and private sites better for small RVs, trailers, and all tents. Clean vault toilets, bear-proof storage boxes, and plenty of community water spigots. Decent picnic tables and fire rings at each site. No hookups to my knowledge. The campground is on recreation.gov and sites are reservable. Access to a great trail and FS road from campground, other hiking nearby. Also, a 20 minute drive to Chico Hot Springs Resort and Day Spa (food, bar, soaking). Expect to see wildlife, and this is grizzly country so proper food storage and best practices are required by law. No cell service. Excellent spot before or after visiting Yellowstone.
LegendA well named campground as the grizzly bear activities in the campground precluded us actually spending the night in the campground in July of 2015. The ranger actually closed the campground down as we were pulling up, saying poor camper habits with food storage had attracted a sow and cub to the campground. He was going to set up a live trap and hopefully move them to a new home territory. That said, we were able to take a quick look at the campground before being shooed out. Nice, clean, about 20 sites not too close to each other with picnic tables, fire rings, food storage boxes, and vault toilets. We were able to hike around the outside edge of the campground (note the picture of the fresh bear print in the mud) to get to the Claw Lake Trail, an 8 miler that winds up over 9,000 feet past several beautiful named and unnamed lakes, including Claw Lake and Beauty Lake. Carry bear spray and mosquito spray!!
RangerPebble Creek was our favorite campground in Yellowstone National Park. A less crowded area of the park, probably why we loved it! 27 sites and all are available first come first serve- no reservations! The location and lack of reservations make this a quiet, peaceful campground. It sits at 6900 feet elevation. All sites have a table, fire ring, and food storage locker- it is bear country! There are vault toilets and seasonally there is potable drinking water. Our first night there we stayed in one of the"pull out sites" on the west side of the campground. It was ok, however they are not true pull outs, you just park on the side of the park road.... not bad considering the low use of this campground. On our second night we scored a spot on the east side right across from Pebble Creek.... it was perfect! We enjoyed drinks in our chairs at the creekside and a beautiful night listening to the peaceful sounds of the creek. It appears they have changed the site numbers since we visited to add some tent sites, so do not pay attention to the site markers in our old nostalgic photos!
LegendBack country site 2S2 sits on the southern edge of the Slough creek valley just south of the main trail. A brief hike along the access trail gets you to the site. This site sits in a group of trees which makes for a nice location out of the sun and with some wind protection, but the trade off is limited views of the valley, and the view of the valley are the best part about hiking this part of the park. Site has an excellent water source right next to the tent and cooking areas. The site has several good flat locations for your tents. While the cook/food area has a bear pole for hanging your food you will not need to use it as the camp has a bear locker for food/gear storage. The bear locker also gives you a great flat cooking area that doesn't require bending over your campstove. Fires are allowed when not restricted. Site is limited to 6 people for a max stay of 3 nights. Don't be surprised to find bison very near your camp as they rang through the valley.
LegendOpen: Early May - Late Sep
Fee area: $19.25 extra vehicle $9.50
Limit: 16 days
Sites 28 with a camp host
Reservations: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov
FCFS 20% of sites
Amenities: pit toilets, water, bear boxes, fire ring, picnic table, firewood for sale, trash
Sites 10 and 12 are good for solar. Sites are paved
This campground has a wonderful creek running through it. Well wooded with mature every green and leafed shade trees. Sites have privacy and the backdrop of the surrounding mountains is amazing.
GuideAn excellent campground near the end of the drivable section of the Boulder Road. Good fishing right from the campground and a trailhead across the street and another two a mile up the road. There are good fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets and bear boxes. If the campground is full, there are some dispersed campsites about a half mile south on the right.
TravelerPermit required if you look hard enough to notice. Pit toilet, no water, no electric, rock fire rings, several spots to set up, boat ramp. I was just passing through and needed a place to sleep for the night. It's a nice little spot with some great scenery. When I stayed, there were about 4 others there as well, all scattered about. It was quiet except for the train horn that woke me from my slumber a couple of times throughout the night. Nice little spot. Would stay again despite the train.
LegendCrazy Creek Campground is a nice wooded campground near the North East entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Crazy Creek is also the last developed campground as you head to the park that allows for tent camping, from here to the entrance the campgrounds allow only hard sided camping units due to bear activity.
Crazy Creek campground is a 16 unit campground. Each site has plenty of trees which was great as it allowed my to use my hammock. Each site has a picnic table and metal fire ring and plenty of room for your tent. Campground has a vault toilet. No water is available. Campground is not ADA accessible. Bear storage lockers are available as food must be stored in your car or one of the lockers. Dumpster is available for your trash. Sites are just $10 a night, but they fill up fast. A great feature of this campground is the Crazy Creek trail. A trail from the campground takes you across the highway to the trail, a very short hike brings you to Crazy Creek falls.
Tent campsites near Roscoe, Montana sit at elevations ranging from 4,000 to 9,000 feet in the foothills of the Beartooth and Absaroka mountains. The area experiences dramatic temperature fluctuations, with nighttime temperatures often dropping 30-40 degrees from daytime highs even in summer months. Most primitive camping locations in this region require visitors to pack out all trash, as waste facilities are minimal or nonexistent.
Fishing access points: Rosebud Isle offers dedicated fishing access with 8 designated spots where anglers can try their luck. "Only 8 spots available. Too close to civilization as we had cell service," notes camper Thomas F., suggesting this is a good option for those who want to stay connected while fishing.
Mountain hiking: Near Initial Creek Campground, visitors can find multiple trail systems. "You can hear the West Fork of the Stillwater River from each site and trails lead down to the river. The trailhead to other hikes is 1 mile up the road," shares Jessica, who appreciated the quiet atmosphere.
Wildlife observation: Pilot Creek Dispersed Camping offers excellent opportunities to watch local wildlife. One camper reports, "I watched cows grazing down the power line clearing through the trees and at one point watched eight cows walking by single file right by my site."
Privacy and separation: Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site receives praise for its layout. "This is a great campsite. You are along a fast moving creek and the campsites are well spaced out with trees, vegetation or roads between each site," writes Stacey N.
Natural sounds: Many visitors appreciate falling asleep to river sounds. At Lady of the Lake Trail on Lulu Pass, one camper mentioned, "We truly loved this place. It was so isolated and peaceful."
Simple amenities: Basic facilities are sometimes available even at primitive sites. "Seven miles down a gravel road. Nice camp site along the Boulder river. Just two camp sites, first come first serve," notes Sasha P. about camping options in the area.
Limited sites: Most campgrounds have very few designated spots. At East Boulder Campground, "There are only 2 sites here but they are spacious and private! There is a toilet, fire ring, and picnic table," reports Alyson M.
Access challenges: Many roads to camping areas are rough. At Lady of the Lake Trail, Ron D. shares, "I came up the road which starts out very nice gravel but then gets pretty rough and rocky. Came across maybe three or four people camping but really not much selection for sites."
Wildlife encounters: Bear awareness is essential. One camper at Lady of the Lake Trail notes, "We didn't know this when we set up camp but there was a few Grizzly spotted on the trail around where we camped."
Look for sites with bear boxes: At Pilot Creek Dispersed Camping, "There are at least half a dozen wooded spots, setback. Three have bear boxes and are right by a hiking trail," which provides extra safety for families with food storage.
Consider the toilet situation: Bathroom facilities vary widely. At Swinging Bridge, Taylor T. notes, "The clean bathroom and privacy between sites are probably the two best aspects about the campground."
Watch for insects: Bug activity can be intense in some areas. "Another drawback was that there were A LOT of bugs here," reports a camper at Swinging Bridge, something families should prepare for with appropriate repellents.
Size restrictions: Most sites accommodate only smaller vehicles. At Swinging Bridge, Jeff K. advises, "Would not recommend for trailers or campers, even a small teardrop would be tough to maneuver."
Road conditions: Access roads can be challenging for larger vehicles. "The narrow dirt road is really only wide enough for one vehicle. Perhaps this isn't the best spot for big rigs," cautions Art S. about Swinging Bridge Fishing Access Site.
Unexpected noise: Some sites have nearby activity. At East Boulder Campground, Michael M. mentions, "Awesome campsite if you can forgive the occasional semi or dump truck," referring to nearby road construction traffic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Roscoe, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Roscoe, MT is Rosebud Isle with a 3-star rating from 1 review.
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