Best Tent Camping near St. Ignatius, MT
Tent campsites near St. Ignatius, Montana offer a mix of lakeside locations and mountain settings within the Lolo National Forest and adjacent tribal lands. Turquoise Lake Backcountry Site provides hike-in tent camping with pristine alpine views, while Kreis Pond Campground offers a more accessible option with several tent sites surrounding a small pond about 35 miles northwest of St. Ignatius. Blue Mountain Forest Road 365 provides dispersed camping opportunities for tent campers seeking more solitude.
Sites throughout the region typically feature basic accommodations with fire rings and occasional picnic tables, though amenities vary significantly. Kreis Pond maintains vault toilets but no drinking water, while backcountry locations like Turquoise Lake require campers to pack in all supplies and filter water from natural sources. A review mentioned, "You must pack out what you pack in. You can filter water from the lake, but I would recommend hiking in with water as well." Most areas enforce standard 14-day stay limits, and campers should note that sites on tribal lands may require special permits. Forest service roads accessing dispersed camping areas can be rough and dusty, occasionally requiring higher clearance vehicles.
Areas farther from main roads provide deeper seclusion but demand more preparation from tent campers. The Turquoise Lake area offers a challenging but rewarding experience approximately 6 miles from the nearest road access. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, the terrain at higher elevations can be "very rugged and most sites won't fit anything larger than a 1-person backpacking tent." Wildlife encounters are common, with one camper noting the likelihood of "being neighbors with some goats" at Turquoise Lake. For those seeking easier access, Blue Mountain dispersed camping areas provide good views and reasonable privacy despite occasional passing vehicles on the forest road. Primitive tent camping in these areas is best from late spring through early fall, with some higher elevation sites remaining snow-covered until June.
