Best RV Parks & Resorts near Shawmut, MT

Deadman’s Basin Montana FWP Campground 10/24 Stopover for one night in 10/24. The reservoir along which this cg lies is low this time of year. Reservoir must be prettier in the spring and early summer when the water level is higher. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 4 Price 2024: See pricing in photo. Contrary to posted signs the website says that camping is free. Screenshot of website is also provided in photos . Security: no Usage during visit: our loop empty. Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: no Site Spacing: good Pad surface: dirt Reservations: First come first serve Campground Noise: According to signage some action has been taken. Outside Road Noise: no Through Traffic in campground: no Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no Dump Station: no Potable Water Available: no Generators: sb allowed Bathroom: a clean pit toilet Showers: no Pull Throughs: yes Cell Service (AT&T): 1 bar Setting: near reservoir Recent Weather: clear and w highs in70s and 80s.
Solar: very good Insects: none Host: no Rig Size: large rigs should fit in some sites. Sites: see pics.

We followed our RV GPS right to the campground (CG), which is a favorite of ours for a two-night stay. Check-in was quick and easy. We proceeded to Deluxe River site 18 with 30 AMP and water. You can angle the rig in as you want to get set up on the wide pad area. The utilities were in the middle of the gravel pad, and we could park where our 9’ patio could come out to enjoy the gorgeous view of the river. They have free WiFi, but it was not very fast, and we used our Starlink. There are mature trees here, but we got a clear shot north for Starlink. We got 3 bars on Verizon. The water pressure was okay. Talking to our next-door neighbors, who have stayed here over the years, this CG is under new management by a couple who also owned a KOA in Billings. There are already changes, such as getting rid of the cabins and putting in some new FHU sites. There may be plans for new cabins in the future. We also noticed that from staying here in September 2019, the ponds are now state-stocked, and you need a Montana fishing license following regular fishing regulations versus no-license pay for the trout you catch. They also have a military and senior discount, but this wasn't mentioned/given when we made our reservations online. We mentioned it to the lady who checked us in, but she didn't offer to refund us the discount like other CG's have done in the past. There is no dog park, but there’s plenty of area to walk your dog. Someday we are going to plan a longer than two-day stay so we can further explore the area and fly fish the river.

This is a large park for a small town.  The campground mostly caters to the RV set with 20 pull through sites with hook ups.  Their are two tent camping sites with tables and fire pits, but room for more if you don't want a table and fire ring.  Tent camping is just $12.  Two other possible campsite at the opposite side of the park.  Very nice new and large playground area plus picnic shelter.  Site has a dumpster just for campers and a small log cabin has firewood available.  Campground and park are right along the river so be sure to bring that fishing pole.  Water is available.

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.

7/13/-7/14/2023:

     We stayed 1-night. It is a quiet park with a lot of space where the RV camp sites are not identified. Instead, there are open grass spaces between trees to park even the largest of RV’s. We had no trouble finding adequate space for our 34’ fifth-wheel trailer.  There is a water faucet near the restroom and another at the far end of the campground. There are two restrooms but one was closed with an outhouse blocking its entrance. The other was pretty dirty, had a flush toilet but no door on the stall, and although there is running water a sign above the sink states“NON POTABLE WATER NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION”. There is a large dumpster near the restrooms and I only saw one stone fire pit in the park although there may be others. There is a sign warning of the potential of falling branches. The campsite is free, but there is a sign asking for donations, which we did.

     Although the restroom was pretty sketchy (I wouldn’t use it) it was otherwise a nice little park and we would stay there again. Just FYI, the name of the campsite shown in searches come up with a few variations of Cow Belles Corral: Compendium and The Dyrt show the name with Belles, Google with Bells, the Musselshell County website as both Belles and Bells, and sign entering the campground as Cowbelles Corral campground. Verizon wireless had 5G: 4-bars, 4G: 4-bars and 4G throughput measured 22.6Mbps down and 12.7Mbps up.