Best Tent Camping near Stanford, MT

I went just overnight to go watch the metor shower. I camped in a tent. Deer wandered into the campground throughout the night and morning. You can hear logging creek moving from no matter where you are. The road was a lil rough with the washed out gullies in the road with the cattle guards. But I overall loved it.

Crystal Lake is a nice area. To get there it's a mix of about 20 miles of gravel and 1 lane paved roads. The gravel roads are well maintained. The 1 lane paved roads are a little iffy if you're pulling a trailer and its a busy travel day. The lake is beautiful and small enough hike around it if you have a few hours. The surrounding area is gorgeous as well. The campground isn't very big, there's about 20 or so sites in the loop and I believe they are all first come first serve. There is a Group campsite and a cabin which are reserveable. We reserved the Group Site which sits closer to the trail head. ONE thing to know if you reserve the Group site, call ahead during the week and get the lock pass code. We overlooked that requirement and almost had to stay in the regular camping area because the gate was locked. Luckily during the evening the camp host came down to see if we paid the nightly fee and he had the code. That said, the camp host wasn't clearly identified anywhere and apparently they were camped out behind the cabin. It appears that at one point either there was a fire or beetle kill in the meadow that the camp sites are in as there are no trees in the immediate area. Its kind of like an large open area that has a lot of overgrowth.  The Group site area has what appears to be a great tent camping layout but the brush is way overgrown and you cant really tell. The regular campground looks the same. Don't get me wrong, the Crystal Lake area is stunning, its just seems like the campgrounds haven't been really tend to in a few years.  We saw a few fish being pulled out of the lake, lots of hikers heading up the trails and a few deer passing through the meadow. Overall it was a nice experience. Good hiking trails and beautiful (smaller) lake to play or relax on. One thing it lacked, for us at least, is trees in the campground and area's to ride our SxS.

I love this place so much. This was my first time camping in Montana. It was breathtaking for me. The lake was so peaceful and clear. The trail around the lake is a nice walk to see all the different views around it. The meadows were full of wildflowers in the summer. The campground is a small loop and spaced out, the lake trail also had a couple of backcountry spots to set up. There’s also a few more trails in the area that were very pretty!!

Well laid out campsites with plenty of space. Well maintained picnic tables and fire rings with designated tent space. Bathrooms are clean, and campsites are clearly marked with seclusion from other guests.

First camp we stayed at on a week long trip to Montana. We came on a weekday, so hardly any one there.

This use to be the most beautiful campgrounds in Montana, until the USFS said the trees were dangerous. They had every tree in the campgrounds cut down and hauled off. Not much privacy now as every camp site can be watched by all the other campers in the other campsites.

Great almost-primitive site. Truly middle of nowhere, we only knew about it because a friend into fishing took us. The last 30 miles or so are dirt roads and I wouldn’t want to try it in most sedans (or an RV). Pros: rustic, cheap, good hiking and fishing nearby, wooded, pretty empty, middle of nowhere, wildlife, cowboy history feel, all tents, varied landscapes. Cons: no reservations, dirt access road can be rough.

I camp here with Boy Scouts since the place is often reserved for youth organizations. In the winter it can be fun but to climb some hills. Each campground has cabins which hold about 11 people and tent spaces out side. The cabin do have semi-decent heating, but not AC. The bathrooms are really big and well developed (and super warm for the winter). There is also a big “roof building” with picknick tables to eat food.

I hope we just had an off weekend cause it wasn’t a very pleasant stay. There was trash (including used toilet paper) on the grounds. The bathroom was ATROCIOUS and gross (poop smeared on the walls). Teens and young adults came and went frequently throughout the evening and night and were loud (arguing, revving engines at 2am) and they weren’t even camping out. We were in tents and heard everything. The creek was beautiful but we won’t be back to this campground.

This was a comfortable campground for RVs and tents. Our 5th-wheel is 28 feet long and fit nicely in the space. Some bigger ones may have trouble fitting into the spaces. All campsites have fire pits and picnic tables and are somewhat private. Many are on a two-tier level and actually have steps with railings to go down or up to the picnic table and fire pit. There is a water with pump handle and a couple pit toilets, but that’s it! Plan to drive a long way if you forgot anything! It is close to the highway making it easy access, but you do get some highway noise at some spaces. There is a campground host, but that person was gone two out of the three days we were there.

Bumped in to this camping area while hunting recently. This Lewis and Clark National Forest designated camping location has one site, one site in that the location has one forest service concrete and wood picnic table and a rock fire ring. Stay limit is 16 days. The camping area is located where Whitetail Creek dumps into Spring Creek. The camping are is completely flat. Two additional rock fire rings are in the area. The area has plenty of room for your vehicle and tent at the picnic table site and the two additional fire rings, just no picnic tables for these two fire rings. If you camp here come prepared, this is a Trash-in Trash-out site, no water, no vault toilet. The road is a little rough in a few places on the way to this site, would recommend a high clearance vehicle to access this camping location.

Took the Judith River Backcountry Scenic Drive in a Jeep, camped here. Nice and shady, simple primitive sites. Lovely setting. Lots of boat activity at this site. Tons of animals great and small. Really lovely trip.