Best Tent Camping near Troy, MT

2020 cost is $16 + $8 extra car, half off with Federal parks pass, & it's average for a Forest Service pay campground. There's water, & you can fill a holding tank, but no power or dump. The lower loops are very close together & less shade. The upper loop has more shade, bigger sites, but sound rises from below. You can hear the conversations and generators of your lower neighbors. Our site was next to a vault toilet - we could smell it. There was lots of noise, e.g., road, train, barking dogs, etc. The 2020 camp hosts were very intrusive. They stopped us in the middle of the road while they inspected our front license plate (we aren't required to have one), then interrogated us, without masks, about where we were from, what we were doing & how many dogs we had. We have a nice RV and look like average middle class folks. Maybe it was because we were in a Class B Van, but our van cost more than most class As. This is a self-pay campground so unless I need firewood I don't need to be forced to stop & be questioned by a volunteer. While we drove through looking at sites one host tailed us on foot through the CG. Five minutes after we began to set up they showed up, not wearing masks, wanting money. I didn't think volunteers were supposed to handle any money. We'd already paid at the iron ranger pay station & they seemed disappointed to not get the money directly from us. Then, within a minute, they returned, not wearing masks, & fussed because we hadn't gotten the tag on our campsite post yet - we were still setting up & hadn't had time yet. They weren't social distancing & we thought they were very peculiar and intimidating.

General: 67-site US Army Corps of Engineers campground in two loops along the Pend Oreille River. All sites are water and electric and have gravel driveways. 

Site Quality: All sites were nicely wooded, level and spacious. The roads are paved but the sites themselves are gravel. A BBQ grill/fire pit and large picnic table complete each site. 

Bath/shower house: There is one ADA-accessible all-in-one bath/shower plus regular restrooms. Clean if a little dated. I don’t take long showers but in the middle of mine, the water turned ice cold for the remainder of my shower, however, hubby did not have the same experience! 

Activities/Amenities: Water activities including boating, fishing, and swimming. Non-water activities include paths, including one around the campground that is approximately 1.4 miles, nice for walking, running, or biking. Partially paved and partially gravel. Other activities include two playgrounds (one for younger children, one for older), volleyball, horseshoes, sport court, and a “doggie island” (pet area). Between the restrooms are two dishwashing sinks with hot water, a nice amenity. There is also a dump station. 

We were still setting up when the host came by to give us a map, remind us there was a fire ban, and see if we had any questions or concerns. We stay at many CoE campgrounds and this one certainly measures up!

Just stayed a single night here. It's a first come, first serve site with no fee. We camped in the back of our truck. Our site was the farthest from the river but that was perfect with three doggos. Nice level site with fire pit, grill included, and a nice picnic table. While we weren't next to the river, we were right next to Dunn Creek. At this time of year the creek is dry but I can imagine it's lovely in the spring when the snow melts. Bear-proof trash cans were located at each site, there was a boat launch and dock as well as large boat trailer parking area featuring a basketball hoop. A hand pump for potable water was centrally located as well as a vault toilet for campers. This campground was a short distance from the highway but we didn't notice any road noise. What we did hear and see were helicopters as it is fire season and they were scooping water from the river for fire mitigation. The campground sites are spaced far apart which is nice for privacy. Will definitely stay here again.

Pros: electric, water, and sewer at site. 

Cons: all asphalt and gravel, no shade, too close to other campsites, barely any trees or barriers between sites. 

Good only if you come in a big rv that can only drive on roads. Terrible for tent use, which was advertised for our site. From our campsite, you can see 10 other sites with no barrier between. Zero privacy. (Great with the neighbors crying children) 

"Tent pad" is sharp gravel, good luck not ripping tent or puncturing your sleeping pad. Sunny as can be, only small baby trees in the campground, all of which are mostly dead. 

Farragut state park is nice, but no beaches at lake to hang out on. A few trails to hike on, tree obstable course for kids, shooting range, and lake for kayaking or boating. 

Bayview is an odd town close to park that does not seem very tourist friendly, but Lake House restaurant was good.