Best Glamping near Virginia City, MT

Lots to do in this park with local history and geology being the focuses. Not far off 90 if you’re road tripping. The campground is simple and open. Pros: different sleeping options (tent, RV, cabin, yurt, tipi), cave tours, river access, short hiking trails, lots of history (native, mining, settlers, etc), ranger talks, ice/wood camp store, helpful rangers, stargazing, nice modern bathrooms. Cons: very open campground with no privacy nor shade, no tent-only area, lots of RVs. We’d definitely visit again.

Turquoise waters and white sandy beaches – surrounded by mountains in the middle of Montana, this place has absolutely stunning scenery. Cliff and Wade Lakes are two medium sized lakes with multiple campground sites along both lakes. Camping fee is $10/night, bathrooms, a marina and store to rent kayaks/paddleboards, both single and group use sites. Cell service at the top of the mountain when driving in but no service down by the lakes. There are many campsites, but this a very popular destination and sites fill up quickly. I recommend getting there before 2pm to grab a site!

Beautiful lake - looks like the Caribbean in Montana! Somewhat close to West Yellowstone for those visiting national parks. Odd campsites required reservations (even if you show up and there’s one open for the night, the sign says you still have to go to recreation.gov and reserve it) and Even sites are first come first serve. Small campground and relatively small parking lot but we went on Monday July 5th and it wasn’t busy! Excellent spot to kayak or use a small boat but it’s all BYO, no rentals anywhere nearby that we saw. Mostly families enjoying a laid back lake day. Picnic tables first come first serve for day use.

Let's be honest, Campfire Lodge & RV is not the cheapest place to stay. And, it's obvious why when you stay there. The upkeep is top notch. The RV pads are graded roadbase. Fire pits and tables for each spot. the spot we stayed in had full 30 amp hook-ups. Tall pine trees. And, a stones throw from the Madison River. What an amazing place to sit and relax. 

The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch. Bring your appetite and prepare yourself for an amazing breakfast or lunch. If you're a fly tyer the collection of hackle is off the charts. 

Close to Yellowstone NP, fishing on the Madison River, exploring West Yellowstone to Ennis Montana and so much more! What a great place. We'll be back for sure.

My wife and I were looking for an affordable spot to spend the night in our teardrop (Li'l Blue) and the Ruby Valley Campground fit the bill! With no need for hookups, we paid a mere $28 for a roomu site adjacent to the water. My wife appreciated that the restrooms and shower are a short walk and I love the serenity and space. The owner, Jim, was welcoming and he has free coffee at 8 am. I highly recommend this Campground and we will visit again.

Wonderfully friendly and accommodating staff. Very clean inside and out. Close proximity to Virginia and Nevada cities. Obviously a former KOA with all the accompanying amenities, but slightly lower price. A little close to highway, but quiet at night. Will stay again!

Family and I stayed here in late May for three days. We have stayed in the past in June and July as well. 

Campground is south of Big Sky, so if you need to buzz into town for any last minute supplies, it is only about 10 minutes up the road and has everything you could want. 

Campground has both standard and electric sites. We have a small camper and scored one of the spots near the south end, which is also close to the Elkhorn Creek Trailhead. Best sites are obviously closer to the river, with those at the far north end or south end the best options. Some of the southern end options on the east side of the campground road are tucked up pretty tight to the hillside, and are not as desirable of a location. 

Pros:
Beautiful setting, easy access to hiking, cave exploration and rock climbing.

Later in the summer, the Gallatin river provides good fishing opportunities. 

Yellowstone Park is about 40 minutes away. Tons of hiking options within Gallatin Canyon, all accessible via a short drive if you want something away from the campground. 

Great camp hosts, who check in with everyone, have firewood, and ensure everything is good to go. 

Potable water spigot, bear proof dumpster and recycling are all available near the entrance. 

Cons:
Being that the campground is near the river, which also parallels the highway, road noise is pretty common -- big semi-trucks hitting the rumble strips take something away from the peaceful setting, but it is not a deal breaker. That really is the only minor gripe. 

Highly recommended overall for tent or RV camping.

Red Cliff Campground is a large Forest Service campground in the Gallatin River canyon. The campground has 63 campsites which can be reserved. This nice campground is set among pine and spruce trees. Their are two sections to the campground, the south section is more heavily wooded and has electric sites for$28 a night. The north section is more open, especially at the uphill portion of the loop with sites for$20. Several campsites have steps leading up to the campsite. The entire area was very green, with nice tall grass cover through out the campground. The Campground is set across the Gallatin river from Hwy 191, allowing the river to slightly muffle the sound of the constant truck travel on the highway, still the road noise is the big downfall for this campground. Each site is equipped with a large picnic table and metal fire ring. Bear lockers for food storage are located though out the campground, but you might need to share space with others as one lockers serves multiple sites. Vault toilets are located through out the campground. Water is available as well as trash and recycling. If you need firewood it is available from the camp host. It appears that about 1/3 of the sites are located along the river. If you like to hike there is the Elkhorn trail head at the south end of the campground, and of coarse don't forget to bring that fishing pole.

Just off “the 191”, Red Cliff is just outside of Big Sky and along both the highway and river. Nice sized sites, clean pit toilets, and reservable.

The electric sites are on the right when you pull in and are preferable no only for the hookup, but also because there’s a day use area between the road and sites, and that little bit of space makes a difference in deafening the road noise. We were on the non-electrical side and could hear it, but it wasn’t a huge deal.

Two site hosts take turns on duty and are really nice and accommodating. I would definitely stay here again if coming through the area, but plan ahead to get an electric site.

One thing to note - there is A LOT of construction on the Wyoming side between Red Cliff and Yellowstone in summer of 2020 making this not a good base camp for Yellowstone this year. A typical 45 minute drive can take over 1.5 hours due to traffic being reduced to 1 lane with a stop light to allow one direction to progress at a time.

Red Cliff is a large comfortable campground with a few electric sites; water is onsite at a well so fill bottles or onboard tanks to take to your site.  Sites are reservable through recreation.gov.  Many sites have shade most or all of the day, and they are not too close together.  Many sites are on the Gallatin River, an excellent fishery and pleasant location.  Many sites will accommodate large rigs, but small to medium trailers and RVs/camper vans are the norm. No cell service.

Vault toilets are well spaced and clean, no plumbed bathhouses.  Many recreation sites and opportunities are nearby and this is the closest campground to Big Sky Town and Resort which has grocers, breweries, shopping, restaurants, and a hospital.  It is still amidst wilderness, though adjacent to Hwy 191.  BEAR SAFE FOOD STORAGE IS REQUIRED BY LAW.  Bear boxes are provided at many sites, or lock up your stuff in a hard-sided vehicle.  You may see elk, deer and bear.

There is a great onsite trailhead for hiking and horseback riding.  The Cliffs themselves are developed for rock climbing with bolted sport routes from 5.6 up to 5.11 and 5.12.

This is a clean well-kept FS campground.

Solid campground off the highway. We stopped after driving through Yellowstone.

They have like 50-60 sites which is nice, but only about half of them are along the river. The ironic part is the river spots are closer to the somewhat busy road on the other side of the water. It’s not a huge deal, but you won’t be in the middle of the woods. Just something to keep in mind when choosing this location.

When we arrived they had plenty of wood for sale. They had water facilities (we weren’t quite sure whether it was potable). Bathrooms are primitive with tank toilets and no sinks.

All in all, we had a great night camping along our journey. Definitely a decent spot to mark for your travels.