Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Virginia City? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Virginia City campgrounds for you and your tent. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Mill Creek Campground is a small campground not far from Sheridan.
Yellow Mule Cabin was built in 1920 and was once used as a ranger station. This cabin is unique because it was constructed according to the builder's preference instead of being built with a standard Forest Service design. It is eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The cabin provides a rustic, backcountry retreat year-round. A few basic amenities are provided, so guests should be prepared to bring most of the supplies and gear they need for an enjoyable experience. This remote cabin is not accessible by car. Summer access is via off-road vehicle, motorcycle or hiking for 8 miles. Winter access is by snowmobile for 14 miles.
This cabin is popular with snowmobilers because of its proximity to the Buck Creek Ridge Trail, which offers a 1,000 foot elevation gain. Hikers, mountain bikers and off-road vehicle riders enjoy this trail in the summer. Snowmobilers and cross-country skiers can also access McAtee Basin. Hunting in designated areas is another popular pastime.
The cabin sits between a meadow and a stand of mixed evergreens at an elevation of approximately 8,650 feet. Wildflowers bloom across the meadow in the summer and a thick layer of pristine snow blankets the area in winter. The jagged, glaciated peaks of the Madison Mountain Range stretch out into the distance. Wildlife in this area includes grizzly bear, gray wolf, mountain lion, deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and the Canada lynx. Birders may see a wide variety of bird species.
$55 / night
Guide
Between the free coffee, breakfast, & hot spring access our stay was worth it. Tent sites were small, no privacy. I wish we would have had our RV. Not an ideal place to tent camp in my opinion. Near a busy (noisy) highway. Clean facilities. Staff were all friendly & helpful.
Guide
$14/night tent camping. Spent two nights. Thursday night was great. Plenty of site for everybody to spread out. Friday night was much more crowded. Sites are all nice and flat and level for tent camping. Vault toilets are very clean. There is a playground if you have kids. Decent hiking, unfortunately the caves themselves were closed during our stay. Easy access from I-90. Would stay again mid-week or off season, but during prime time I'd prefer a bit more seclusion.
Scout
Tent sites quiet, large, grassy, good views
Scout
If you are in a tent they will gouge you for $40 per tent for a crappy tent site with no services, no grass, and uneven ground. Also they will refuse to give you a receipt if you pay cash. Our group had 4 tents so we spent $160 on a poorly maintained tent site. It was an outrageous amount. A large RV and pickup truck pulled in to a site right after us and they paid $40 for that whole site. One good note is that the showers were clean and nicely done.
Scout$60 for a late check in tent site. Pass
RangerThis was a safe easy stop along the way from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. $35. for a tent site with water hookup. Nothing fancy — a wooded parking lot with fire rings and picnic tables. Better than most RV lots. All spaces are pull through (huge relief traveling with a tiny cargo trailer that’s impossible to back up. No privacy. Hookups, laundry, bathrooms. The tent sites without hookups were cuter. The gate closes at 10. Check-in ends at 9p.m. Surrounded by farmland.
Scout
Lots of available sites. Not far from Yellowstone. Room for large tents. We had an 8 x 15 tent. Camp host was extremely helpful. You can buy wood from host. No showers. Toilets are vault toilets but extremely clean. Nice place to stay for $15 a night.
RangerOK this place is awesome. Great hotsprings. Greatly needed after hiking in the area. Clean rv and tent camping. Supurb staff. Lots of things to do for the kids. Free breakfast. Lots and lots to do in the town.
Guide
I’m not sure why others gave this campground reviews any stars under five! First, this campground is on BLM and free, and only costs money if coming with a group of many or some type of organizations’ camping outing; and the fee is so very minimal even for this. For regular, independent camping, it’s free being on BLM land, per their notice board. Despite being a free, BLM campground, it’s well-maintained, clean, possesses established, separate tent sites with a parking block for each separate vehicle, an area for RVs, even, and a maintained outhouse central to the tent sites and RV space. It’s also set right next to the river offering great fishing! There’s homes across the river, and a bit of vehicle traffic from those specific homes, for whatever reasons; but this campsite is still very much separated, regularly maintained, and flippin’ free! What’s there to possibly complain about?! I’ve camped free on BLM land many times, and it is pretty rugged and wild. There are no established tent or RV sites, no outhouses for the bathroom to use, nothing. You make of it as you will. I’m not understanding why every camper hasn’t given Glen Campground five stars! Also, future campers, PLEASE remember to pack in and pack out of ANY campground, including this one. Though it is maintained, they do not come daily as it is a free campground on BLM land and does not have garbage bins or water spigots. The campers that stayed before us, in the tent site next to ours, left litter everywhere and aluminum and tin cans in the fire pit. Come on now, people! Beer cans, canned vegetable cans, and the like are NOT biodegradable and do not burn down in a camp fire! Use common sense!! Pack in AND pack out all your items, including your GARBAGE!!
Guide
2 great back in sites tucked into the trees with fire rings and tables. Other areas are a parking lot. Multiple tent sites. Bathroom was clean and stocked with tp. Hand pump water was broken in the camping area. Day use area has functioning water pump, but no way to drive to it. Great place to fish.
TravelerThis campground is about 45 min to an hour away from the Yellowstone West Entrance. The campground is clean and has bathrooms and showers and also a laundry facility. There is a convenience store on-site. As of October 2021, the rate is $30/ night. There are pull through and back in sites as well as tent camping sites and full cabins. It's right on the Madison river and is in a beautiful area. Dogs are allowed here.
LegendAt more than $60/night for a primitive tent site, I only popped for this spot because I needed reliable service for a meeting the next morning.
The hot springs themselves were man-made pools and packed when I was there.
If I was in an RV and spending a long weekend in Bozeman, this spot was conveniently located.
Just a little pricey for my needs!
TravelerGot in late (after 9), but they where nice enough to give us a tent site to camp in. Amenities are nice, but my only negative for us was that quiet hours where at 10pm and a lot of their guest go to sleep at that time, so they enforce that rule. If you are looking for a quiet place after 10 though, this is a great spot.
Legend
Near the town of Three Forks, to which there are both short/scenic bike trails and an 18-miler. 6 of the 17 tent sites are 1st-come, 1st-serve. With a ton of historical displays, friendly park rangers, an open-air, welcoming vibe and a sprawling variety of other things to explore, staying here will put a smile on your face. There's decent distance between some of the sites, but some of them aren't very large.
GuideThe campground was clean and well built. The showers are okay, but very low water pressure and smelling of sulphur. I believe the hot water is fed by the natural hot spring. I was a bit frustrated that they required us to stay in a "deluxe" tent site with a truck tent, as they a re quite a bit more expensive. We were also forced to find a new campground after two days because they shut down half of their campground for the season, even though the other half was completely booked up for weeks in advance.
Ranger
Come for the hot spring and stay steps away in a great tent or RV site! The RV sites have water and electric hook ups, and there is a portable toilet by the tent sites. The sites are close together but are divided by trees and lattice fencing. There is a bit of traffic on the nearby road, be ready with earplugs if you are a light sleeper.
At this time; campsites can only be reserved online, so be sure to check the website for availability and call ahead to make sure the pool is open. Campsite rules are also listed on the site.
Scout
Ennis RV is a basic RV campground. It has wifi, laundry, showers, and full hook-ups for RVs. The wifi works very well, at least at our site near the office. We stayed in a tent site as it was the last site available. There’s a short trail in the back that has some nice views of the mountains (better I’m sure without wildfire smoke), cattle, and pasture. There’s also a clubhouse that apparently has a book exchange. No coin machine in the laundry room but there might be a chance to exchange in the office. There’s also a grill at each site- charcoal.
Traveler
The Madison River flows mostly through open valleys. This NF campground is situated just behind a private (and expensive) $$ campground and has only 7 spaces. Three are walk in tent sites, and 4 are drive in. $12/ and $6/night for seniors. Well worth it. There is some dispersed camping up into the mountains on the west side of the river, down miles of dirt, and not to bad. However, nothing like this directly along the River (or in this case - a fork of the main Madison River). I dispersed for 5 nights up in the mountains until a spot became available in this small campground. There’s a spigot for water and two pit toilets. Pack trash out, and enjoy the 24/7 river sounds!
ScoutThe tent sites were full. When I come again I’ll definitely pick site 11 for tenting, I think it’s the best one. But this time I picked site 13, not my favorite because it backed up straight to someones driveway with a fence in between. The site came with a picnic table and privacy fence. The best sites are probably the RV sites because they get a better view. But for $43 to swim, shower, and sleep, I’m not complaining :) The bathrooms were really clean and nice, some of the best bathrooms I’ve seen in a campground. Staff was friendly. With the purchase of a campsite you get unlimited swimming for $3, so I went at night and again the next morning after I packed up. There was great music, birds chirping.. their raspberry cider was really good too! Lots of dogs, but they must be on leash at all times!
Legend
A beautiful combination of the mountains and Big Sky of Montana! This reservoir is quite large and even has a cool little island in the middle of it that you can cliff dive from when the waters are high enough! There are boat docks, day-use areas, and campgrounds spread all around the reservoir. The campground we featured in this review was an RV only site (because why would you tent camp there) that was right next to the Lewis & Clark Day-use area that has a giant canoe and flag pole. It is an extended stay RV site with the option for paying for weeks if you plan on spending a good chunk of your summer here.
Right along the road on the dam there is a sign showing you that you're halfway between the equator and the north pole! Also nearby is the cute, cozy town of Dillon, where you can venture into the 1st Patagonia and Great Harvest stores in the world! If you're here around Labor Day they also have a great rodeo and parade and the Patagonia Store has HUGE discounts!
Guide
We stayed one night at Spire Rock in our camper. Would be great for camper or tent camping. This is a great campground if you have young kids, as there is a great hill across the bridge where they can look for rocks (geode, crystal type). There is also a hillside right next to the road that is perfect for exploring, making fairy houses, and spotting little troll houses. The sites are plenty big, have fire pits and picnic tables, and each one is next to the creek with easy access for wading. Outhouses are clean and well taken care of. The only reason I rated this 4 out of 5 stars is that there tend to be quite a few atv's driving past to explore the trails further up the road. They can be fast and noisy, but this would not deter me from staying here again.
Guide
Despite the lack of some amenities (e.g., no showers and no firewood for sale when we were there), we greatly enjoyed our stay at this National Forest campground located right on the Gallatin River. As kayakers, we were there to paddle the river so we couldn't have asked for a better location. We stayed in tent site #11, right on the river, which also served as our put-in for the class III-IV Greek Creek to Spanish Creek whitewater run. The campground is easy to find right on Hwy 191 but once off the road and down by the river, it has a more remote feel to it. Campsites are wooded and we saw bighorn sheep right along the road! Groceries are available about 5 miles away. Reservations for this campground can be made online at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
LegendGreat layout, Bozeman is a super nice location, and these people don’t skimp on the hot springs pools. 15-20 different sulfur pools, all of different temps. The pools were both indoor and outdoor, with one big enough to do laps in. Workout area with 20-30 aerobic machines and plenty of weights, a sauna and steam room and fantastic front desk service. The tent sites are - again for an RV location - in an open lawn area with no privacy. And I must admit to being spoiled from Japanese onsens, where cleaning/bathing is an important ritual for everyone, where there are pools with lavender, pools to get energized, pools good for various ailments, etc. Here in Bozeman, the only variations between the pools were size and temp. Again, if you hadn’t been to Japan, this place gets A and B grades from a lot of people. It’s just hard for me to see people who obviously haven’t taken a shower get in the pools.
Guide
This is a great spot in a tiny town south of Butte Montana. They have a couple cabins, several motel rooms and about 10 full hookup, all grass, RV spots. Also a large area for car/tent camping. The grounds are meticulously maintained by the owner and it has nice views of the bluffs and mountains all around it. Walking distance to the restaurant and bar in town if that’s your thing. Quality hookups at each site, and each site has its own trash can. Clean bathrooms and laundry on site. Owners are very present and attentive on site and super friendly. Picnic tables at every site. One shared fire pit out front of the office. It’s in a very small town, with several fishing spots nearby. Very peaceful location. We would stay again.
A few things to be aware of:
Ranger
Great hosts, Full hookups, lots of space & Beautiful views. Rode our bikes to Virginia City -lots of fun!
RangerDepending on the loop, this is a nice site. Our reservation was for B2,3 which were down in a heavily treed section with no sun. We stayed here Memorial Day weekend so it was still sleeting and chilly. Camp hosts were very accommodating and moved us to B12, with sun and a view too. Campground was not full (likely due to Covid and travel restrictions in MT). It was quiet, spacious between campsites, especially B9-12. C loop was very nice as well. No designated tent site, we were able to pitch on grass. Fire ring and picnic table. Bathrooms were VERY clean, hand sanitizer was restocked daily. Earthquake Lake is just down the road, but closed for Covid restrictions.
If this campground is full, you might try the dispersed camping that is also named Beaver Creek, on the N side of the road. Turn to Beaver creek, a dirt road that goes back 6 miles through a few trail heads. There are 6 spots, none bad but some better than others. If you find one, take it. Some people stay for many many days down here. Free.
TravelerThe campground at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park has all the amenities you would need. Power and water hook ups, bathrooms and showers, a nice big playground for the kids. But, it feels more like a big parking lot with little shade or privacy. Great if you are in a camper, but maybe less appealing if you are tent camping. The campground lies at the base of the mountain that the caverns are in--about 3 miles. Once you are up near the caverns there is plenty of parking for RVs or cars. There is also a shady area to kennel your dogs for a fee, as they are not allowed in the caverns. There is also a small deli and a gift shop.
The total hike to and through the caverns is about 2 miles and about 2 hours. The hike to the caverns is about half a mile, and was fine for our 4 year old. However, the two year old, we carried in a pack. Once inside the caverns, there are over 600 stairs and a lot of bending and stooping, so take that into consideration if anyone in your party has mobility issues. There are handrails throughout and no particularly dangerous areas, other than some slippery spots. As long as children are old enough to know to stay near, they should be fine walking and holding hands.
Virginia City, Montana, offers a charming backdrop for tent camping enthusiasts, with a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds nestled in scenic locations.
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