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.
The Palisades Recreation Area is located on the Upper Madison River, 5 river miles upstream of Ruby Creek Recreation Area and 25 miles south of Ennis. The campground has 10 camping sites with 2 accessible vault toilets and a campground host pad. A separate day use site with a paved boat launch and parking area is located near the campground.
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
For a dispersed BLM camping area, this is lovely. Plenty of sites that each have a picnic table and long gravel spot to park an RV. There’s a cute little river and some interesting rock features. Close to the freeway so an excellent stop for a night spot.
Traveler
It's basically a park with 2 RV spots tucked in at the end that were taken. The rest of "camping" is free in the gravel lot. Water and pit toilets, picnic tables available. It was close to the freeway, so there was lots of road noise all night.
GuideThis place looks like a paid campground, only free! All the spots have a picnic table, fire pit and bear box. The mountain views all all around you are gorgeous. Some other folks camping here went trout fishing - so that's an option. Only downside is that my dogs had some trouble walking on the gravel.
GPS: 45.702416, -112.736869
TravelerStopped here on my way back home to Grand Teton. Super clean and large campsite with a few fire rings and an outhouse. A little noisy just because it’s right next to the interstate, but at night it’s fairly quiet.
Traveler
You need a reliable car/truck to get the campground, but it's a great view, and if you climb up to the Fishbowl, it is worth it! it's a great spot for hammocks as well. Overall great spot.👌
Traveler
This is a fantastic campground with lots of empty sites along Taylor Creek. The site I stayed at had a fire pit with lots of room to setup a tent or camper if you’re interested. Lots of distance between each campsite and again, a pretty valley view with a beautiful creek.
Scout
Great views of the lake and mountains. Visits from the resident bison on property. Don't count on WiFi which was pretty much nonexistent. Great laundry and showers. Tim & Trudy are great hosts and sources of knowledge about cool things to see along with Yellowstone.
Guide
We stayed here twice this year, once going North and then headed South for home. First time they put us in a full hook-up that was to small so I asked for a bigger spot and because about 1/3rd of the spots were empty, they moved me. Owner was very friendly and willing to find us a better spot. Second time was on Sunday and the note on door put us in an even smaller full hook-up, despite me asking for a bigger site so I wouldn't have to unhook. This is one reason for only three stars. Office was closed and no one answered the phone or returned our call. The site was totally unacceptable. Even if I un-hooked there was not enough room to park the pick-up truck. Left several messages, no response. We moved to an empty water/electric only site and set up. An hour later another camper came in and said we were in their spot. We moved again to another spot hoping no one would claim it. Still no response from owner. I guess camp is unsupervised on Sunday. Maybe owner was out of town.
Second reason for only three stars: Camp is older and full hook-up sites are close to each other. I did not see any 50 amp, only 30 amp. The openings for dumping are a couple of inches below ground level and the kind you just point the hose down and put a few rocks over to hold it down. Gravel sites that are mostly level.
The Good: The water and electric only sites in the back (spots 28 to 36) of the park are long and spread out. I recommend if you can go without having sewer connection, the ones in back (spots 28 to 36) are the best to stay in. Don't get the ones in front. Big trees and lots of grass (but watch out for the gofer holes). Quiet and peaceful night.
Did not use their restrooms or showers or pool (may not have been open) so no comment. There is a dump site. Wifi was 17 mbs but slowed down in the evening. We use AT&T and got two bars of 5G.
Scout
Harrison Lake Campground is a great spot if you're looking for a quiet getaway. The campsites are spacious and well-spread out, offering plenty of privacy. It's a rustic camping experience, but the beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings make it worth it.
It provides a peaceful setting for campers looking for a quiet retreat, with well-spaced sites that ensure privacy.
From: Block Blast puzzle game.
Scout
The only thing that would make this campground super great would be power at each site. The fees charged here are a bit high for a basic campsite.
Guide
This site was lovely. We pulled in around 5pm or so and there was only one spot available next to the restroom. Lucky one other spot was large and we ended up sharing it with some other campers. Picnic tables available at each site and vault toilet on site was well maintained and clean.
It was a quiet and lovely place to rest for the evening.
Scout
Easy to drive into, and parking lot is easy to turn around in. You can't see the main road from here, so very private.
TravelerEasy pull off, good amount of spots and not too busy! We stayed on the right were there are 2 spots away from the rest. Bugs are INTENSE though!
Scout
I visited this lake last week. I love it and slope game. The water is pristine and visually appealing with no obstructions like stumps or logs, as mentioned earlier. The lake underwent complete drainage and dredging. It has been populated with eight different types of fish. I recently reeled in two bass weighing 2-3 pounds each. My wife has successfully caught numerous quality channel catfish. This lake is quite lovely. However, the landing area is shallow, restricting the launch of large bass boats.
GuideBlm camping on the big hole river, montana, free up to 16 days. About 15 spots. Boat ramp, fishing hiking fire pits, no wood available.
Legend
Was able to snag a primitive spot for one night. This campground isnt too far off I90 near 3 Forks, MT. No cell service (ATT) at the campground but 5g at the caverns. Hosts were super friendly and nice. I was in A7 which had a nice shade tree. Did not use the facilities so can’t speak to that. They had a guest speaker that night share about the bat population in MT. Very interesting!! Be sure to unhook and get to the caverns early in the morning to get a reservation to tour. We did the Paradise tour as my son is in a wheelchair. The classic tour looked super cool though!
ScoutWe stayed one night on our way back from Yellowstone. My RTT was perfect for this. There was a small corral for horses and plenty of room for a horse trailer and truck.
Traveler
This was a great spot for a couple of nights right on the water. Multiple spots for larger rigs.
Traveler
We stayed here for a few days off one of the main trail head. There are not many sites off the main trail head and we’re all full when we arrived.
We have a 25ft off road travel trailer and attempted to go down two side trail heads. The further one was so bad we had to back all the way out. The closest side trail head was slightly better. We made down the road. However there wasn’t many sites here as well. There was maybe 3-4 sites along this whole trail head. We needed up stay in a pull in a valley early on in this trail head
Guide
This is one of the nicest campgrounds around Big Sky I was told, but they fill up fast! I drove through hoping I could get just one night when I really needed it and I lucked out. Spot 8 had a sign that it was open for just that night! I loved it. Very private, surrounded by trees and the creek behind. I fell asleep to the water and the neighbors were all very quiet and respectful of each other and the space. Definitely a hidden gem in the chaos of Big Sky.
Guide
I booked 2 nights on Recreation.gov less than 3 weeks in advance. I was camping while working an event in Big Sky.
The campground is quite large, and this time of year, completely full every night. It is right on the river and very close to the highway. This means it is not quiet. Still, it’s 10 minutes to Big Sky, clean and well equipped. Overall a good choice in this area if you can make a reservation.
There are bear-safe food storage lockers, fire rings, and picnic tables at each camp site. Long before the bears eat you, the mosquitoes and deer flies will. Bug spray advised. Pit toilets are well-used but reasonably clean. The on-site hosts make sure to mark reservation cards on each site, and put signs at the entrance when the campgrounds is full. This kept traffic inside the campground to a minimum. Much appreciated.
GuideNice campground near Adjacent to Gallatin River. Some sites are actually right next to the river. Our site, 43, up on the hill, would be perfect except for the proximity of the vault toilet. The vault toilet was extremely clean and did not smell at all, inside the room, however, at our campsite, every now and then, we would get an unpleasant waft. Camp sites are well spaced and some even have hook ups (not 43). Our site was unique and nice as it was tri-level. Level 1 is parking/trailer, level 2 is fire ring and table, level 3 is an area to set up a tent.
Traveler
Very clean, super nice owners, close to a quaint little historical town, and 15 minutes from another great little town. Good foods and shopping nearby. Very clean showers and laundry area. Definitely recommend!
RangerGreat hosts, Full hookups, lots of space & Beautiful views. Rode our bikes to Virginia City -lots of fun!
Traveler
The coordinates are a little off - you will drive about 2 miles past Lonehurst Campground, and then take a slight right onto the road labeled with a “designated camping only” type of sign. There are 3-4 spots that I saw, but I was the only one there! Quiet place with a creek right by my camping area. As expected, the mosquitos and flies are quite abundant, but don’t let that deter you!
Guide
I made the mistake of picking one of the 2 spots at the end of the camp loop. Sites 16 and 17 site right on the swamp and are infested with mosquitos. You can see standing stagnate water bog on both sides of site 16 where we stayed.
I tried 3 different bug repellants, burned multiple mosquito coils, started a fire and had the large 20ft Thermacell lantern running for hours. They never cleared out and ended up with so many mosquito bites. We ended up hunkering down inside our van with the bug screens on. We did come on a dry hot July day.
The state park, campgrounds and trails are so beautiful its hard to fault the campground on the mosquitos. We are going to request to move sites away from the swamp area. Walking around the campground, the mosquitos are less at other sites but still around. I think our typical protection might work better over there but was ineffective at site 16.
My partner likes to run and the paved trail is really nice and is far enough off the road for a great morning run. I find it super quiet here and the 5G UC T-Mobile signal is plenty to work and stream content.
Guide
This is a great place in Montana. Easy access. Right outside Dillon MT. We stayed here one night and then the the Lewis and Clark Limestone Cavern tour. It is about an hour. Camp ground is super clean and all the sites are very easy to access. Very nice hosts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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