Searching for a dispersed campsite near West Glacier? Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. From secluded to easily reachable, we offer dispersed campsites near West Glacier just for you.
“Dispersed camping” is the term used for camping anywhere outside of a developed campground, including in some campgrounds with minimal development. Dispersed camping is free, and permitted almost everywhere on the Flathead National Forest. Camping in undeveloped areas requires you to help keep the sites in good condition. Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed near developed recreation areas including campgrounds, trailheads and day-use areas. Water, restrooms, and trash cans are not provided. Pack out all your trash. There is a 16-day stay limit at any site. After that you must move 5-miles away, and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Use existing fire rings. Avoid creating new fire rings. Your fire must be attended at all times and be dead out before leaving. Contact a local office about possible campfire restrictions before you go. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Additional rules or regulations may apply to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Flathead Wild and Scenic River corridor.
“Dispersed camping” is the term used for camping anywhere outside of a developed campground, including in some campgrounds with minimal development. Dispersed camping is free, and permitted almost everywhere on the Flathead National Forest. Camping in undeveloped areas requires you to help keep the sites in good condition. Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed near developed recreation areas including campgrounds, trailheads and day-use areas. Water, restrooms, and trash cans are not provided. Pack out all your trash. There is a 16-day stay limit at any site. After that you must move 5-miles away, and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Use existing fire rings. Avoid creating new fire rings. Your fire must be attended at all times and be dead out before leaving. Contact a local office about possible campfire restrictions before you go. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Additional rules or regulations may apply to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and Flathead Wild and Scenic River corridor. Human Waste Disposal Dispersed camping generally means no bathrooms. Keep your site clean for the next campers and prevent disease spread and pollution of water by following these rules:
Urinate on rocks and avoiding vegetation if possible, and well away from water and camp. Do not leave toilet paper or wipes on the ground after you pee. Carry a zipper-lock plastic bag and pack out your toilet paper. Dig a cathole 6-8 inches deep and 8-inches wide at least 200-feet away from water, camp and trails to bury feces. Cover all waste with the soil you removed, and sprinkle the disturbed ground with leaves, pine needles, or other organic debris. If you carry a portable camping toilet, treat and pack out all treated waste and dispose of according to instructions on the digestant. The Flathead Wild and Scenic River Corridor rules require all solid human waste be carried out in leak-proof manner and disposed of properly off-forest.
Camping with a vehicle Motorized use is limited to roads and trails designated on the Motor Vehicle Use Map. Know and follow all seasonal closures and never go beyond gates or other barriers on roads. Do not park or camp in front of closed gates. This prevents authorized users, including emergency responders, from accessing the road. Find and select your campsite on foot and scout the most direct route to your campsite for your vehicle. Driving your vehicle more than 300 feet from a motorized route for purposes of dispersed camping is prohibited. You may not cut or damage trees or vegetation to access your campsite. Never drive across wet areas or areas with soft ground.
Free Dispersed Campsites along the northern part of Hungry Horse Resevoir.
3600-foot elevation. 5 sites near the west shore of Hungry Horse Reservoir. Fishing for trout and whitefish in the reservoir; access at Lost Johnny Point boat ramp. Pack it in, pack it out. Lakeview campsite Campsite picnic area Campsite fire-ring
Guide
In this video we provide a comprehensive review of 3 of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 16 day stay limit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0llxG33OdoQ
Free Camping Near Glacier National Park- North Fork Road, Canyon Creek and McGinnis Creek Dispersed
GPS Point for North Fork Road Dispersed Camping
48.499334,-114.131517
Natural Spring for drinking water etc. 48.447581,-114.165680
Conoco Station($5 Dump and Water) 48.371583,-114.203917
Bonus Content GPS Info Canyon Creek Dispersed 48.463612,-114.167320
McGinnis Creek Dispersed(start of road with North Fork Road Instersection) 48.52.3474,-114.128642
McGinnis Creek Large Boondocking Area from Video 48.531014,-114.157493
Guide
In this video we review 2 more of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. This time we focus on the Middle Fork Flathead River(Blankenship Bridge) and Glacier Rim River Access Locations. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 3 day stay limit at Middle Fork and 16 day stay limit at Glacier Rim.
Guide
In this video we review 2 more of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. This time we focus on the Middle Fork Flathead River(Blankenship Bridge) and Glacier Rim River Access Locations. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 3 day stay limit at Middle Fork and 16 day stay limit at Glacier Rim.
Guide
I was traveling to meet up with a group of friends in Glacier NP as a stop along my solo cross country road trip. We didn't set reservations and all the campgrounds were full, so we opted to "dirt bag" it and take advantage of some free dispersed camping by the Middle Fork Flathead River. It's a popular spot for people to do this, as well as for folks to spend a day on the river, swimming and floating etc. There are plenty of large, flat spots to camp so you can usually find a place even late in the evening. A nice location with river access, incredible night skies, easy access via 15min drive to the west side of Glacier NP (photos), flat ground, perfect for a quick camp fix! Of course, it's busy and so not very quiet or private and since it's dispersed camping, there were no facilities - but we're not picky. We took advantage of the space to play some camp games, too.
TravelerGreat camping for van life. Plenty of pull offs on the side of the road. First few miles of McGinnis Creek rd are open all year. After that, the gates are closed until July 1st. There are about 5 spots for bigger trailers. We managed to find a spot on a side road before the gates, that fit our 32' travel trailer. Verizon and tmobile service but only 1 to 2 bars. This spot is only about 25 minutes from West Glacier. The road is a really good gravel road.
ScoutI love the beauty of this area, it's so dark at night and there are pockets of phone service (Verizon) and there's so many animals and wild flowers.
There is a lot trafficking that happens here around the park though. Camping near West Glacier this is more prevalent because it's near the reservation. This area off North Fork Road is not far from the park and many people camp here also.
I had an experience today early morning where two men in a truck tried to break into my car to get to me. I keep the windows blacked out with covers aside from the back small windows that are dark tint. I call in my Subaru Outback.
They pulled up to look in the back windows and thought it was a woman in the car. Back the car up to block me and they got out of the car and came around to the cracked passenger window facing the forest to try to get to me.
They didn't realize I saw them the whole time around the top of the blackout curtain. I grabbed my keys and turned my alarm on. They thankfully sped off. I jumped in the front and sped away and called the police.
Many areas don't have cell service here, this spot did. Most are very vulnerable out here. It's 25min back to town and mostly without service.
Colombia Falls said they sent the police but no one ever came. They never called me. Didn't see one officer on the highway driving into town. The car with the men passed me and I told them the car info and still I don't think anything happened at all.
Don't sleep out here unless you have a gun and you feel very secure and self contained in your car. It's not safe. I had a similar experience in two other areas and I won't stay in the area anymore unless it's a private campground that is monitored or is a hotel room.
Be very very safe. If I had been sleeping, I don't know what would have happened.
LegendThe spot was wonderful. When you first turn off the main road there’s about 100 feet of very rough road so go super slow and keep to the left. And then splits three ways I kept the left and it was super smooth and brought me out onto the beach. I drove all the way through the beach back into the forest area for more privacy and that’s where the toilets are located. There were a total of four Porta potty‘s. No other services available. It’s 20 minutes from West glacier and had good enough AT&T service for me to work remotely. I would say they were about 15 other campers when I arrived Wednesday evening. The weekends I guarantee he gets very full but I think you could easily fit over 50 people camping here. I will definitely be back again and would recommend. I drive a Ford transit van and didn’t have issues.
GuideI loved this spot! I was able to get a spot back in the trees and shade a bit, but could still just walk down to the river. When I was there they also had porta potties available, because it’s illegal to even bury waste in this location. Super convenient and free spot for anyone traveling to Glacier National Park! I stayed 3 nights and it’s one of the coolest dispersed camp spots I’ve found.
GuideThis free camping area has unbelievable breathtaking views especially at sunrise/sunset! The stars are also extremely visible since you’re staying on the rocks right along the river. The only reason I rate this place a 4/5 is the potholes leading up to the camping! There’s ways through it softer than others but almost no way you won’t bottom out. My fiancé and I have a Chevy truck and a 16ft camper and we bottomed out about 3-4 times before reaching the rocks. It’s Worth it I’d say, everyone who’s stayed around us has had friendly pets (cats and dogs) and they’ve all been extremely friendly and welcoming as well! You can stay long than the 3 day limit as well that’s what we have been told, BY LAW you can’t stay long than 14 days dispersed camping but we had been told by a man who visits here monthly that the locals just have an issue with people staying longer than 3 days because they want their own space. Sharing caring, and I’m glad we had the friendly people around us that we did, made the experience so much better. The water was too cold to bathe in so we fished instead! Caught nothing. Locals were jumping off the bridge, lots of flys but not many bugs. All rocky unless you’re staying in the trees where it’s mostly tent camping! Overall we loved this spot! It’s amazing and we are staying longer than expected and definitely coming back here!
Guide
Dispersed spot in the flathead national forest. Did some group camping here. Nice and open, however it was absolutely littered with trash. Some a moose!
Guide
Dispersed campground right on the Flathead river. Great to hear the river at night. Only downsides are it’s a busy boat launch with people coming all day long and it can get loud on the weekends. Free camping with 3 day max stay. The road will likely cause need for a front end alignment as you drive from Columbia Falls. About another 10 miles (of terrible roads) on North Fork road and you are at the west entrance to Glacier and close to Apgar / Lake McDonald. We stayed for 3 days and loved it. Nature at its best.
GuideVery clean, open space, next to the river. Had clean toilets, big rig safe. Dry camping/dispersed camping. Beautiful views! 😍
Guide
Located close to the west entrance, this dispersed camping location is quiet and easily accessible to most vehicles. It did fill up, so get there early. Mosquitos were pretty bad.
Legend
The GPS coordinates for this place are slightly off. Look for Hungry Horse Rd and follow it 4 miles until you reach the Hungry Horse Reservoir Dam. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere along the road after the dam.
Plenty of places to pull off, the road goes for miles. There are also many established state campgrounds along the road. The sites that I saw were nothing fancy, some with fire rings and some not. I read about some places that are nicer if you take the fire roads that branch off the main road, but I came in late and just used a pull-off. I'd recommend going to the Ranger station located in Hungry Horse and ask for some dispersed camping information (The area is very large).
No services, pack in, pack out. No reliable service for Verizon.
GuideAwesome location near the west entrance to Glacier. The road in was muddy and filled with potholes but doable for vans and four wheel drive vehicles. Saw a few cars. It fills up at night but a lot of space. True dispersed camping experience
TravelerThis was such a great place for our 2 week adventure at Glacier. Fall there is such a gorgeous time of year. We have a 36-foot travel trailer. We arrived after dark on Sept 23, 2023. Honestly, we were worried we wouldn't find a spot and worse, that we wouldn't be able to turn around. We got to the end of the road (there's a locked gate that goes to an airfield), and every spot was full and someone was in the last spot making it so we couldn't turn around. So we parked in the road for the night. No other choice. The next day we moved into the top spot which has space for 2 RVs which was perfect for us since we had family joining us that night. There's a firepit that we shared. Super close to Glacier and a beautiful dispersed camping road. There are probably 10 camp spots, all with fire pits, of which we could have fit into 3, maybe 4 of them. Sign says 16 night limit. Because we arrived at the end of their busy season, it was pretty full the first few days, and then after that, only a few campers up there with us. We had 4 bars with T Mobile and my husband's Starlink worked great.
Legend
This is side of road parking on National forest dirt road. Lots of pull offs every 1/4 mile or so. I took one right by creek. Creek full of small trout. Traffic is minimal. Mostly trucks pulling horse trailers.
GuideThis was a great campsite really close to the West Glacier entrance. The road is easily accessible by most cars. There’s around 10 designated camp site of different sizes. Only a few were vacant when we arrived. The scenery of the camp is amazing. Only downside was the amount of mosquitoes that didn’t seem to care about our bug spray. Otherwise, a great place to stay.
Also had two bars of service on AT&T which was enough for streaming.
GuideOne of the most unique campsites I've ever stayed at, RIGHT in the river bed! I stayed here for 3 mights while visiting the West Glacier section of Glacier National Park, and LOVED it! Met so many awesome people and had such a great time by the river. Only downside is that the Verizon data signal isn't ideal.
GuideThe road is nice gravel for most of the way in, but the last 500 ft to the shore is a very bumpy dirt road so trailers might have an issue. But that road leads you to a open expanse of rocks next to the rivers edge you can camp on or drive back a bit into a sparsely wooded area. Primitive camping because it’s free, no amenities. But there is a lot of drift wood to use as fire wood and many perfect fire pits made from the rocky ground.
GuideThis is dispersed camping with no amenities, but it makes up for that with the views. Pack in, pack out, LNT, and be bear aware! We pulled up in the middle of the night and had no idea the views we would wake up to. We were able to get there in a low clearance, two wheel drive in the summer, so regular cars should be fine. Be aware that there are only 1-2 spots here, however, there are plenty of pullouts along N Fork Rd. We parked at the secondary spot since the primary spot was taken at 10pm :) The site is near the western entrance of Glacier going into Apgar village.
GuideWe really lucked out finding this camp stop! It’s so close to the National Park entrance and a beautiful place to stay. The road is a bit bumpy getting down here but there’s plenty of room for tent camping and RVs. Be careful though! We were told my the national forest rangers that berry bushes grow close by which bears frequent! All this means is put your food and other smelly products (lotion, toothpaste, etc) in your car at night! This spot made our trip!
GuideI really enjoyed this boondocking site. They have great tent options right beside the river but not too close for flooding. Also they have a hard structured bathroom which was nice. Would stay here again. Also the road was bumpy but I managed it with my Honda Accord.
TravelerThis was a nice site for the night. I came around 6pm and all 4 sites were full so we just car camped in one of the parking spots. The four spots look really nice, but they most likely fill up quick, as we came on a Monday night. It’s a very beautiful place to camp and the bathroom is a perk! I definitely recommend if wanting a free place to camp outside of the West Glacier entrance!
RangerThis is a large dispersed camping area with a river-side "beach" suitable for RVs and what not (it's rocky not sandy, so tents might be pretty uncomfortable), as well as a dirt-ground area further in with trees that are great for tents and hammocks. Rock firepits are easily found, although I didn't see much wood around to gather so might want to bring some. When I was there it wasn't too crowded but there we always other people around. Two clean portable latrines when I was there as well - nice plus.
All in all, a great place to settle in and take in the scenery or do some fishing. Not too far from town either, for supply runs, and using Verizon I had perfect reception. Big plus for those of us working on the road!
TravelerThis place is incredible. Great views on a river. Great fishing, great people, and a fantastic overall environment. Lots of camping spots on the beach and some more secluded spots as you move down the site. I would recommend a vehicle with decent clearance to get down to the sites but don’t stress too much.
GuideFire pits. Easy access to the river. Ability to have some privacy from other sites. Pit toilet that was fine for a pit toilet. Stayed there sept 9-12, 2020. Right next to the to river and it’s babbling mini rapids. Standard bumpy gravel road access to Glacier national park. Also easy access to the Flathead national forest. Not too crowded while we were there. Couple RVs in the main lot area, ran generators for brief moments at reasonable times. One night only one other tent there. Another there were 5 or 6. A short walk from parking to sites but no big deal. Left our stuff each day while we went to explore glacier and came back to no problems. Limited wood in the area to burn but you can find it - especially if you have a saw/axe.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near West Glacier, Montana, where nature's tranquility meets adventure. With a variety of options available, campers can enjoy stunning views, access to rivers, and the freedom of camping without the constraints of traditional campgrounds.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near West Glacier, MT is Middle Fork Flathead River Dispersed with a 4.4-star rating from 34 reviews.
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