Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp near White Sulphur Springs? Dispersed camping means that no facilities or amenities are provided, so that you can truly disconnect and get back to nature. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Montana camping adventure.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no services (such as trash removal), and little or no facilities (such as tables and fire pits) are provided.
Rules for dispersed camping Groups over 75 people are not allowed. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas. You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans. Please pack out all your trash. You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 16 days. After 16 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area and you can not return to your original campsite for 7 days. Please use existing fire rings and avoid creating new fire rings. Contact your local district office for information on fire restrictions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced. Where can I disperse camp? To find out where you are allowed to disperse camp, please refer to each district's Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). These maps will show which roadways allow disperse camping and it tells you the distance you are allowed to drive off the road to camp. Please note that some roads have more limitations and restrictions than others. Please consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map or call the district office for more details. To see our Motor Vehicle Use Maps, click here.
Can I have a campfire? Please use existing sites and fire rings. Firewood permits are not needed if wood is used on the forest. If wood is transported home for personal use, you will need to purchase a firewood permit at the closest district office. This permit should be obtained prior to you gathering or transporting any wood.
Before you leave your campfire make sure is it completely out. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned; it should be cool to the touch. Stir the ashes to make sure all embers have cooled. This is very important! Many forest fires are caused by abandoned campfires that were not completely out.
The National Forest has wildfires each year. Many of these are human caused from escaped campfires in dispersed sites. Campfires are allowed unless there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. You can learn about any fire restrictions by contacting the nearest Forest Service office.
Dispersed camping means no bathrooms and no outhouses. That means extra care has to be taken in disposing of human waste. To dispose of feces, dig a hole six to eight (6-8) inches deep at least 200 feet away from any water source. When you are done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground. Do not simply cover it with a rock. It could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.
Haymaker Park Trail (604) is a short trail that provides access to a system of trails. Nevada Creek Trail 601, Haymaker Canyon Trail 602, and Daisy-Mountain-High Trail 603 all join Haymaker Park. Haymaker Park offers large numbers of wildflowers in spring and has good views to the south down Daisy Canyon. Obtain a Forest Visitor's map for information on any travel restrictions. Length: 0.4 miles Trail Begins: Forest Road 189 Trail Ends: Trail Junction. 602 Area Map: Lewis and Clark (Jefferson Division) USGS Map1: Daisy Peak Township 11N; Range 11E; Section 26
Scout
The road to this location is closed, the bridge is out. There is no access.
Traveler
We were looking for an easy dispersed site to stay at while visiting a friend in Bozeman. This was an easy option for us with a 20ft camper. We stayed at the first pull off a few minutes off the main road. This site was easily accessible, right off the main road, close to town and close to some hikes.
Guide
This place seemed promising at first. It was hard to find a decent spot at night due to only using headlights of my van. Most of the road is extremely rugged/uneven/full of large holes. The only place I was able to stay for the night was the road leading up to the locked gate. This is about the only nice spot. Other than that this place is • quiet w/occasional traffic along the high way (right next to reservoir) • very few people here, but far enough away from me • no fee required • provides OK view to the mountains • great when you bring along a pet • you will need to be fully prepared for primitive camping
Scout
I felt so secluded here on a Sunday night. Beautiful area. Appreciated the reviews on here to find a good free place to spend the night.
ScoutStayed here twice in early August about a week apart. Any car should be able to get down the road to the campsites. A bit buggy but free. Pit toilet available.
Guide
This is an amazing camp spot that is almost almost to the top of the trail to fairy Lake campground. There’s an established firing, and there’s room for multiple vehicles.
RangerThis was an ok stay outside of Bozeman. The coordinates took me to a spot which was occupied but looked like the only spot on that stretch of road. It began to get extremely rutted and I didn’t want to push any farther after that spot. I camped in what looked to be a dispersed campsite that they closed off
GuideLots of open space and locations to pull out--beautiful views as well! To access this place we went towards Copper City Trail Head, and drove by the entrance onto BLM lands. Also, note that this place seems common for mountain bikers and trail bikers, so you'll likely run into a few of those. Also also, this place is DRY--so be sure to bring your own water (but on the plus side, no bugs!!)
TravelerGorgeous campsite only 20ish min from the outskirts of Bozeman. Stopped in for 1 night passing through on a bigger road trip and couldn’t be luckier with this location. Fire rings at all campsites. Very quite road. Level ground for car camping. Would 100% come back just for this gem.
ScoutPlenty of pull out sites with some scattered man made fire rings. Secluded quiet and great views
GuideGreat spot right on parts of the trial! It’s open and you can see miles in each direction. No shade, no bathrooms, but most have man made fire pits.
ScoutThere’s signs about limiting the stay to 14 days, but there clearly are people who have been here much longer than that. Way too crowded.
TravelerYou can not stake anything down here. It's all sand. No cover from wind. Does have a vault toilet. Could see how to could very crowded in summer.
GuideCottonwood Reseravoir DNRC land section. accessible for overnight camping under DNRC rules. The reservoir has Yellowstone cutthroat trout and white suckers. No wifi, no trash, no bathrooms. Completely wild. Stars at night amazing. All kinds of waterfowl passing seasonal. No amenities.
GuideA few sites, close toe Hyw 89 through a Texas gate. We camped for a night and it's a beautiful space with stunning views and a reservoir right at the spots. No fire rings a little bit a rough road 4x4 and higher clearance recommended. Better no enter with big rigs or trailer. But a beautiful place to spend time.
GuidePulled in early on a Friday and it was already filling up. Stayed 1 week and was by myself for most of it besides the weekend. I did come back at one point during a storm to find a bunch of teenagers parked right next to my camper and when it stopped raining they started doing donuts and messing around. Also, the fire pit was full of garbage when I got there. Overall it was a great stay, especially since it was free. The reception was good, the road just leading to the camping spots was a little bumpy
TravelerI went a little further up the mountain than the coordinates (about 5 miles) and found a spot off the road (4wd highly recommended, no big rigs). The mountains were pink and purple at sunrise, awesome views! I went for a little walk in the woods and saw a black bear (keep your food and trash stored safe!) No amenities of course but most sites have a fire ring already there. It's about 20-30 minutes outside of Bozeman, MT. Happy camping!
GuideEnough space along the banks to find a spot and still feel private . ATT and Verizon service. Accessible to low clearance vehicles
Legend
Disperse camping area 9210 is a two site camping area, with each site having a picnic table and metal fire ring. This is at the site of the former Indian Hills Campground which was decommissioned a few years ago. All of the campground was removed on the opposite side of the creek. The forest service left the first two sites for disperse camping. You can find the site by turning at the sign for forest road 9210, which goes for only a couple hundred feet to the two camp sites. Both sites are quite nice and sit among very large trees and along side the creek. An information sign is at the site.
ScoutGreat place to camp right along the water for tents, RTTs, or campers. The problem is there were a ton of people. I arrived on a Thursday with only one other person camping within 100 yards of me. By Saturday, there were 12 different campers packed in like sardine along the same 100 yard stretch. Loose dogs were running all over and generators were running all night. If you don't mind the crowd, it's a great place to camp and enjoy the water
GuideCanyon Ferry has great dispersed camping all around it. The specific site we stayed at was right next to the beach. Great views and right down from a pit toilet.
GuideThere were some of the cutest cows on the way in. It took me over half an hour to locate the owner and get a calf's head unstuck. The water was pretty and my dogs loved all the beach wood. My neighbors were friendly and didn't mind the dogs running around.
LegendYou almost don't realize that this area open to camping and would drive right by if it were not for a plywood sign just after crossing a cattle guard. The plywood has just a few signs on it, one listing the number of nights you can camp for. The others are the camping rules, travel restrictions and notice that spot must be occupied at night. This camping area is a mile north of Confederate Campground. When you look back up the road leading to the camping area you can notice a vault toilet in the distance. It is over a½ mile to this vault toilet down a two track road. One flat grassy camping spot can be found about half way to the toilet. This grassy spot is your best bet if you have a tent with out a crowd. The spot is on the shore of the lake with just a few young willows between you and the water. The remainder of the camping appears to happen just after the ADA vault toilet. A few more grassy spots are possible near the vault toilet, then there is a narrow section of gravel beach on which RV's turn in to a parking area. The RV's line up one right behind the other on this beach as this is the only real level place to park. No other services besides the ADA vault toilet is available so come prepared. The area has no picnic tables and any fire rings are on the beach made by previous visitors. The site does not have a boat ramp, but the gravel shore would make it easy to launch one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near White Sulphur Springs, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near White Sulphur Springs, MT is Confederate Disperse Camping Area with a 3.9-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near White Sulphur Springs, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 dispersed camping locations near White Sulphur Springs, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
