Looking for an adventure where you can explore Wilsall and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Wilsall, including sites, reviews, and tips. 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.
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.
We offer space to park or pitch your tent. I've been at this for 13 years, so there's not a lot I haven't seen. BYO sleeping arrangement.
We have a hot shower and restroom facilities, which right now is a bright blue porta potty. It is serviced each Monday.
Go-Fast campers are just up the road. We've hosted many.
Car campers and vans are welcome as well.
I don't do homeless camps or man-camps.
Yes, I've seen it all!
*A NOTE ABOUT YOUR DOG* Don't surprise me with them. We are animal lovers, but this is a working farm. They must be ON LEASH at all times and you are expected to clean up after them. This includes poop and hair. Remember, I've seen it all!
Farm=mud & manure so it smells like a farm.
Located on a historic farm just minutes from town. We have lived here all of our lives and work the land we live on.
Our farm includes 2 antique shepherd's wagons, a cabin, which are listed on Airbnb.
Serenity Sheep Farm Stay and The Wool Mill.
The space
This listing is for up to 3 people. Let me know if there are more than that in your party. $10 for each additional person. Please don't surprise me with your pets. We are pet-loving people, but this is also a working farm. I need to know in advance.
We have 2 antique shepherd's wagons for rent as well as a cabin. This tent space is in a field that is shared with them. There is one outhouse and a propane, heat-on-demand shower house as well as a fire pit. All are shared spaces. This tent space is a field on a farm. We have lots of farm animals wandering about. The chickens do roam. We also have Richardson's ground squirrels, more commonly known as gophers, who can dig holes and tear up the ground. With all of that said, we are not a campground per se. We only allow 2 tent guests at a time, so this is not like a large commercial campground. You will share a fire pit with any other guests here on the farm, if there is no burn ban in effect.
We are 8 miles from Belgrade and Yellowstone International Airport, 10 miles from i-90 and 20 miles from downtown Bozeman.
$25 fee to pick up your dog poop!
Quiet, private, not a campground. It's a working farm.
20 minutes from Bozeman.
Guest access
You'll be sharing a composting outhouse and or port-potty and shower house with other guests.
Other things to note
Our bedtime is 9:00 pm. Some days earlier. We realize travel plans change and late arrivals are a part of that. It's common for guests to come in late, so I can give you easy, specific directions to the place in that event. Past 9:00 pm, we sleep! :-)
I've found it best to lay it all out for guests so they know what is expected of them. Someone is always here if you need anything and we are happy to assist, but there's nothing we can do about the weather.
The first wagon on the left on your way in is a farm store. Be sure to check it out and see what all we do in the wool mill.
$30 / night
This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night. Accessible - yes (toilet as well)
Richardson Campground is located in the Lewis and Clark National Forest in the Castle Mountains. At an elevation of 5,500 feet, the campground encompasses 8 acres. It is located in a lodgepole pine forest on a hillside. There are 3 campsites provided with restrooms. Richardson Creek is located nearby, and scenic hiking trails are accessible from the campground. Pets are welcome. The maximum recommended trailer length for the area is 16 feet. Please limit your stay to 16 days. Bears may frequent the area; keep all food out of sight in approved containers and remove all food from area after eating. Mandatory food storage is required.
A campground in the west boulder area on the Yellowstone District. Open all year. Access is limited during the fall and winter due to snow. Access road not suitable for vehicles longer than 20'. This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night.
$12 / night
Scout
The road to this location is closed, the bridge is out. There is no access.
Traveler
What a beautiful spot to escape to! A single, private campground surrounded by a cottonwood grove sounds like the perfect place for a peaceful getaway. The 60 acres on Miner Creek offer ample opportunities for relaxation and adventure. Speaking of getting away, if you ever find yourself needing to craft the perfect description or promotional content for your own adventures, consider using lastminutewriting.com writing service. They offer fantastic support in creating engaging and high-quality texts. Enjoy the tranquility of nature and make the most of this beautiful campground! It sounds like a wonderful place to unwind.
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.
Scout
Easy to find off of I90. Nice clean and safe place. Once the rafters and fisherman rolled out in the evening it was peaceful. Will return.
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
Guide
There are only 2 sites here. It’s a great place to fish, rock hound and there are some trails very close. The road in as well as the pit toilet are well maintained. One morning about 12 people showed up and just walked onto my site and went fishing despite my objections. They were really aggressive and they felt completely entitled to do whatever they wanted.
ScoutThis is pretty much a tourist trap. We got out of work late and didn’t find a spot at loch leaven and had to be on the river early, so we just gave it a try. $30, no fires allowed, essentially just a grass field. There were a couple picnic tables scattered about. Would be better off at the free old saloon camping field.
ScoutBeautiful spot by the Yellowstone River. Train whistles woke us up four times.
Scout
Not to mention the single-lane cobblestone road, I have a truck and was bouncing up and down the whole way! I didn't find one area big enough to set up camp. I definitely would NOT recommend this spot
Guide
Stayed 8-1-24
Good: KOA like expected, but great view.
Bad: Mile long dirt road to get to entrance.
Would I stay again: ?, I might try West entrance next time.
Ranger
We stayed here on our way home from Colorado. Pulled in it was 98 degrees so full hook up power was great. Swimming pool was an added benefit.. campground and shower house is very clean. We will stay here again.
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.
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
GuideSmall family friendly campground Very close to town for supplies. 15 minutes from 4 separate summer weekend outdoor music venues. Local yellowstone river float trips. Available.
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.
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!!)
LegendIf you like trains this place is for you. If not.. well they’re pretty prevalent. Thankfully we enjoy the sound of the train whistle. We got here late and left early ish. So didn’t get to take in all the amenities. But appreciated the grassy spot and the breeze thru the beautiful aspen trees
Traveler
Windy, free range cattle, no trees but beautiful.
RangerA bit confusing with all the no trespassing and no parking on/off the road signs. Felt more comfortable once we saw another van parked, and drove past the coordinate location a few minutes to use a tiny widened part of the road. No services.
ScoutGreat spot and easy to get to. Exactly where the coordinates are pull off was big enough for my sprinter 170 extended was even able to get it perfectly level a few dirt bikes on the road that stopped at sunset. It’s very quiet and beautiful views and 15° cooler than Bozeman.
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
Scout
Pulled in around 10 to find a couple 5th wheels in a circle and a few vans dispersed, only one sketchy motor home but quiet night. We stayed in the camper all night as the mosquitos were the worse I’ve ever seen at all hours.
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.
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.
Tent camping near Wilsall, Montana offers a blend of stunning scenery and outdoor adventure, perfect for nature enthusiasts looking to escape into the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Wilsall, MT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Wilsall, MT is Fairy Lake Campground with a 3.7-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Wilsall, MT?
TheDyrt.com has all 21 tent camping locations near Wilsall, MT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
