Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Winifred, MT

Montana Gulch is such a great place to visit and stay if you are ever in the area. Being from Montana, I have had the pleasure of staying at quite a few places and this one is probably one of my favorites. I love that the campground is surrounded be the beautiful mountains, and there are so many great hikes you can go on. Whenever we decide where we are going to stay, we make sure that there are amazing hikes nearby. I would definitely look up hikes nearby before you go, that way you get a feel for what is around you, the length of the hike, and elevation gain. I would also caution that there is a lot of wild life in Montana. We saw a bear and her cubs in the distance on one of the hikes we went on. It was incredible to see, but we were definitely pretty cautious. The campground is great, clean, and well kept. There are quite a few spaces available, but definitely fill up fast in the summertime. We went in the peak of summer and all of the spaces were taken. Luckily we made our reservation online ahead of time. This campground was only for tents, and there was only 1 bathroom which was the only downside. No water onsite, so make sure to bring plenty of your own. There wasn't any picnic tables in the campsites, but there were tables throughout the campground. Pets are allowed, so we brought our dog.

Muchwater is a dispersed camping spot just north of St Regis, MT. It is located in the LoLo National Forest. It is nestled along side the Clark Fork River. This area is amazing! The campsites are huge with plenty of room for an rv or 5'er. We had a spot right next to the river which allowed for easy access. Plenty of trails to explore, but beware, this is HEAVY bear country. There are plenty of animal trails too. Please do not leave food out, children or pets unattended. The sunset off the river is magnificent. This area is FCFS, zero cell service, and has no facilities. The only downside is the train that goes by in the night. It will wake you as it feels like an earthquake, but it is definitely worth staying here.

Not too bad for a quick overnight stay. Right next to the highway so lots of traffic. The grass is nice but they are having a problem with prairie dogs. Restrooms were clean!

Montana is definitely one of my all time favorite places to visit. Being from Washington, there is so many hikes there, and Montana definitely reminds me a little of Washington- except the mountains are EVERYWHERE!! The hiking here is amazing, and Montana Gulch Campground is the best. The campground was really clean, and actually the bathrooms were clean as well and stocked with toilet paper when we were there. Which is shocking because most campgrounds have nasty bathrooms. The campsite spaces were fairly big, with enough room to pitch 2 tents and have our car in front too. There is a table and fire pit within your campsite. There is also some areas under cover with extra tables. The campground is easy to find, and the road was pretty good. I've been to a few places where the road leading to the campground is crappy. The hiking around here was amazing, recommend!! The staff was super friendly and helped us pick out a few hikes. The views were incredible. Wish I would have taken more pictures, but that just means we have to come back!

Montana is hands down one of my favorite places to visit to be outdoors. I am from Washington where there is TONS of places to camp and hike, and Montana definitely is a close tie to Washington and the incredible outdoors. One thing I love about Montana Gulch is the vast views of the mountains. The mountains surround you everywhere you look. The hiking here is incredible, so I highly recommend coming here to hike. Here are a few things we liked about this spot:

1. Great hikes! As I mentioned above, there are some amazing hikes nearby. The farthest we drove for a hike was 1hr past the campground, but we really wanted to do this particular hike so we thought the drive was definitely worth it. It was a little rainy when we went, but that didn't stop us.
2. Bigger campsite spaces. This is something that we really like about some campgrounds- is when the campsite spaces are "bigger" than normal. We were able to fit our car and 2 tents in the site. Also, each campsite was separated by trees and shrubs which gave you a little more privacy.
3. Easy to find. We appreciated that there were signs on the road that directed us right to the campground. I like to trust my phone, but sometimes it doesn't lead you in the right direction. Thankfully their signage was great.
4. Helpful rangers. They were super nice, and directed us to our campsite as well as give us some insight on great hikes nearby.

The only thing we didn't like about the campground was that there was only 1 bathroom (that we could find), and it was pretty far from our campsite.

Overall, I highly recommend coming here! Great place to stay with beautiful views.

I love visiting Montana to do hiking and camping. The outdoors here is amazing!! Mountains everywhere, and wildlife everywhere!! The campground was awesome. Here are some things we liked:

• Well kept/clean- this is something that seems to be rare now a days. We liked that the restrooms were clean, and toilet paper was stocked. There are dumpsters in the campground which make it easy to clean up after yourself.
• Awesome hiking! We hiked every day that we were here. The views are amazing!! We did one hike that was 8 miles round trip, 4 miles round trip, and 6 miles roundtrip. All were amazing!
• The rangers were great! They helped us find our spot, and then tell us where some great hiking was!
• Campsites were big. This is ALWAYS a plus!! Also, the campsites have a table and fire ring. We loved using the fire rings at night to make smores!!

We will definitely be coming back! :)

Without the river map or GPS this site would be easy to miss. Can't see the campground from the river due to all the willow and the sign is missing. Only a small flag tied to a willow marked the landing location. This site is classified as a developed public access site and campground due to the unimproved road providing entry. Caution: entry and exit by road will not be possible during wet conditions. Site has two metal fire rings, 1 concrete picnic table (a second one has fallen apart) and one vault toilet. Plenty of cottonwoods provide shade and good spots to use a hammock.

A pretty basic campsite. There is some shade and “buildings” to provide shade. No really good or visible hiking areas since it’s mostly flat ground. Fishing is good though, and at night you can catch catfish! The worst part of this campsite is the two outhouses. Though they are nicer stone ones, one has about an inch of dried mud covering the floor with excrement in a pile almost above the toilet seat. The other outhouse has less dirt, and excremental goes to the bottom of the toilet bowl (the chamber is full; about floor level). Also the toilets have no toilet paper so BRING YOUR OWN!!! Thank you

A very popular developed boat camp at mile 76.8 of the Upper Missouri River Break National Monument. Site is an fenced area with two vault toilets, one shelter and five metal fire rings. Site is very busy, but is large and can handle a lot of campers.

Corps of Discovery camped here on both their western and easter journeys on the Missouri. Site can be found a short distance upriver from the camping area, a trail leads to the site and is marked with a brass marker plate.

I camped two nights . The sites are spacious and most are shady. We took a nice hike along the river. There is an rv dump for $10. There was no water available during my stay. Only downside was a swarm of horseflies that were not deterred by bug spray or a bug light!

In late October, hundreds of elk congregate in the Slippery Ann area of the park. Dozens of cars also come to watch the herd. It's a very fun time, and an amazing spectacle. It is very busy at this time of year, so that's a bit of a bummer for camping. In mid-summer, before the elk come, there are a million-zillion mosquitoes and it's not fun. Come for the elk!

In the summer, you’ll want to bring or rent a boat of some kind to explore the river; there are many local outfitters. In the fall I’ve heard about the elk herds here and it’s not far from a wildlife refuge. Pros: outhouses, water (seasonally), beautiful landscape (cliffs, river, meadows), lots of water recreation, interesting (but tragic) local history, stargazing, choice of shady or open campsites, along river. Cons: bugs and mud (both seasonal).

30 amp water sewer

Full hookups for $38. Sites are average size. I have a 38-ft travel trailer and I had to unhook to fit in the space. The sites are not incredibly level. But for an overnight stop it works great. Easy in and out