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.

There are no reservations available and only 10 spots, so I felt like I got lucky there was something available for me that night. By the time the sun went down there were only 3 other sites filled, so plenty of space. There is no potable water so come prepared. The cost was minimal, $8 or $9 each night if I remember correctly. The sites have campfire rings, tables but not grills. There is a restroom for the camp. There are some trails to explore which were well maintained but I believe backpacking through Glacier spoiled me. Pets were allowed but must be on a leash. It was a peaceful and quiet place to stay.

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.

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!

Ackley Lake State Park campground has no camping fees for Montana residents, for nonresidents the cost is$24 per night. The campground has two vault toilets, but no running water or trash service. While visiting I counted 26 metal fire rings at the campground. Most of those fire rings had picnic tables, but not all of them. Their are 15 numbered campsites with metal fire rings with a cement picnic table with a lean-to to block the wind and provide a little shade. The numbered sites sit along the shore of the lake allowing you to fish from your campsite. The state park also has 2 boat ramps and a seasonal boat dock.