Petrolia Reservoir

We tent camped at this rustic park mid-week in August and had the entire place to ourselves!  (Minus the cows).  This park and lake are located about 20 miles East and South of Winnett, and state managed.  Use is free, first come first served, I think.  No cell service, and GPS got us a little lost getting there, but a local helped us out.

  

There are at least 7 dedicated sites there on the North side of the lake, that each are sort of "pull-though." They would be perhaps too small for anything larger than a teardrop or really short RV, and no power or water hookups.  Each had a nice cement picnic table, and some tables had a really nice roof structure over them.  I think every site had it's own fire ring.  We found some fallen branches to burn, but otherwise no wood on site.  There is a nearby primitive boat launch, and one pit toilet shared by all.  I can't recall if there was a hand pump for water.

  

The reservoir was fairly low when we were there, and the site was by no means lush, but for a quick overnight it was perfect!  Fish in the lake seemed active in jumping about. We read there are walleye, pike and perch.  The rustic roads surrounding the lake were great for a walk and some night mountain biking.  We also had some free range cows nervously come through the site, which was really novel to us Minnesotans.  Proceed with Care - Cattle at Large!

Free Lakeside Camping Perfect for a Roadtrip Overnight

We were looking for a place between Devils Tower and glacier national park.  Wasn’t thinking this would be anything special that was one of the better sites from our trip so far. They have four or five picnic tables a bathroom and a boat ramp and some cows that wonder around. If you don’t get here in time to get a picnic table you can kind of do camping wherever it seems good for you. Even took a bath in the lake to freshen up. Great site ￼￼￼

Great stop on the way to glacier

When it comes to campgrounds, it's hard to beat free. This one is located on a lake in the middle of the Montana badlands/prairie where you will feel secluded and isolated with nature. I was there early April and the lake still had some ice, but was only partially frozen over. Thus there were birds on the water. I fully expect this to be a hotspot as the season progresses.  
  
There was only one other camper when I arrived, and he was there to photograph the birds. He has informed me that in previous visits, this campground has been equally empty. So if you're looking for a quiet place to just relax and get away, this is it.  
  
Each site has a concrete picnic table and a fire ring. Half of the tables are under a shelter. The sites are flat and clean for pitching tents. There is a pit toilet, but no water source. The road in is well-maintained and driveable for most vehicles. There is not much protection from wind, so if you're tent camping, be mindful of that.