Dispersed Camping in Stillwater County, Montana
Showing 27 locations in Stillwater County.
Bannock Trail Dispersed Area
A quiet flat staging area located along the historic Bannock Trail just east of the national park boundary. It serves as an accessible, legal location to spend the night outside of developed campgrounds.
Beartooth Christian Ranch Corridor
A scenic national forest road corridor passing near the Beartooth Christian Ranch in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The route offers access to beautiful mountain terrain and dispersed camping opportunities on adjacent public lands.
Benbow Forest Road Dispersed
Dispersed camping opportunities located along Benbow Road within the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The corridor offers convenient roadside options in a quiet forest setting.
Bratten Fishing Access Site
A developed fishing access site offering established back-in campsites situated along the Yellowstone River. The site features level gravel pads, picnic tables, and fire rings, making it an excellent base for fishing and boating.
Cooney Dam Road Dispersed
A large network of dispersed camping dirt roads and pull-offs located on public land adjacent to the reservoir. The terrain is flat with sparse scrub vegetation, providing highly exposed sites with little to no privacy.
Cooney State Park
A developed state park campground situated along the scenic shores of Cooney Reservoir, offering water sports, fishing, and established camping sites.
Cooney State Park
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Delger Road Dispersed
An unpaved forest service road corridor offering opportunities for dispersed camping.
East Rosebud Campground
East Rosebud Campground sits nestled in a scenic timbered valley near East Rosebud Lake, offering quick access to several popular hiking trails. The surrounding drainage is famous for its dramatic mountain vistas, though campers should note that the immediate lakefront is bordered by private property.
East Rosebud Road Dispersed
Scenic dispersed camping corridor located along East Rosebud Road within the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The route follows a scenic mountain canyon carved by East Rosebud Creek, providing immediate water access and great views of the Beartooth foothills.
Emerald Lake Campground
Emerald Lake Campground is situated in the scenic West Rosebud drainage, nestled in a wooded area between Emerald Lake and West Rosebud Lake. This popular, first-come, first-served campground provides excellent access to local waters and nearby trailheads. It features 32 campsites, centrally located trash pickup, and bear-resistant food storage facilities.
Itch-Kep-Pe Park
An expansive, scenic municipal park offering over 40 sites situated along the banks of the Yellowstone River. The park features two distinct loops, with the first loop containing flush toilets and a secondary loop offering more spaced-out, private sites. Run entirely on a donation-based model, this location provides easy access to the water and lies within walking distance of the town of Columbus.
Jimmy Joe Campground
A developed, first-come, first-served campground located on the scenic banks of East Rosebud Creek. Nestled within the East Rosebud drainage, it serves as a highly scenic gateway to several prominent Beartooth hiking trails.
Little Rocky Creek Road
A scenic dirt corridor traversing Custer Gallatin National Forest near Fishtail Butte. This road offers dispersed camping pull-offs along its native dirt surface under standard forest regulations.
Lower Sand Dune Picnic Area
A scenic day-use and potential dispersed camping footprint nestled in the Custer National Forest, offering easy gravel access along the Rosebud Creek corridor.
Lulu Pass & Lady Of The Lake Trail Dispersed
This highly scenic alpine road corridor features numerous dispersed camping pull-offs nested along Lulu Pass Road (Forest Road 306) and the Lady of the Lake Trail. Positioned just outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park, these sites range from open meadows with sweeping views of the Beartooth and Absaroka ranges to secluded spots tucked under spruce canopies near rushing creeks. The terrain is rocky, steep, and heavily tracked by ATVs during summer weekends.
Miners Saloon Casino & Emporium
Paved parking area in town near local commercial services.
Mountain Range RV Park
A clean, well-managed private RV park located near Columbus offering unserviced and serviced sites. Convenient amenities include hot showers, clean bathrooms, laundry facilities, a dump station, and water fill services. Some minor noise is audible from the nearby road, but the park remains generally quiet at night. An ideal, safe stopover on the way to the Beartooth Highway. Non-guests can also access the dump station and water fill for a small fee.
Old Nye Picnic Area
A scenic day-use picnic area within the Custer Gallatin National Forest along the Stillwater River corridor. While ideal for a scenic resting point or roadside lunch, overnight dispersed camping rules are managed by the local district guidelines.
Pine Grove Campground
Pine Grove Campground is nestled within the trees along the scenic banks of West Rosebud Creek in the Beartooth Ranger District. This popular, first-come, first-served campground provides direct access to nearby fishing and trailheads, making it a highly desirable spot during the summer months.
Sheep Mountain Foothills Dispersed
Dispersed wilderness campsites located along the dirt access forest routes in the scenic foothills near Sheep Mountain. This area offers primitive boondocking opportunities within the Custer Gallatin National Forest.
Soda Butte Campground
An official US Forest Service campground situated in Beartooth Country close to Cooke City. Because of high grizzly bear activity, this campground strictly prohibits tents, pop-ups, and soft-sided campers. It features spacious and wooded sites with basic infrastructure.
Soda Butte Creek Trail Dispersed Corridor
A rugged National Forest road corridor offering remote dispersed camping just outside Cooke City and the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone. The lower section near the main highway offers basic pull-offs, while navigating higher up the rough mountain track reveals stunning mountain vistas and wild scenery.
Upper Pebble Creek Ford
A scenic backcountry river crossing and wilderness trailhead area near Pebble Creek.
West Rosebud Road Corridor
A scenic gravel forest corridor near Absarokee offering primitive camping opportunities with convenient access to nearby trailheads and campgrounds.
White Bird Fishing Access
White Bird is a state fishing access site located along the scenic Stillwater River in south-central Montana. The site offers rustic, established camping spots with picnic tables, fire pits, and basic pit toilets directly adjacent to the water.
Woodbine Campground
This highly rated campground sits in a dense pine forest along the beautiful Stillwater River, adjacent to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. It offers excellent access to the Woodbine Falls hiking trail and Sioux Charley Lake, with paved roads providing a smooth drive for all vehicles.