Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 5,648 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 78
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 78 campgrounds shown
- Antone StationJuly 1 – March 31 · Reservations accepted
- Basin Canyon Campground and Picnic AreaMemorial Day – Mid September
- Bear Creek BunkhouseDecember 1 – April 30 · Reservations accepted
- Bear Creek CabinDecember 1 – April 30 · Reservations accepted
- Bear Creek Campground and Picnic AreaYear round
- Beaverdam Campground and Picnic AreaMemorial Day Weekend – Labor Day Weekend
- Birch Creek Cabin1 sitesJanuary · Reservations accepted
- Black Butte Cabin1 sitesJuly 1 – March 31 · Reservations accepted
- Bloody Dick Cabin1 sitesJanuary · Reservations accepted
- Boulder Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Branham Lakes Campground and Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Cable Mountain CampgroundLate June – Mid-September · First-come, first-served
- Canyon Creek Cabin1 sitesJanuary 1 – December 31 · Reservations accepted
- Canyon Creek CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Cliff Point CampgroundMid May to mid September · Reservations accepted
- Clover Meadows Dispersed Camping and Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Copper Creek CampgroundMid-May – Late September · First-come, first-served
- Cottonwood CampgroundLate May
- Crystal Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Delmoe Lake Campground and Picnic AreaMemorial Day weekend
- Dinner Station Campground and Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Douglas Creek Cabin1 sitesJanuary 1 - December 31 · Reservations accepted
- East Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- East Fork Group Picnic AreaLate May through hunting season
- Elk Lake Dispersed Camping and Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Fleecer CabinMay 1st to January 1st · Reservations accepted
- Flint Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Fourth of July CampgroundSeason not published
- Gordon Reese Cabin1 sitesDec 1 – April 15 · Reservations accepted
- Grasshopper Campground and Picnic AreaCampground is open June through September
- Hells Canyon Guard Station1 sitesJanuary 1 · Reservations accepted
- High Rye Cabin1 sitesMay 16 · Reservations accepted
- Hilltop CampgroundSeason not published
- Hogan Cabin1 sitesJanuary 1 – December 31 · Reservations accepted
- Horse Prairie Cabin1 sitesJanuary · Reservations accepted
- Little Joe CampgroundSeason not published
- Lodgepole CampgroundSeason not published
- Lodgepole CampgroundReservations accepted
- Lowland Campground and Picnic AreaMemorial Day through September
- Madison River CampgroundReservations accepted
- May Creek Cabin1 sitesJuly 1 – April 15 · Reservations accepted
- May Creek CampgroundMid June through September
- Mill Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Miner Lake CampgroundMid June through September
- Mono Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Moose Lake Cabin1 sitesJanuary · Reservations accepted
- Mussigbrod CampgroundSeason not published
- North Van Houten CampgroundJune through September
- Orofino Campground and Picnic AreaLate May – Mid September · Reservations accepted
- Pettengill CampgroundMid-May through September
- Philipsburg Bay Campgroundto 60 ft · 45 sites · ElectricReservations accepted
- Pigeon Creek CampgroundMemorial Day to mid September · N/A
- Piney Campground and Picnic AreaReservations accepted
- Pintler CampgroundSeason not published
- Potosi Campground and Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Price Creek CampgroundThis campground is open mid June through September
- Racetrack Cabin1 sitesJanuary 1 - December 31 · Reservations accepted
- Racetrack Campground and Picnic AreaLate May through hunting. · First-come, first-served
- Reservoir Lake Campground and Picnic AreaSeason not published
- Riverview Campgroundto 24 ft · 1 sitesFirst-come, first-served
- Seymour Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- South Van Houten CampgroundSeason not published
- Spillway CampgroundReservations accepted
- Spring Hill Campgroundto 50 ft · 11 sitesReservations accepted
- Steel Creek CampgroundJune through September
- Stony Cabin1 sitesJanuary · Reservations accepted
- Stony Creek CampgroundReservations accepted
- Toll Mountain CampgroundMay to mid September
- Twin Lakes CabinJanuary 1 – December 31 · Reservations accepted
- Twin Lakes CampgroundMid June through September
- Vigilante Cabin1 sites · Pull-throughYear round · Reservations accepted
- Wade Lake Campground and Picnic AreasReservations accepted
- Wall Creek Cabin1 sitesMay 16 – November 30 · Reservations accepted
- West Fork CabinJuly 1 – March 31 · Reservations accepted
- West Fork Madison Campground1 sitesReservations accepted
- West Fork of Rock Creek CabinJanuary · Reservations accepted
- Whitehouse CampgroundMemorial Day through November · This is a pack it in, pack it out campsite. Camping is limited to 16 days. No fee.
- Willow CampgroundSeason not published
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
The Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest is the largest of the National Forests in Montana, United States. Covering 3.36 million acres (13,600 km2), the forest is broken into nine separate sections and stretches across eight counties in the southwestern area of the state. President Theodore Roosevelt named the two forests in 1908 and they were merged in 1996. Forest headquarters are located in Dillon, Montana. In Roosevelt's original legislation, the Deerlodge National Forest was called the Big Hole Forest Reserve. He created this reserve because the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, based in Butte, Montana, had begun to clearcut the upper Big Hole River watershed. The subsequent erosion, exacerbated by smoke pollution from the Anaconda smelter, was devastating the region. Ranchers and conservationists alike complained to Roosevelt, who made several trips to the area. (Munday 2001)
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
No vehicles past these lines
Designated wilderness is closed to every wheeled vehicle, including bicycles. You can walk in and camp; you cannot drive or park a rig inside one.
- Lee Metcalf Wilderness237,774 acres
- Anaconda Pintler Wilderness158,754 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
National parks close enough to pair
Drive to Beaverhead-Deerlodge the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.