Helena-Lewis and Clark 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
- 4,965 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 57
- Longest rig
- 15 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 · 57 campgrounds shown
- Aspen CampgroundMay
- Aspen Grove Group Use CampgroundReservations accepted
- Bar Gulch Cabin1 sitesAll year · Reservations accepted
- Benchmark CampgroundMay · Reservations accepted
- Calf Creek Cabin1 sitesYear round · Reservations accepted
- Cave Mountain CampgroundApril · Reservations accepted
- Copper Creek CampgroundMay
- Cromwell Dixon CampgroundSeason not published
- Crystal Lake Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Crystal Lake CampgroundSeason not published
- Cummings Cabinto 15 ft · 1 sitesReservations accepted
- Daisy Dean Camp CampgroundSeason not published
- Double Falls CampgroundSeason not published
- Dry Wolf Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Dry Wolf CampgroundSeason not published
- Eagle Guard CabinAll year · Reservations accepted
- Ear Mountain Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Elko CampgroundReservations accepted
- Grasshopper CampgroundSeason not published
- Green Gulch Dispersed Camp CampgroundSeason not published
- Hay Canyon CampgroundSeason not published
- Haymaker Dispersed Camping AreaSeason not published
- Home Gulch CampgroundApril 18, 2024 · Reservations accepted
- Hunters Spring Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Indian Flats Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Jellison Place CampgroundSeason not published
- Judith Guard Station CabinReservations accepted
- Judith Station Day Use AreaSeason not published
- Jumping Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Kading Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Kading CampgroundSeason not published
- Kenck Cabin1 sites12/1 – 10/15 · Reservations accepted
- Kings Hill Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Kings Hill CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Logging Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Many Pines CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Mill Falls CampgroundSeason not published
- Monument Peak Lookout1 sitesJune 15 – October 31 · Reservations accepted
- Moose Creek Cabin1 sitesReservations accepted
- Moose Creek CampgroundSeason not published
- Moose Creek Campground - Little Belt MountainsSeason not published
- Mortimer Gulch CampgroundApril · Reservations accepted
- Park Lake Campgroundmid-May – October
- Richardson CampgroundSeason not published
- Rillway Cabin1 sitesAll year · Reservations accepted
- Skidway CampgroundMay – October
- South Fork CampgroundReservations accepted
- Spring Creek CampgroundMay 18, 2023
- Summit Campgroundmid May 2024 – early November · Reservations accepted
- Thain Creek CampgroundMay – November
- Thompson Guard Station1 sitesApril 1 – December 15 · Reservations accepted
- Timber Creek Dispersed CampgroundSeason not published
- Van Deriet CampgroundReservations accepted
- Vigilante CampgroundSeason not published
- West Fork CabinYear round · Reservations accepted
- West Fork Teton CampgroundSeason not published
- Wood Lake CampgroundReservations accepted
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west-central Montana, United States. Spanning 2.8-million acres. The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to this area, different areas of the large forest territory were used by members of the Blackfeet, Sioux, Cheyenne, Flathead and Crow nations for hunting and as an area for their seasonal winter camps. The forests provided shelter from the winter.
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.
- Bob Marshall Wilderness1,064,092 acres
- Scapegoat Wilderness259,785 acres
- Gates of the Mountains Wilderness28,460 acres
Byways through this country
National parks close enough to pair
Drive to Helena-Lewis and Clark 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.