FIELD GUIDE · CHAPTER 26 · REGION IIEST. 2026
Montana
Big Sky Country
MT · 47°03′ N · 109°38′ W · 953 SITES SURVEYED
APGAR CAMPGROUND · PLATE A-261
§ 01 — Opening Plate
A letter from the field
Montana is the fourth-largest state in the country and contains some of the most consequential wilderness on the continent. Glacier National Park anchors the northwest, where the Going-to-the-Sun Road crests Logan Pass between glacier-carved cirques the size of small towns. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex south of Glacier is the largest roadless area in the Lower 48 outside Alaska — over 1.5 million acres of grizzly habitat and snowmelt rivers without a single developed campground in its interior. Yellowstone's north and west entrances both sit in Montana, and the Beartooth Highway out of Red Lodge climbs to 10,947 feet on its way to Cooke City. Add the Flathead Lake basin, the Absaroka peaks above Paradise Valley, and a state park system that runs from prairie badlands to alpine reservoirs, and Montana delivers a camping landscape that rewards ambitious itineraries and tolerates none of the shortcuts.
§ 02 — The Plates
Top 10 sites, filed
Apgar Campground
Glacier's largest campground sits at the foot of Lake McDonald with 194 sites spread across loops in a cedar-hemlock forest. Apgar is the west-side basecamp for Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Lake McDonald boat shuttle, and the Apgar Village amenities (general store, restaurant, ranger station). Most loops accept reservations through Recreation.gov six months out and book solid for July and August within minutes; a small first-come block fills by mid-morning in summer. Lake McDonald's polychromatic pebbles at the campground beach are one of the most photographed shorelines in the park.
Many Glacier Campground
If Glacier has a single must-camp, it's Many Glacier. The 109-site campground sits beneath Mt. Grinnell in a glacier-carved valley most visitors only see from a tour bus, with the Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, and Cracker Lake trailheads all within walking distance. Grizzly activity is high — bear-resistant food storage is mandatory and routinely inspected. Reserve six months out the moment the booking window opens; the entire summer typically books within an hour. Loops B and C accommodate RVs up to 35 feet.
St. Mary Campground
Glacier's east-entrance campground sits in cottonwoods along the St. Mary River with 148 sites, an amphitheater, and the most wide-open sky in the park. St. Mary catches morning light on the Lewis Range east face and is the closest campground to the eastern Going-to-the-Sun gateway and the Two Medicine and Many Glacier turnoffs. Wind off the plains can be ferocious — stake everything down. Reserve through Recreation.gov; loops open progressively from late May through mid-June depending on snowmelt.
Two Medicine Campground
The most under-appreciated corner of Glacier. Two Medicine's 100 sites sit beside the lake of the same name in Glacier's southeast, where the Blackfeet Nation borders the park and crowds drop to a fraction of Many Glacier or Lake McDonald. The Dawson-Pitamakan loop, Sinopah, and the boat-assisted hike to Twin Falls all start from camp. The general store closes by Labor Day and reservations are required through Recreation.gov in summer. No RVs over 35 feet.
- 05Avalanche CampgroundThe middle Glacier option — 87 sites in a deep cedar-hemlock grove at the…→
- 06Mammoth Campground (Yellowstone)Yellowstone's only year-round campground sits at 6,200 feet just inside the North Entrance from…→
- 07Holland Lake CampgroundThe classic gateway to the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Holland Lake's 39 sites sit on…→
- 08Tally Lake CampgroundThe deepest natural lake in Montana — 492 feet — sits in the Flathead…→
- 09Greenough Lake CampgroundGreenough Lake's 18 sites sit at 7,400 feet along Rock Creek in the Custer…→
- 10Pine Creek CampgroundPine Creek sits in the Custer Gallatin National Forest above the Yellowstone River in…→
§ 03 — Field Data
The working page
Best Time
Peak season. All campgrounds open by late June; Going-to-the-Sun Road typically fully opens in early July. Reserve Glacier sites six months out — Many Glacier, St. Mary, and Two Medicine all book within hours of release. Daytime highs reach 75–85°F in the valleys but drop to 50s on the Continental Divide. Afternoon thunderstorms are common. Wildfire smoke from regional fires can degrade air quality from late July through August. Glacier requires vehicle reservations on Going-to-the-Sun Road in summer.
Reservations
Yes, in summer. Glacier National Park requires a vehicle reservation for daytime entry to the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor from late May through mid-September. Reservations release on Recreation.gov in two waves — most are bookable 120 days…
Permits & Signal
Yes. Dispersed camping on USFS and BLM land is free across Montana, and the state has more public-land acreage than almost any state in the country. Popular free areas include the Beartooth Plateau, the Bitterroot National…
Camping Etiquette
Most are, but with significant restrictions in national parks. Glacier and Yellowstone both restrict pets to campgrounds, paved roads, and parking lots — pets are not allowed on any trails or in the backcountry. State parks…
§ 04 — Almanac
Four seasons, four readings
Spring
Apr–May
Shoulder season with limited high-country access. Going-to-the-Sun Road typically opens between mid-June and the first week of July depending on snowpack — Glacier's interior is largely closed in April and May. Lower-elevation campgrounds at St. Mary, Apgar, and around Flathead Lake open through May. Wildlife is highly active — bears emerging from dens, calving elk in late May, migrating sandhill cranes in eastern Montana. Expect mud, snow squalls, and rivers running high with snowmelt.
Summer
Jun–Aug
Peak season. All campgrounds open by late June; Going-to-the-Sun Road typically fully opens in early July. Reserve Glacier sites six months out — Many Glacier, St. Mary, and Two Medicine all book within hours of release. Daytime highs reach 75–85°F in the valleys but drop to 50s on the Continental Divide. Afternoon thunderstorms are common. Wildfire smoke from regional fires can degrade air quality from late July through August. Glacier requires vehicle reservations on Going-to-the-Sun Road in summer.
Fall
Sep–Oct
The most underrated camping season in Montana. September brings the larch turn — western larches in the Bob Marshall, Mission Range, and Glacier's west side glow gold the last two weeks of the month. The elk rut peaks in Yellowstone, crowds drop sharply after Labor Day, and the smoke season usually ends with the first big September rain. Most Glacier campgrounds close mid-September through early October as snow returns to the high country. Nights drop into the 20s. The first significant snow on Logan Pass typically arrives by October 15.
Winter
Nov–Mar
Most developed campgrounds are closed. Mammoth Campground in Yellowstone is the state's only year-round NPS campground. A few private RV parks around Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, and West Yellowstone stay open with electric hookups for snowbird and ski-town travelers. Going-to-the-Sun Road closes by mid-October and reopens in pieces through June. Backcountry winter camping is for the well-prepared only — temperatures regularly drop below zero in the valleys and well below in the mountains.
§ 05A — Activity File
Best for Hiking & Backpacking
Montana's hiking is defined by Glacier National Park's east-side trails and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex south of it — over 1.5 million acres of contiguous wilderness without a road. These campgrounds put you at trailheads for the state's most consequential routes.
Many Glacier Campground
The single best trailhead campground in Glacier — Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, Cracker Lake, and the Highline north terminus all start within walking distance of camp.
Holland Lake Campground
The classic west-side entry to the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Gordon Pass trail climbs from camp into the heart of the Bob, with multi-day routes to the Chinese Wall.
Two Medicine Campground
Dawson-Pitamakan, Sinopah, and the boat-shuttle to Twin Falls all start from the Two Medicine area — the quietest concentration of high-quality day hikes in Glacier.
Greenough Lake Campground
The launching point for Granite Peak — Montana's 12,799-foot high point — and a network of Beartooth-corridor day hikes to alpine lakes above 10,000 feet.
§ 05B — Activity File
Best for RV Camping
Montana's distances are long and the gas stations are sparse — RV travelers value campgrounds that combine highway access with room for a real rig. Glacier's east-side and Yellowstone's north entrance host the most RV-capable federal sites; private parks fill the gaps along I-90 and US-93.
St. Mary Campground
Glacier's east-entrance campground accommodates rigs up to 35 feet across multiple loops, with a dump station, generator hours, and an amphitheater for ranger programs.
Apgar Campground
Glacier's largest campground accommodates RVs up to 40 feet in select loops, with a dump station on-site and the Apgar Village amenities a short walk away.
Mammoth Campground (Yellowstone)
Yellowstone's North Entrance campground accommodates RVs up to 75 feet in pull-through sites — the largest RV-capable footprint in the park, with a dump station on-site.
Tally Lake Campground
Tally Lake's loops accommodate RVs up to 35 feet on level pads with a dump station — a quiet Forest Service alternative to the private RV parks around Whitefish and Kalispell.
§ 05C — Activity File
Best for Fishing
Montana is the fly-fishing capital of the West. The Madison, Yellowstone, Big Hole, Bitterroot, and Blackfoot rivers all run through some of the country's most storied trout water, and the state's stocked alpine lakes deliver consistent action through summer. These campgrounds put you on the water.
Mammoth Campground (Yellowstone)
The Gardner River runs along the campground's east edge, and the Yellowstone River and the legendary Lamar Valley fisheries are within a short drive.
Pine Creek Campground
The Yellowstone River — one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the Lower 48 — runs through Paradise Valley five minutes from camp, with classic trout water in every direction.
Greenough Lake Campground
Greenough Lake itself is stocked with rainbows, and Rock Creek alongside the campground holds wild brookies and cutthroats in alpine pocket water.
Tally Lake Campground
Tally's depth means cold water year-round and consistent trout fishing from shore or boat — kokanee salmon, cutthroats, and rainbows.
§ 05D — Activity File
Best for Wildlife Viewing
Montana hosts the largest grizzly bear population in the Lower 48, alongside wolves, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and the Yellowstone bison herd. The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (Glacier + Bob Marshall) and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are two of the three intact grizzly populations in the country. Carry bear spray.
Many Glacier Campground
Grizzly density in the Many Glacier valley is among the highest anywhere in the Lower 48 — bears are routinely visible on the Cracker Lake and Grinnell Glacier slopes.
Mammoth Campground (Yellowstone)
Elk wander through camp daily — the Mammoth herd is one of the most visible in the park, and the road east to Lamar Valley reaches the densest wolf population in Yellowstone.
Two Medicine Campground
Black bears, grizzlies, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep are all regulars in the Two Medicine valley — the boat tour across the lake doubles as a wildlife survey.
§ 07 — Q & A
Frequently asked
Peak camping runs late June through August when Going-to-the-Sun Road is open and all Glacier and Yellowstone campgrounds are accessible. September is the connoisseur's pick — the western larches turn gold, elk are rutting in Yellowstone, summer crowds dissipate, and the wildfire smoke usually clears with the first autumn storm. Most Glacier campgrounds close by mid-September; Mammoth at Yellowstone is the only year-round option in the state.
§ 08 — Adjacent Sheets