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⛺ Montana Camping Reservations 2026

Montana uses Reserve America for state park camping reservations, with a 9 months booking window. This page covers how to book, what fees to expect, and which state park and federal campgrounds are best for hunters, anglers, and outdoor travelers.

🌐 Reserve America
📅 9 months
🏞️ 25 reservable parks
🎫 1,000 sites

How Camping Reservations Work in Montana

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks uses Reserve America with a 9-month advance booking window. The 25 reservable state parks are concentrated in high-value locations — Flathead Lake area (Wayfarers, West Shore, Big Arm), Bannack (ghost town), Makoshika (badlands), Lewis and Clark Caverns, and Whitefish Lake. Note: most Montana camping happens on federal land (NFS and BLM) rather than state parks; dispersed camping is the norm.

🌐 Ready to Book

Montana campsite reservations are made through Reserve America, run by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Reservation phone: 1-855-922-6768.

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Quick Facts

Reservation Portal
Reserve America
Booking Window
9 months
Total State Parks
55
Reservable Parks
25
Total Campsites
1,400
Reservable Sites
1,000
Nightly Fee Range
$15–$34
Reservation Fee
$8.00
RV Hookups ✓ Cabins / Yurts ✓ Group Sites ✓ WMA Camping ✓ Dispersed Camping

🎯 Peak Season & Deadlines

Peak season is late June through early September; snowpack often delays high-elevation park openings until early June. Rifle elk season (October-November) creates hunter pressure at parks adjacent to hunting districts.

💡 Booking Tips

Wayfarers and West Shore State Parks on Flathead Lake are the two most competitive bookings — set 9-month reminders. For rifle elk hunters, Lewis and Clark Caverns and Bannack offer state park basecamp options near central Montana hunting districts, though most hunters camp dispersed on national forest land.

🔄 Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation more than 6 days before arrival; one-night fee forfeited within 6 days.

🎯 WMA & Wildlife Area Camping

Montana FWP wildlife management areas permit primitive camping in designated areas during open hunting seasons. Block Management Program properties (private land access) do not permit camping unless specifically noted.

🌲 Dispersed / Backcountry Camping

Montana has some of the most extensive dispersed camping in the US — millions of acres of national forest and BLM land (Custer-Gallatin, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Lolo, Flathead, Kootenai NFs). 14-day limit; motorized dispersed camping generally allowed within 300 feet of designated roads.

🏞️ Featured State Park Campgrounds

state park
Wayfarers State Park (Flathead Lake)
33 sites $24–$34/night Near Bigfork
Wayfarers State Park is one of six state parks encircling 200-square-mile Flathead Lake — the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. The 33-site campground sits on the lake's northeast shore in Bigfork, offering primitive and electric-only sites among ponderosa pines with immediate lake access. Flathead Lake supports outstanding lake trout (mackinaw), kokanee salmon, and yellow perch fishing. Nearby Bigfork village provides restaurants and shops; Glacier National Park is 40 minutes north.
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🗻 Federal Campgrounds (National Parks, Forests, BLM)

national park
Glacier National Park — Apgar Campground
194 sites $23–$23/night Near West Glacier
Apgar Campground is Glacier National Park's largest campground and the primary basecamp for exploring the park's west side. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake McDonald (Glacier's largest lake at 10 miles long), the 194-site campground offers pull-through and back-in sites in a lodgepole pine and Douglas fir forest. Apgar Village adjacent to the campground provides food service, kayak rentals, and boat launches. Apgar is one of the few Glacier campgrounds that's partially reservable in advance — most Glacier campgrounds remain first-come, first-served.
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national park
Yellowstone National Park — Madison Campground
278 sites $27–$27/night Near West Yellowstone
Madison Campground sits at the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers in Yellowstone National Park — the birthplace of the Madison River and legendary fly-fishing water. The 278 sites are shaded in lodgepole pine, offering easy walking access to the Madison River, the Firehole River gorge, and the National Park Mountain trailhead. Madison is one of the most competitive Yellowstone campground bookings, releasing 6 months out on Recreation.gov. Fly fishing here is world-class — wild rainbow, brown trout, and cutthroat in the crystal-clear rivers just yards from your tent.
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