roadtripper541868

I stayed here one night pulling a 20 ft travel trailer on the way to Canada. It is much like the other reviewer described -- a large gravel lot. There's a fence with a row of trees that provide shade, depending on the time of day. The restroom facility was ok. When I was there it was sufficiently clean and supplied with tissue and paper towels. Dump station and water available. I enjoyed walking around the park and seeing the river before I turned in for the night. The main negative was that it is located along the railroad tracks and trains come through. Also, there was a locomotive engine there, idling and making noise throughout the night. Earplugs helped. Overall, it is ok for an overnight stop.

This is a small free campground about 10 miles off Highway 38. It's accessed along a wide gravel road that is in good condition but has some washboard and a few potholes. The campground road is gravel, with gravel sites, some of which would accommodate a rig of 25ft or so. There is a table and fire ring at each site. No trash collection. I didn't try the water pump. There is one vault toilet. The camp is in lodgepole pine forest, but fairly open. The sites are well spaced so you aren't crowded against others. The campground host is nice and knowledgeable about the area. Mid-week in August only a few sites were occupied. I liked that it was quiet and secluded.

Just before you turn off to this campground, there is dispersed camping area along a creek. There is a vault toilet in this area but no other services and no tables. The road is a little rough but manageable if you go slow. There is room for large rigs.

There are trailheads at the end of East Fork Road -- Ivanhoe Lake, Phyllis Lake, Bitterroot Pass, etc. However, due to wildfires in 2017, the trails are mostly in burned areas.

No Verizon coverage.

Undeveloped camping by the S Fork Payette River. No signs on the hwy indicate the site, so you have to know how to find it using the app. There is a sign right at the site, along with 3-4 fire rings. No toilets or other amenities. There are a few more sites tucked away along the road, if you keep going a little ways. The river and forest are pretty. it's quiet except for occasional passing car. Shooting at the gun range across the highway began a 7:00 am. It was ok for an overnight stay but wouldn't want to stay for longer.

Spring Valley campground is by a small reservoir of the same name. There are about 10 pull-through RV sites with water and electric, but doesn't look like they have sewer hook up. I was there on a weekend in early August and most of the sites were available. The sites are big enough for the largest RVs. They're very exposed, no shade and no privacy from other sites. They have a view of the reservoir and forested hills beyond. It seemed pretty clean; i didn't see any trash. There are also a few tent camp sites a little further along the road, in the pines. The reservoir is mostly a day use area, with a small beach area, several docks for fishing (mostly trout and bass), and a trail that goes around the lake (a little more than 2 miles). The south side of the reservoir is forested, while the other side (where the road is) is in the open. There were several people using the day use area, but it was still pretty quiet.

Small but nice campground in Yoho valley, right off Hwy1 and on the road to Takakkak Falls. Close to the historic village of Field and to Emerald Lake. This is a first-come, first-serve CG, an alternative if you don't have a reservation at Kicking Horse. In mixed forest, right at base of massive cliffs. Sites on one side of the loop have some good tree cover, and sites in the middle of the loop also have some tree cover. A few of the other sites are pretty exposed. There is a walk-in tent site area at the entrance end of the campground. No fires, no fire rings. Sites are generally fairly level and the spacing is ok. No tent pads. Some sites are large enough for large trailers. There are vault toilets at the CG entrance and another set of toilets in the middle of the loop; they really need to be updated. There is a sink at each of the toilet stations. There is also a cooking shelter and bear-proof storage boxes. Views of the mountains on either side of the valley are great. Price July 2022 was 18.75 CDN. As others have said, there is a lot of noise from the highway; it diminishes at night. Also the train tracks are on the other side of the highway and river, and trains pass frequently, but they don't blow horns. I'd stay again.

If you go up the road to the falls, it has some very tight switchbacks, so no trailers and longer vehicles are discouraged. Parking fills up during the day because people go to view the falls and there are also many trails out of that location. The road to Emerald Lake is ok but parking fills up quickly. There are also several trails out of the Emerald Lake area, including a loop trail around the lake.

One of only two first-come, first-serve CGs within about 20 kms of Lake Louise. (The other is Mosquito Creek, about 20 kms north of Lake Louise. In July 2022, Castle Mountain CG, just down the road, was closed indefinitely.) Price in July 2022 was $23 CDN. There was no onsite management or host, just a ranger that drove through each evening. Peak season the CG filled up by early evening.

The entry road has deep potholes but the CG loops are good. The first loop, sites 1-14, are pull-through sites for RVs, no tents allowed. This loop had nice flush toilets with a sink. The cooking pavilion was next to it. The other loop was much larger, for smaller RVs and tents. I don't know what the toilets were like there.

Although the campground is in a forested area, the loops are in large clearings so the sites are very exposed, though reasonably spaced. This is good for solar, but not good if you want some shade and/or a little screening from the other campers. Sites along the fringe have a little tree cover. There are great views of the mountains from the CG. There is some noise from the train track across the highway, but the trains are not blowing their whistles so it's not too bad. Can hear cars on the highway.

Given the limited availability of FCFS camping, this place was ok.

Mosquito Creek is a first-come, first-serve CG in the forest about 20 kms from Lake Louise. Price July 2022 was $18 CDN. There are 2 loops and a large central gravel area, with a strip of campsites along the river in the open gravel area, completely exposed, but the large RVs seem to like these. When all the sites were taken, some campers used the central gravel area as overflow. The larger loop is on the right as you enter the CG. It has many sites in the forest, limited views. These are generally well-spaced, not crammed together and the trees and vegetation provide some screening from other campers. The roads are very potholed. The loop on the left as you enter the CG is smaller, with sites that seem smaller and more uneven. The loops are a bit tight for bigger rigs or long Class C campers. Each site has fire ring (additional fee for wood), picnic table. There are vault toilets and a camp sink. Peak season the CG filled by early evening. There was no host or onsite management, but a ranger came through daily to check on things and service the CG.

Mosquito Creek trail, which goes to Molar Pass, is located on the other side of the highway. The parking for the trail is across the bridge. Make sure to turn into the correct entry because trailhead parking area might be tight to turn around and get back out if you are in a larger rig.

Finally, mosquitos were not too bad here in July!

Not really a destination campground for me because I like more remote areas with lots of hiking opportunities, but it was good for an overnight stay. The road forks as you enter the campground. The right fork has a turn around at the end. It seems like the sites along this spur are more exposed, but they also have sunshades. For my preference, the nicest site was at the end, among the trees (#21). The left fork is a loop and has a few sites along the river. Road throughout is gravel and the sites are gravel and mostly level. The sites are generally well spaced but not screened from each other by vegetation. There were 2 vault toilets. It's generally a quiet campground, unless you have noisy neighbors. The sites have mowed grass, fire ring, and picnic table. I did not see tent pads but a person could probably pitch their tent on the grass. The ground looks pretty even for a tent. I think most size trailers could find a place here.

To get to the campground from I-15, take the Wisdom/Divide exit. There's no sign on the interstate to indicate camping. Once you get off the highway and are heading west, there's a sign that says 2.7 miles to public campground. Turn left right after the bridge over the river. The day use area with river access is right there. The campground is about 1/2 mile further up the gravel road.

Overall I found it to be a nice place to camp on my way through Montana.

lots of space to boondock out here, but it's very arid and exposed, and almost every plant is dead. with the lake drying up, it's a long way to the water. starry skies if it's clear. quiet unless someone near you fires up a generator or zooms around on their atv. best to stay on the established tracks because a rig can easily sink into the playa dust. the roads can be a little rough but don't require high clearance, just low speed. sunrise over the mountains was pretty.

Campground is about 1/2 mile off of Hwy 95 on paved road. Paved loop and sites. Thick forest. Spacing of the sites seems good, not too close together. There's a trail along the river. Camp host. I think max size of RV/trailer might be 25' (that's not a posted rule, just an estimate based on the narrow road and small sites).