Parkside Campground

We were lucky enough to camp here in September, after the summer season. There were very few others in the campground, but it looked like it fills on the weekends.

Parkside Campground is located 12 miles south of Red Lodge, Montana, just off the scenic Beartooth Highway.

The campground sits in the shadow of the Beartooth Range. Wildlife, including grizzly bear, deer and elk, make their home in the surrounding area.

Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are accessible vault toilets and drinking water. Trash needs to be deposited at the Greenough Lake Campground.

The town of Red Lodge, Montana offers a variety of dining venues. It is a cute town with a grocery store and amenities you might need.

The campground is so close to the Beartooth Highway, and it can be enjoyed easily without having to pull the trailer over it...which I think would be white knuckle pulling a trailer.
The Beartooth Highway was deemed "the most beautiful drive in America" by the late Charles Kuralt. It crosses the rugged Beartooth Mountains from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Montana, and is the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. A MUST drive.

There is no cell service.
Firewood is available from the camp host.

We stayed here about October 3rd they had just close for the season September 30th but a sign at the camp ground said free to use so we stayed one night water was shut off but pit toilets were still fully stocked with toilet paper and vary clean. The next day we stopped in the town of Red Lodge to eat we found a vary good Mexican place called Mas Taco they had a patio so we could bring our dog with to eat, Vary good food it was Excellent !

We stayed a few nights at the Parkside Campground in a reserved site. We ended up moving over to Greenough campground for another five nights when an awesome non-reservable site opened up.
You can't go wrong here. We happened to have a lovely site on the creek, but the non-creek sites are wonderful too. In fact, the water was so fast when we were here, it was treacherous for wandering children and/or pets. A non-waterfront site would alleviate that stress.
There are four campgrounds all very close together, including Greenough and M-K and Limberpine. M-K is down a rough gravel road, so if that isn't your thing, don't choose that one. Greenough and Parkside are very similar. We quickly drove through Limber Pine, and it looked fine as well.
If all these campsites are full (all had openings when we were there over the 4th of July) there are many, many dispersed campsites in the area.
The Beartooth Highway is one of the most beautiful roads we have ever traveled. I strongly suggest leaving your trailer at the campground so you can enjoy the beauty as you navigate through multiple, tight, steep switchbacks. It is doable, but much more enjoyable without towing.
I highly recommend Parkside or Greenough. We would have stayed the full 16 days allowable if we had the time.

Stayed here to get out of town for the weekend. Nice dry camping campground at the base of Beartooth Pass. Campground roads can be narrow and backing into sites can be tricky for longer rigs. Site 15 was on a slight incline but with the paved RV pad found a level spot. Our TT (29 ft bumper to hitch) has opposing slides, we had plenty of room. Site included picnic table and fire pit. Lots of shade from pine trees. If using portable solar bring 20-30ft of extension wire to find optimal position. Camp hosts were nice.

We came a long way to get to Parkside and were so very happy not to be disappointed. Our site, #6, was the most beautiful campsite we've been in since we began our trip 80 days ago. It is huge, big enough for our 34' trailer and truck, and the camping area is enormous and right on the creek. Many of the sites had similar conditions, but ours seemed to have the most privacy; we could only see the campsite across the street, none to our right or left. Unfortunately, it rained most of the time we were there, so we had limited time to just sit and enjoy its beauty. The campground is about 10 miles south of the charming town of Red Lodge, a very flag flying, and biker friendly town. The old Pollard Hotel has a nice restaurant with lots of old-world charm. Of course, it's a great spot for heading over or making a circle trip up and over Beartooth Pass, around through Cooke City then backtracking through Sunlit Valley to Hwy 120 to Belfry and back to Red Lodge. If you have people in your group afraid of heights, leave them in the campground. The trip takes about 6-7 hours with stops for a picnic and sightseeing. And, if you aren't going that way later, you can make a side trip of 17 miles to see Cody, WY. Another great spot, but you'll need a whole day to take in the Buffalo Bill museum and a few other historic sites. Warning, we were getting nervous as we headed toward the campground from Red Lodge, knowing the road is not suitable for big rigs after a while. The campgrounds are the second set of campgrounds, right before the road starts to get scary. The first set is closed due to a new bridge being built. We were there in late July 2023. Saw a moose in the creek. It is very quiet. No cell or Wi-Fi i service. Loved this place.