Goose Bay Dispersed Camping

It's not the dirt road that gets to the campground that is the problem it's the horrific state Route that runs along the east side of this lake it is atrocious! The road is so bad that even though I'm staying in the area for an extended period of time I will not go back. There's also the usual mosquito problem when you are near water but nothing extreme since it's Montana. There's very little shade so that can be a problem in the middle of summer but if it is spring or fall the wide open spaces in the sunshine would be great!

Goose Bay Dispersed is the free alternative to nearby Goose Bay Marina & Campground. The dispersed area is on land owned by the Bureau of Reclamation. While the Bureau doesn't mention this area on its official literature, they have added some development to it, including a pit toilet, an ADA compliant camp site, and signage with rules.

This is probably the best free camping along Canyon Ferry Lake. There is a wide, reasonably smooth, firm-packed dirt road into this area. The sites are huge, mostly level, and all situated on the shoreline. There are no campfire restrictions. You get the standard 14-day limit.

In terms of cleanliness, you can see some trash spottings around, but not anymore than the typical dispersed camping areas. It's mostly quiet here, even on the weekends. The only noise you're going to hear are people riding their personal watercraft, or floating on inflatables. There are children here, but I never saw them wandering into my camp or hearing them make unreasonable noises.

It also seems pretty safe here. I often left my trailer unattended to go into town, and never encountered a problem.

Verizon 4G comes "so so", getting 3 bars of signal. I did note that upload/download speeds seem to be slower here despite the 3 bars.

If you plan to camp here, try to arrive before Thursday night. I noticed locals will get here on Thursday, and hold down a site and then wait for their friends and family to arrive by Friday and Saturday.

Next door, at Goose Bay Marina & Campground, they have an RV dump. They also have potable water, but the water is located in the parking lot. They also have a camp store, and they sell gasoline and propane. If you camp in the dispersed area, you can still use the boat ramp at the Marina, and then anchor your boat next to your camp site.

This place is amazing. You can camp right next to the water and each campsite has a picnic table and a nearby vault toilet. It’s a very popular place especially on the weekends but there are tons of campsites and chances are you will be able to find some sort of spot except for on holidays.

We were there in late June/early July. There was a quick thunderstorm almost every evening and it rained a lot but in between the rain, it got warm enough to swim and enjoy the water.
We camped there over the 4th of July and every single site was taken four days before the 4th. If you like peace and quiet steer clear of that campground on holidays.

There are two loops with free campsites. The last loop is right next to the pay campground and I think a lot of people miss it. Make sure you drive down it because the second loop had some of the best spots.

If you get to the roundabout at the end of the road you’ve now entered the pay campground and you’ve gone too far but anything before the roundabout is free camping.

The nearby campground has a $10 dump station and free water over by the vault toilets. There’s even a small store with propane exchange and showers you can pay to use.

There are 3 free handicap campsites that have a cement pad and are located right next to each of the 3 vault toilets. Every campsite is big rig friendly and the roads weren’t too bad when we were there. Also, the data speed and cell service on both of our phones were phenomenal.

If you camp there in late July and August be sure to watch out for HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) as they are common in Canyon Ferry Lake during that time of year. If bluish algae is floating on the water keep all people and pets far away from it because it can make you very sick and could even be fatal for a pet.

We camped here in mid-September and sadly our views were obstructed by the thick smoke from the wildfires out west. Even with the haze, it was a beautiful spot to spend a few days. There are 3 free "loops" before the pay campground. We found a great spot in the first loop on the bluff. There are access points down to the stone beach and it was great to walk the pups. Most spots have picnic tables and stone fire rings.

The road in is dusty and can be a bit washboard in spots, but very easy to drive on. Rigs of any size can fit here and there are so many spots to choose from!

We had great Verizon service while there and were able to get work done. The paid campsite next door allows you to fill up water for free! There is a dump station for a small fee, but we didn't use it. It's about a 45-50 minute drive into Helena, which is a great town to check out while you're here!

This spot was PERFECT. Everything you need: waterfront view, fire ring, picnic table, vault toilet & amazing cell service. The sunsets were beautiful, the water was clean and it was so peaceful during the week. Weekends get PACKED. There are 3 loops to this dispersed camping. I recommend loop 3. It was the least packed during the week and has access to 2 clean vault toilets. There’s great spots towards the end that have easy water access for a kayak or SUP. I used my SUP in that little bay and it was perfect. Only 45 minutes to Helena and surrounded by beauty! And it’s free! You can stay up to 14 days.

Would be an awesome spot if there weren’t large dogs running all over the place off leash and people ignoring the “no campfires” signage. This is why campgrounds get shut down. I’ve called both offices of the rangers and no action has been taken. Entitled people galore here. Enjoy.

Free Camping at Goose Bay Dispersed Camping Area in Montana is administered by the US Bureau of Reclamation. In this video, I show you some of the best campsites for free camping at the Goose Bay Dispersed Camping Area located on Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena, MT. We found plenty of big rig friendly dispersed campsites here, all with water views. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 34.2 Mbps download speed and 6.77 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 54.3 Mbps download speed and 6.45 Mbps upload speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 103 Mbps download speed and 4.71 Mbps upload speed.

We camped here in July 2021 in a 40’ Motorhome.

Caution: if you’re coming Helena in a longer rig/setup, there is a bridge with a 90 degree turn with rocks and barriers on both sides. The sign says not to continue down the road if you’re longer than 50 feet in total. If you pass the sign, there’s nowhere else to turn around and you’ll be forced to go over the bridge.

Other than that minor heart attack, we had no issues accessing this campsite. There was lots of wide open spaces and plenty of lakefront spots. It’s a great place to come with a group.

Plenty of cell service on Verizon and ATT for work.

The nearby marina/ RV park offers water fill and dump for a fee (I think it was $10 for both). Very easy access.

The nearby town of Townsend was cute and has a few amenities- a small grocery store, a bakery, a coffee shop (with wifi), gas stations, etc.

We loved our time at the lake with friends and would definitely camp here again.

Super solid spot on the lake/reservoir. Good cell service (+Starlink visibility). Unclear what previous reviews meant about 3 loops given there are maybe 15-20 spots total (if you double/triple up with others).

Rangers are frequent and will ticket for unoccupied or over staying here. Winds coming off the lake can be fierce yet calm days are fantastic. Don’t trust weather forecasts as it comes in from the opposite side of the water.

As a solo female, I felt primarily safe, with an eye on locals who can feel a bit territorial and will claim their space for days without occupation. I felt lucky to snag a spot and saw very little availability, even during the week.

Many sites throughout the bay, quite & tucked away, bathrooms fairly clean, right next to a paid campground which you can shower at (pay showers) all sites had a table and fire place but we noticed spots fill up and people will still camp where no table/ pit are.