Campgrounds and RV parks near Absarokee, MT

Absarokee sits in south-central Montana along the Stillwater River, about 14 miles south of Interstate 90 at Columbus and roughly an hour and a half from Billings. The town works as a practical staging point for the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, the Custer Gallatin National Forest, and the northeast approach to Yellowstone National Park via the Beartooth Highway. RV options within a short drive include Firemans Point FWP on the lower Stillwater, Old West RV Park in town, and Mountain Range RV Park. Cooney Reservoir, a Montana State Park about 30 minutes south, offers the largest developed lakeside campground in the area, and Red Lodge KOA Journey covers the full-hookup market closer to the Beartooth foothills. Expect a mix of small county and state fishing-access sites, one busy reservoir park, and a handful of private RV parks. Cell service is reliable in Absarokee and Red Lodge but drops quickly up the Stillwater River Road and on the Beartooth pass.

Cooney State Park uses the Montana State Parks reservation system, with sites bookable up to about six months ahead. Electric loops fill fastest on summer weekends. Non-resident vehicles pay a day-use fee at the entrance; Montana residents who paid the state parks fee with vehicle registration are covered. US Forest Service campgrounds in the Beartooth Ranger District, including Woodbine on the Stillwater, are reservable through Recreation.gov up to six months in advance. Eight sites at Woodbine are held as first-come, first-served, and the rest go by reservation. Private RV parks such as Old West RV Park, Mountain Range RV Park, and Red Lodge KOA Journey take reservations directly through their own websites. Book Red Lodge hookups well ahead for summer holiday weekends.