Campgrounds and RV parks near Garnet, MT

Garnet sits about 6,000 feet up in the Garnet Range of western Montana, roughly an hour east of Missoula between Highway 200 and Interstate 90. The townsite itself is a preserved gold-mining ghost town managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the access road is steep, narrow, and rough gravel that the BLM does not recommend for RVs, motorhomes, or vehicles pulling trailers. Most RV travelers base at developed campgrounds in the surrounding Blackfoot River, Clearwater River, and Clark Fork valleys, then drive up to Garnet as a day trip in a smaller vehicle. The closest developed sites are Russell Gates Memorial Campground on the Blackfoot River and Beavertail Hill State Park on the Clark Fork just off I-90. Farther north along Highway 83 in the Clearwater chain, Salmon Lake State Park and Placid Lake State Park offer lakeside camping with electric hookups. Harry Morgan FWP provides an additional fishing-access option along the Blackfoot corridor. Dispersed camping on surrounding BLM land is free but primitive, and campers must set up at least a half mile from the townsite.

Beavertail Hill, Salmon Lake, and Placid Lake are Montana State Parks, booked through the state's ReserveAmerica system at stateparks.mt.gov or by phone at 855-922-6768. Sites are reservable from the third Friday in May through the third Sunday in September, up to three months in advance and no later than one day before arrival, with a seven-night maximum per site. A reservation fee applies, and at least 20 percent of state park sites are held first-come, first-served. Russell Gates Memorial and Harry Morgan are FWP fishing-access sites operated on a first-come basis. Float-in campsites within the Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor between Russell Gates and Johnsrud are reservation-only during the April 1 through October 31 float season, booked by phone only through the ReserveAmerica call center.