Campgrounds and RV parks near Helena, MT

Helena sits in west-central Montana at roughly 3,900 feet elevation, in a valley between the Big Belt and Elkhorn mountain ranges near the Missouri River corridor. RV travelers use the city as a base for reservoir camping on Hauser and Canyon Ferry lakes, forest access in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, and quick resupply runs to a full-service state capital. Campgrounds range from private full-hookup parks close to town, such as Helena North KOA Journey and Alhambra RV Park, to public lakeside sites at Black Sandy State Park on Hauser Reservoir and Grey Sandy Campground. Canyon Ferry Reservoir, roughly a half-hour east of Helena, is managed by the Bureau of Reclamation and offers 33,500 surface acres of water with 96 miles of shoreline. Townsend / Canyon Ferry Lake KOA Journey gives travelers a private option on the south end of the reservoir. Together these sites cover most RV needs, from pull-through hookups to more rustic first-come waterfront camping.

Public and private campgrounds use different systems, so plan accordingly. Black Sandy State Park has 29 campsites with electricity and one tent site that can be reserved, and 5 tent sites without electricity that are first come-first served, and reservations can be made up to one day in advance of the arrival date. At Canyon Ferry, campsites at Hellgate and Court Sheriff Campgrounds are reservable through Recreation.gov, while unreserved sites remain first come, first served. Reservations can be made up to six months prior to arrival date, but not less than one day from the arrival date, so book as early as possible for peak summer weekends. Private parks including Helena North KOA Journey, Alhambra RV Park, and Townsend / Canyon Ferry Lake KOA Journey take direct reservations through their own websites or the KOA system and generally allow longer booking windows than the public sites.