Campgrounds and RV parks near Troy, MT

Kootenai Falls, a few miles east of town off US-2, is the largest undammed waterfall in Montana and one of the largest in the United States by flow rate. A short trail from the highway parking area leads to a swinging footbridge suspended above the Kootenai River gorge. The Ross Creek Cedars Scenic Area, south of Troy off Highway 56, protects a grove of massive western red cedars with a short interpretive loop and longer connecting trails. The access road is steep and winding, and drivers should check current Forest Service alerts before towing. On the water, the Kootenai River is a blue-ribbon trout fishery. Lake Koocanusa, east of Troy behind Libby Dam, offers boat ramps, swim beaches, and open shoreline. Bull Lake and Dorr Skeels day-use area, south of Troy on Highway 56, add developed swimming and boat access.

The core RV season runs late May through mid-September. Most private parks stay open longer than developed Forest Service campgrounds, which typically open when snow clears from access roads in late May and close by the end of September or in early October. July and August are the driest, warmest months and also the busiest, so reserve summer sites well in advance. Spring brings high water on the Kootenai and Yaak Rivers as mountain snowpack melts. Wildflowers peak in May and June. The fall shoulder, from mid-September into October, brings cool nights, larches turning gold, and lower campground occupancy before Forest Service sites close for the season. Wildfire season runs roughly July through September. Smoke from regional fires can settle in the Kootenai Valley for days at a time, and stage-one or stage-two fire restrictions on campfires are common by late summer. Check current restrictions with the Kootenai National Forest before arrival, especially during dry summers.

Troy is small, with basic groceries, fuel, laundry, and a hardware store in town. Larger supply runs are best done in Libby, about 18 miles east, or Bonners Ferry, Idaho, roughly 45 minutes west. Cell coverage is reliable in town and along US-2 but drops quickly on side roads into the Yaak and Cabinet Mountains. Wildlife in the area includes black bear, grizzly bear, moose, and deer. Store food and scented items in hard-sided storage or a bear locker, and follow posted food-storage orders in national forest campgrounds. Roads along the Kootenai River corridor on US-2 are paved and RV-friendly. Access to Ross Creek Cedars, the Yaak, and remote Forest Service sites often narrows to steep, winding pavement or gravel, so drivers with long fifth-wheels or Class A rigs should scout ahead or unhitch at a base camp before day-tripping.