One of the cheapest options if looking for a formal campground with shore power. Water not at site but there is potable water spigots around the campground in a few spots.
We are in spot 6 which is not on the water. It was in full sun and no shade at all until late afternoon. The problem with not having a spot on the water is not being able to access the water anywhere but the boat dock when the campground is full. There is no paths or trails in the campground so exploration is very limited to doing laps around the road. Luckily when a campsite cleared out on the water, we would use that time to go put our feet in and let our dog swim. Site 6 is not very private but is large space, just feels like you are in between other large trailers. See my photos for examples.
Signs over at the boat dock warn of toxic algae blooms and not to swim. Found this out after swimming at one of the campsites and not sure how worried we should be or if only confined in the boat launch area.
We are here mid July and about 88 degree high days. The mosquitos are in full force here throughout the day and evening. Only high deet based repellents seem to work and has limited our time outside.
T-Mobile 5G UC signal here which has made working when I need to very convenient too.
Popular rock climbing area that gets many people through the day. Dispearsed camping in 2 areas. The first spot as you come from the road is much smaller and doesn't have any pit toilets. I prefer to park here when its not busy as the "Feathers" basalt columns are really pretty to camp up next to. The second open site down the road has pit toilets and is a much larger area. Both are nice but also there are many cars, campers, tents and becomes a much more lively area in the evening depending on the crowds.
I think this is a great spot but I move on during the day when the rock climbing crowds start to swarm and park near you. There are some nice trails that take you up above the climbing area and you can get to the backside to get some nice views and away from the crowds. Can get pretty hot here in the warmer months but a beautiful spot to camp if you can avoid the busy/peak times.
Needed to find a camp spot last minute on a Friday evening. Took our chances and drove out to Rainy Hill Campground. We found the last open spot in the rocky low area that was wide open. A few big rigs could pull in there but would be best for one group rather than many. Not the most beautiful spot but did have some nice surrounding trees. The other campgrounds were up on the hill and far enough away to still feel private but the area we parked was highly visible from the road and people looking down from the hill tops.
Some mosquito activity and the ground was pretty rugged that we opted to stay in the vehicle for the evening and move on the next morning.
A nice off the road spot in the Lolo National Forest. Pretty quiet and a nice view of an open field from the campground. Just off South Fork Lolo Creek Trail Road before the South Fork Lolo Creek Trailhead. There was enough room to fit our 23' long Sprinter Van.
There are boulders that prevent vehicle from driving into the field which is good. A few unofficial stone fire pits people have created and we did see a few gun shell casings around the campground which is kinda expected of a place like this. The campsite overall was quiet and beautiful. There is a stream/creek that runs just 50ft from where you would camp/park.
We don't usually do RV parks but didn't want to fight for camp spots during the 4th of July long weekend. We ended up booking here on the 4th and 5th of July and had a great time camping along the river, going to the hot springs across the street and walking the area. This is a beautiful resort and a little more on the campy side which we liked.
The fireworks show was spectacular and from site 7 which sits right on the bend of the creek where there is a brush clearing. This was perfect for our golden retriever as we could tie her on a long lead and she could swim her heart out. Site seven also seemed really large compared to other as there was a large tree between the next site where we tied up a hammock.
One thing to mention on camp 7 is that its one of the few areas with the brush cleared wide open on the creek. If you don't put a camp chair or something to the side of the picnic table, we found other campers will come and hang out there in your campsite as they must think its an open space to get to the water. After putting a chair there, we were disturbed less.
The hot springs accross the highway are $12 a person and we took a hot soak in the 106 degree enclosed mineral bath/pool area and rotated to the 86 degree pool outside. Kids and families all seemed to stay in the pool area while adults in the mineral bath area. Its more rustic hot springs but we did find it nice and someone told me they drain the mineral bath nightly and pressure wash it for the next day (unconfirmed)
If you are coming on the 4th of July, I'll let you know the music starts around 4pm where the have a DJ playing music till about 10pm on the other side of the highway near the restaurant were the majority of people watched and shot off fireworks of their own. We enjoyed the camp site knowing that it was just for that day and planned it would be a loud night which it was. The fireworks started around 8/9pm and went to about 1 am. The show seemed to wrap up around 10:30 but was hard to tell what was the show vs people shooting off their own. We ended up going to bed around 11pm but booms and crackles kept us up till the crowd died down. We didn't mind but thought I'd mention if you plan to come for a quite evening over this holiday.
I made the mistake of picking one of the 2 spots at the end of the camp loop. Sites 16 and 17 site right on the swamp and are infested with mosquitos. You can see standing stagnate water bog on both sides of site 16 where we stayed.
I tried 3 different bug repellants, burned multiple mosquito coils, started a fire and had the large 20ft Thermacell lantern running for hours. They never cleared out and ended up with so many mosquito bites. We ended up hunkering down inside our van with the bug screens on. We did come on a dry hot July day.
The state park, campgrounds and trails are so beautiful its hard to fault the campground on the mosquitos. We are going to request to move sites away from the swamp area. Walking around the campground, the mosquitos are less at other sites but still around. I think our typical protection might work better over there but was ineffective at site 16.
My partner likes to run and the paved trail is really nice and is far enough off the road for a great morning run. I find it super quiet here and the 5G UC T-Mobile signal is plenty to work and stream content.
We tried to drive out here and the gps location is on private land. The actual campground is to the east on the main highway on the south side of the road. This listing is a duplicate to this one https://thedyrt.com/camping/montana/lolo-creek-area which has the correct coordinates. I submitted an edit to consolidate but wanted to leave this review incase others found it.
Sign says camping permitted to 14 days in a 30 day period. Adjacent to dirt road with a few trees in between. Not the most private but a good option if you need a place for the night if the nearby campsite is full. No amenities. T-mobile cell service is good here.
River access just at the entry of the turn in. Could easily pull a big rig in but may have a hard time turning it around as there is not a pull through. There is a concrete slab that is level and about 12'x25' in size which could be good for a trailer or van without having to do much for leveling. Many vehicles/tents could fit here in the dirt area but would likely be comfortable for a single group rather than multiple camp groups.
Maybe 6-7 spots for cars/trucks/vans. We fit our 170 sprinter no problem and would work for half the sites. Sign says no trailers where all the camp spots are and I would agree as there is no turn around room or ways to back in.
Sites looked clean and was very quiet while we were here for a Sunday night.
T-mobile 5G UC signal from campgrounds. Day use area has wide open sky to recharge if needed. Camp spots are shaded by trees. River access is along camp spots and also near day use area. No trails from campsite so pretty limited in exploration options, just more a beautiful place to stop for a night or 2.