Bitterroot Flat Campground
Lolo National Forest
Write a Review Rock Creek Rd. Clinton, MT 59858 406-329-3814 406-329-3750 Official WebsiteGPS: 46.467, -113.7769
Overview of Bitterroot Flat Campground
This is bear country! Please follow bear safety and food storage requirements.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $6
Reported by MTgirl79 on 9/7/2020
Longest RV Reported: 10 feet (Teardrop Trailer)
Reported by Allen on 6/18/2019
Number of Sites 15
Elevation 4,297 ft / 1,309 m
Max Stay 14
Max Length 30 ft
Tent Camping Yes
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 406-329-3814
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Reviews of Bitterroot Flat Campground 3 people have reviewed this location.
“Nice and clean camp, out of the way, dicey road, not too crowded”
Reviewed 9/7/2020
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Getting here can be a bit of a challenge - there are warning signs along the road that RVs and trailers are not recommended. For the most part, the road is a single lane with turnouts, some blind corners but as long as you're going slow, being cautious of oncoming traffic, and plan ahead for the pullouts you will do fine. The narrowe... more
Getting here can be a bit of a challenge - there are warning signs along the road that RVs and trailers are not recommended. For the most part, the road is a single lane with turnouts, some blind corners but as long as you're going slow, being cautious of oncoming traffic, and plan ahead for the pullouts you will do fine. The narrowest parts of the road have good visibility at beginning and end so just watch and see if anyone is coming at you before proceeding through. BUT scout it out first without your RV to make sure the drive is within your comfort level. I would not recommend coming in from the south end with any towing unit. The road south of this camp deteriorates quickly and there are few opportunities to turn around if you change your mind. There is good signage for each camp as well as mile posts along the way. From the north and exit 126 along I90 you will find 10 miles of rough, narrow but almost 2 lane, paved road before the road narrows and turns to dirt around the turnoff to Grizzly Campground. You now have 13ish miles of dirt to travel. Between that point and Harry's Flat CG the road is washboard and slow to travel. There are several narrow portions and most folks who travel here don't seem to understand the importance of the turn-outs - namely, pace yourself and if you see another vehicle coming at you moderate your speed so that you pass one another at a wide point and not a narrow one. Basically, pull over as soon as you are able and don't assume that the folks driving at you will yield next wide spot in the road to you. South from Harry's the road gets a bit smoother but with the same narrow patches here and there. The roughest point in the road here is near a group of summer cabins about 1/2 mile north of camp which I think is a plot to force folks to slow down while they travel through and not kick up too much dust.
The camp itself is one of the nicest and has the roomiest sites along this whole road. So if you're willing to endure the drive your efforts will pay off! A few sites can take a lower 20's foot rig (I've seen a few up here but think they're crazy for making the trek!) and there are a couple of double-wide and one triple-wide site. Sites1, 2 and 3 are the longest single wide sites. 2 is the sunniest site with the parking space facing almost due south, all others are in partial/mostly shaded all day. Some have bear boxes but most do not. Every other site along the creek side of camp had a separate larger group campfire ring with wood benches but they don't seem to get much use - a unique feature to this camp. Each site has a good table and fire ring. All sites are back in - some are facing the "wrong" direction however given the camp road is one way traffic. The road and sites are all dirt and not so level. Most of the campers here are in tents and RVs of any kind are rare - all sites have plenty of room for tents but no dedicated tent pads. There are three pit toilets - one near either end and one in the center but the middle one is situated more towards the main road and not camp so as to limit the number or passers-by driving through camp just for a potty stop. The water pump was not functional and there was a sign saying non-potable water. Nearest water is Dalles CG (9 miles north) or Rock Creek Station (5 miles south). No trash service so pack it in, pack it out. The corner near the end of camp may be the biggest limiter of the length of rig allowed in camp - there is a 90* turn at the end with a large tree on the inside of the curve right along the camp road. Take it wide and hope for the best. Also, expect a lot of pinstripes along the entire drive. Not a lot of wide tall rigs make this journey and there are a lot of overhanging trees along the way. With my truck camper, I was shooting a gap about a foot wider than me in most areas. Access to the creek from camp is dicey - 1 and 2 have the easiest access but the rest have a very steep drop of 10-15 feet to the creek.
Forest Service presence was minimal at best - a FS truck drove through once a day on a holiday weekend. Drove through. Never stopped. Never checked the toilets. Never reminded campers of the fire danger (extreme during my visit). Never reminded the two separate groups with aggressive dogs that all pets must be on a leash. Never checked that vacant sites didn't have fires still burning from the previous night's campers.
I love this camp and I will be back. It's quiet. beautiful and doesn't get a lot of use. The lack of FS care is my biggest peeve right now. Sure, $6 a night isn't much but if they're going to send someone on a 23-mile drive to get here that person could at least take the time to check in with the campers and make sure everything is OK before moving on. Other campers left trash, fires burning, dogs running amuck, some didn't pay....FS person just drove through oblivious to all of it.
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Verizon
MTgirl79 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice quite campground in Rock Creek valley”
Reviewed 8/9/2020
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
A loop off the road in open evergreen forest with grass ground covering. Tent sites are well spaced, about 150ft, but the open forest means you can see several neighbors. The forest floor is generally shaded with some sun patches so most sites have good shade. Sites on the river side have trails down a 15ft bank to the river. S... more
A loop off the road in open evergreen forest with grass ground covering. Tent sites are well spaced, about 150ft, but the open forest means you can see several neighbors. The forest floor is generally shaded with some sun patches so most sites have good shade.
Sites on the river side have trails down a 15ft bank to the river. Some trails are good and some steep.
Because of the bank, you can’t see the river from camp. From sites on the road side you can access the the river between river side sites.
Our site had only a small beach and we did not spend much time at the river.
There are 3-4 outhouses, mainly placed near the road.
The one water pump was locked up and marked as non-portable.
The road is near enough that you can see and hear passing traffic.
We arrived on a Wednesday in late July, about 4:00 pm, and found the campground about 75% full. Temperatures were upper 70’s to 80’s and we found the shade comfortable. Light bugs. Moderate mosquitoes in the evening. Generally it was pleasant to sit outdoors.
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T-Mobile
Tom would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Delightful little campground, great for smaller campers”
Reviewed 6/18/2019
| Nightly rate: | $6 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 10' (Teardrop Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Fifteen sites, well spaced, two vault toilets, manual pump water available, no hook-ups of any kind. Back-in sites, only. Easy access to the river. No camp hosts, but USFS people stopped by several times a day while we were there. The toilets were very clean, and the campground itself was very well kept up. We stayed at site number... more
Fifteen sites, well spaced, two vault toilets, manual pump water available, no hook-ups of any kind. Back-in sites, only.
Easy access to the river. No camp hosts, but USFS people stopped by several times a day while we were there. The toilets were very clean, and the campground itself was very well kept up. We stayed at site number one, right on the edge of the campground, near the entrance, and we loved that site. Lots of foliage between us and the next site, so we felt like we had a reasonable amount of privacy while we were there. A little road dust when two or three vehicles would pass at the same time, but not bad at all. Sites in the center of the campground are much further away from the road.
Approaching from the north, from I-90, there is about ten miles of pavement, then seven or eight miles of dirt road. The road is in good shape, reasonably wide, with lots of pullouts for people pulling trailers. We pulled our little teardrop trailer, and passed lots of people pulling trailers with no problems. I wouldn't try to pull anything longer than perhaps fifteen feet, along this road. If you’re pulling a trailer, particularly a camper of any kind, DO NOT attempt to reach this campground from the south, from the Skalkaho highway. That road is extremely narrow for about five miles, with no pullouts available.
No cell service at all, for miles in either direction, which I think is a good thing.
It’s about an hour and a half from Missoula, great for getting out of town after work on a Friday.
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AT&T
Verizon
T-Mobile
Allen would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- fishing
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- ADA Accessible
- restrooms: vault
- water available
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