Cow Creek Campground & Picnic Area

This campground and the surrounding Ashland Ranger District of the Custer National Forest normally sees very light use although it probably gets busy during Fall hunting season. We were there in mid-May 2017 and I had the feeling that we were the first people to camp there for the year. We drove about 100 miles on various two-track National Forest 4WD roads in our RZR and I had the feeling that nobody had been on most of them since the previous Fall hunting season. In two days we saw only 4 other vehicles and we heard two more drive by while we were camping. I loved the solitude.

This corner of MT is located in the middle of the Tongue River Breaks. It is very rugged and beautiful with a mix of open pasture land and medium density Ponderosa Pine forest. Lots of wildflowers in May and very green. I suspect it gets hot, dry, brown and dusty later in the summer. It is a long ways from anywhere so make sure you leave with a full tank of gas and plenty of provisions.

The campground is basic. Two vault toilets, a few fire rings, a few picnic tables and that is about it. No trash recepticles and no water. It is down in a small valley surrounded by a grove of large Ponderosa Pines which provide some shade but the location means no cell service. Probably the only place you will find cell service in this remote area will be on top of buttes. Poker Jim Butte is not very far (10 miles) away and has a terrific 360 degree view over the Tongue River Valley and the Tongue River Breaks. I forgot to try my cell phone when I was there but I bet it would work. The real beauty of this campground is that there is a very good chance you will have the whole place and the surrounding forest to yourself.

Because you are away from data service you might want to download some offline maps for your GPS. I like the AVENZA PDF App. You can download Custer NF, MVUM Ashland RD map for free and it will show you all the little NF 4WD roads.

This is about a two-hour drive from Sheridan, WY. It is now my preferred spring camping area! So much fun! A word of caution. Don't go here if it has rained in the previous 3 days. All those little two track roads which were so much fun will be a muddy mess and you will wreck them with ruts. The main road is mostly red shale but it will turn into a mess in places too.