Galena Gulch Recreation Area

Prior to coming here we were worried all sites would be taken. We arrived mid week around 4pm and to our surprise several options still available. Access is right off hwy and road to dispersed camping you must drive under hwy after exiting. According to allstays, clearance is 12ft. Sites are immediately to the right after you drive over bridge. Two loops in a figure 8 fashion. Total of 11 gravels sites. Each with fire pit, table and path to Boulder River. Sites well spread out. Centrally located 2 vaults, both very clean and stocked with toilet paper. 14 day minimum stay. Other campers come with their ATV’s and the dirt road continues up hill past dispersed area to a paid campground. Town is a short 3 mile drive back into Boulder with an all you need kind of market and large gas station that can accommodate big rigs. We had a friendly neighbor who brought his chain saw and cut down logs from a fallen tree and gave us an “all nighter” log. Despite hearing the occasional road noise during the day and member only shooting range close by, it gets real quiet and dark at night. Pack in and pack out. Great stop if you are traveling between national parks (Glacier and Yellowstone) or just know about this place and need a few days.

Site Details
Daily Rate: Free
Reservations: First-come, first served
Site Pad Material: large back-in sites with grsvel spaces
Water: No
Electricity: No
Sewer: No
Bathroom Facilities: Two pit toilets
Laundry: No
Cable TV: No
Wi-fi: No
Dump Station: Free dump station available in Helena approximately 30-40 minutes away.
Propane: No
Pull Throughs: No
Back In: Yes
Big Rig Friendly: Maybe - max 40ft
Pet Friendly: Yes – Pets must be kept on leash
Elevation: 5,100'

This was a great little free campground on BLM land outside of Helena, MT. There is not much to do in the area but it had decent service for working.

We stayed here for two nights to break up our drive from Yellowstone to Glacier and it fit the bill well. We arrived to a mostly empty campground on Monday and by Wednesday morning at 10 or so all the sites we taken.

The campground had a nice river flowing along the border. Would definitely suggest for a few days or overnight stay.

Close to the highway. Easy access to Helena. Of course it's first come first serve, but when we were there was only one other party there. Of course they had some issues, and police were involved, which didn't give me warm fuzzies about leaving the RV alone there. But otherwise the campsite was great. Clean (Pit) bathrooms, right on the river. I would definitely stay again.

Even in mid november, with snow on the ground, there were atleast 3 RVs here. There was snow of the ground but it was mostly packed down due to frequent traffic. Campsite had 2 bathrooms that were clean. Even those site was close to highway, it was not noisy. We saw a lot of hunters driving up the road past the site, but we did not hear any gunshots. No cell coverage at site.

We snuck in here about midday on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and snagged the last 'legit' spot. The 'rules' clearly state to park only on the prepared gravel spots, but it's small print that the next two folks didn't read.

There are two small loops. The sites in the eastern loop are closer together but most of them back to the river. The sites in the western loop have more space, but only one (ours) backs to the river bank.

The sites may (will??) take some leveling, but it's easy access, just far enough from the freeway to be quiet, and IT'S FREE. Even the babbling of the river comes with no additional fees. The downside is that we had no connection on Verizon or Google Fi (Sprint or TMobile) but sometimes had weak and slow AT&T, but even it dropped out.

Galena Gulch is right off I-15 outside Helena. It's quiet, even with the highway just on the other side of Boulder River, and the majority of sites back up to the river. Mosquitoes were non-existent, and the river provided a nice ambiance for the night. It appears to be a favorite spot with locals. There was a dual rear-axle RV, two large 5th wheels, and a bunch of tents when we arrive. The bathrooms were passable, and the fire rings and picnic benches were in great condition. This place is a great little gem if you need a place to crash for a night or two.

Cell signal is with a booster and omni antenna for 4G LTE. Otherwise we were hoping between 1x and 3G.