Henrys Lake Boat Access

Now closed for construction-they are building a campground so expect this boondocking to disappear.

We planned our trip so we would be sure to arrive by lunch so worst case we could crowd in with everyone else we saw at Bootjack. Once you turn off Red Rock Rd it is quite rutted. That first hill in isn’t as steep as it appears and we arrived on a dry day. Definitely go slow and maneuver best you can around the biggest holes.

There are really only 4 spots, and we luckily got the last spot and had quite the time trying to turn our 34’ TT and 2013 Chevy 3500 but we did it much to the amazement of our tiny class c neighbors. The best spot for us would of been the first one, but sadly as we most often see the smallest rigs take the biggest spots BUT that is just an assumption! It may have just been the only one when he arrived so I am NOT judging.

We left that afternoon to explore Yellowstone that is 30mins to the entrance, 90 mins to Old Faithful and saw an assortment of animals which we were hoping for and saw Old Faithful. Next morning we left as the construction crew was arriving and confirmed we were leaving the next day, which they had already approved. Gone all day we came back to no construction, but cows everywhere. We were farmers, we don’t care, but my gosh the cows were doing some major damage to the boat access. We left early the next morning and since it rained our whole stay it was very sloppy and hard to get out towing without 4WD.

We would stay again but I doubt that will be an option with what they are building.

After you've turned off NF 053 and onto Henry's Access rd you'll be heading towards the lake on the gravel road. Before you reach the boat launch there is a fork in the road. Head left to go down to the boat launch -- continue past the ramp/day use parking and you'll find 3 spacious sites (each one can fit a few rigs) on the left side of the road (I posted photos) and at the dead end is a somewhat small turnaround loop.
If you go right at the fork in the road, this is the upper camping area and be warned that this road is incredibly rough, uneven, and deeply rutted in parts. We saw a large 5th wheel in the very first spot as you head down this 'upper road' and it is by far the only decent spot up there, especially for a larger rig. We took our 24' trailer a 1/2 mile down the road and it felt like a mistake. There are no turn arounds and only two decent (still unlevel) camping spots, and again, the road is terrible. We ended up going up a tiny road to the top of a hill and managed to turn around up there and after much difficulty we got level, so we stayed up there. The views of the lake are gorgeous which made this a worthwhile spot but even with a nice breeze the mosquitoes were pretty terrible after about 10am. We stayed at 44.615960, -111.405931 (not even sure if it was a legit place to stay but no one bothered us over our 5 days here).
If you're in a AWD vehicle (not towing), you could probably continue past where we went uphill and there are 3 more campsites (one down a rutted hill putting you closer to the water, and 2 next to each other just beyond that). Then the road gets even worse and there aren't any more campsites, that we saw.
We had rain, hail, and heavy wind on our last night which left several large puddles in the road. With 4x4 we were fine but it was stressful and a less capable rig might have gotten stuck.
If we ever return, we would camp down the boat launch road (if that first large spot on the upper road is taken). We were here the weekend before 4th of July 2023 and worried that the boat launch area would be packed and noisy -- in hindsight there was hardly anyone there and it would have been the better place to be (albeit full of mosquitoes).

So many bugs and no shade, but plenty of room to park, decent road (bumpy and a few sharp turns), and busy, so not much privacy. Great view of the lake. With Pepwave modem and external antennas my husband was able to work just fine on Verizon.
We moved closer to Island Park because of the bugs (mostly damsel flies, but some mosquitos and others too)...they were like a horror movie and made me uncomfortable to hang out by the trailer - they were not as bad near the water. Four days later I was still finding dead ones in my window sills, etc.
There were a lot of people parked here when we were here.

Pulling a 42ft 5th wheel we went all of the way down to the lake. Not the best access but doable. Not the best layout and just barely got turned around. The worst part was the mosquitoes........swarms of them. Left there and came back about half way towards Rte 20 to an area right off the road that was amazing. We parked in an opening because of our solar but there were numerous spots between the trees. If there happens to be heavy rain it could be a challenge with the mud but mostly level. I would definitely return.

We camped here in July 2021 in a 40’ Motorhome.

We stayed here for proximity to West Yellowstone and Big Springs. It worked perfectly for both!

What we didn’t expect was the nearby riding camp offering dinner and a rodeo, which was a highlight of our Summer. Check out MeadowVue Ranch if you stay here.

There are other boondocking spots along the road into the lake, but the view at the end is what makes this spot special. We recommend going to the boat access camping area unless you need easy access to the main road.

There is a vault toilet but no other services.
We were told there are leeches in the lake, so we sup boarded but didn’t swim, and kept a close eye on our dog after she swam.

Cell signal was fine for working full-time.

If you have a big rig you may want to scout in advance because there are limited spots by the lake which is down a long dirt road and steep-ish hill. Better to save yourself the trouble of getting down there if there are no spots available.

Enjoy!!!

For visiting Yellowstone it is hard to beat this location. It is about twenty miles to West Yellowstone but this keeps traffic down. We did not consider this a problem and made the trip to the park several times.

From Hwy 20 You will turn toward the west at the sign to Henry’s Lake access. It’s a small sign right where the passing lane ends.

There are multiple areas along the road to Henry’s lake access which are excellent for boondocking.

The first is immediately when you turn off Hwy 20 onto Red Rock road. You will see, on the right side, Boot Jack road which has a significant amount of boondocking space. This is close to Hwy 20 but still has nice spots in the trees. This area is perfect for large rigs with no difficulties accessing it.

As you proceed down Red Rock road, up to six miles, you will pass multiple very large and quality areas in the trees along the left side (south) of the road to camp. This road is two lane paved with limited traffic, therefore, there should be little traffic noise. You can easily get the very largest rigs here.

If you continue further down Red Rock road, up to six miles and well paved, you will come to a private campground, Red Rock campground, on the right side of the road. Slow down here because as soon as you reach the end of the campground fence you will take a right turn down Henry’s Lake access road. This road is dirt, a bit bumpy, however, I tow a 40’ fifth wheel and it was no problem. There are washboards, but no ruts or anything that would permit anyone going down the road. The total length is about 3/4 mile long.

By the way, locals also refer to this area as “the cliffs”.

As you come down the road you will reach a left corner where the road will split off to the right, this will be obvious, and if you have a large rig do not go that way stay on the main road. We did see class C and vans in there, but if your towing I would avoid this area. Rather, proceed to the right and down the hill which will take you to the boat ramp. Once at the boat ramp veer to the left and the boondocking area is along this section of road. I recommend you definitely park at the boat ramp area and scout first because turning around is a challenge and many people just backed out the short distance.

When we were there several very large rigs came and left.

During the fourteen days we stayed we saw as many as twelve rigs consecutive in the area, and it was a bit crowded. Yes, we did not have a great deal of space between rigs, but, this area is right along the shore of Henry’s lake so what can you expect? The bonus, we had about twenty feet to the shoreline.

If you fish this lake is full of decent sized trout, eighteen plus length is common, and the local fly shop which is only a few hundred yards south down Hwy 20 can set you up. We did some fly fishing with great success.

Verizon is a solid 30 mbps down and 16 up, and AT&T is also good at 10 mbps. I used Verizon.

Free dump and water is about 10 miles south down Hwy 20.

If you can go off grid then this entire area is a great choice for a visit to Yellowstone.

I stayed for 2 nights and upon arriving on a Tuesday evening, there were 2-3 spots left. There’s no official spots since it’s dispersed but several pull outs along the dirt road. There are 2 clean vault toilets that were stocked. Free to stay but no amenities other than toilet. Cows are free roaming around here so you will hear them all times of the day. Bugs were bad on some days but if you have any time of wind or fan, it wasn’t an issue. Had 3-4 bars LTE via AT&T. Only 30 minutes from west Yellowstone. Definitely would stay here again, felt very safe! Others noted a $16 fee but they may be referring to the RV park at the beginning of the dirt road. There were no pay stations or signs at this BLM spot.

Got here early to beat the Memorial day crowds. I scout ahead of my husband coming with the fifth wheel and thought I had found the perfect spot along side the lake. After sitting outside for a few minutes, I became the target of LOTS of mosquitoes...and this was in the middle of the day. Knowing that the mosquitoes would get worse in the evenings/mornings, I decided to search for a place away from the water. However, I would definitely come back here again later in the year.