Missouri Headwaters State Park Campground

Our experience might be very different from most. But we showed up to site 11 for an overnight on our way to Glacier NP and promptly left in favor of the (cringe) KOA up the road a ways. As soon as I opened the car door, no less than 18 mosquitos flew into the vehicle and began feasting on our flesh. My wife and I tried standing outside and discussing placement of our teardrop camper, but couldn't stand it and had to retreat back to the truck. Our site was also very open to a semi-circle of multiple other sites with little to no privacy even though it wasn't an RV park-style setting. This place is probably fine, but I will never set foot there again.

We stopped for an overnight but could have stayed for much more. There was a moose behind our camp site as we pulled in. The sites were level and clean, and the wildlife was wonderful. We did a sunrise hike just a bit down the road at fort Rock. We saw the rivers, pelicans, marmot and more, in .5 miles!

Highly recommend spending more than 1 night here ❤️

This is a great place to roll down the river in an inner tube or on a paddle board. Historically interesting area including nearby Madison Buffalo Jump SP. Good little museum in Three Forks and Bozeman is close by and a nice town. The mosquitos weren't really as bad as others have made out (basically 90 minutes in the evening and bit during the early morning). Also worth noting that the place was very clean and water tasted good.

When we were there it was hot and most sites (our included) have little to no shade. Sites are side-by-side with no real separation. During the summer, be prepared to be up early with any nearby departures and looking to be somewhere else during the day (on the river, checking out nearby attractions, etc). You will be listening to nearby generators.

The camp host was super kind, but the mosquitos were a thick fog. It was terrible. Just opening the camper door and immediately closing it, we’d get 3 or 4 mosquitos inside. Also, and this is my fault for not thoroughly ready the campsite description, our site had no water or electricity hookups. When I booked an “RV” site and checked out the map, I assumed it would at least have electricity. Nope. With 100 degree temps, it’s a no-go for sure.

Based on other's reviews, I expected the campground to be a lot more substantial and finished, but what I experienced was "phoned in" gravel pads overgrown with brush. Pit toilet was clean. Maybe the ratings by others was due to the historical nature of the location and the trails, but the campground and sites weren't very nice at all. As a bonus, the mosquitoes were rampant.

Overall: TLDR
We didn't have reservations and were able to snag a hail marry of a site. Next time we'll book ahead. Stayed three nights. Would be happy to stay again. Wished for a dump site. A plus, generators were ok, and hours were very accommodating. Good trails and close enough to grocery and Bozeman.

Access:
A variety of sites. We are 43ft when hooked up and drove alongside the rocks in site 4. People were able to get around us easily. Loop at the end might be tight for big rigs.

Location:
Lots of trails around and pretty close to Bozeman (30 mins), if you want to go do something in town. About 20 mins to a grocery store, keeps things within reach without the noise from town.

Cleanliness:
We only used out bathroom on board so are unfamiliar with bathroom cleanliness. The sites were well cared for and very clean.

Site Quality:
Pretty level. No privacy, the sites down in the loop are tucked away if you fit and can get one booked. Coming from Washington State many of our parks have some sites with partial or even full hook ups. The price wasn't bad but if we boondock we prefer free or really low prices with more privacy.

Noise:
Minimal road noise when walking around site outside but nothing noticeable inside the TT. We did hear some wildlife, but we enjoy that.

We are not residents and just passing through so we paid full price for no hookups. BUT the amount of trails and history to see and read about was worth it! Site 3 says its 25 feet long on their website but we are towing a 36 foot trailer and fit perfect! (It was the last site available when we pulled in around 4 on a Saturday night without a reservation that we could fit in) The night was super quite and dark, just how we like it!