Nelson Creek Recreation Area

The road to get to the camping area is rough so drive with care. Only a few pot holes, but compact and hard throughout (though we didn’t have any rain so road was dry). Our spot was incredible. Plenty of room for our big rig (37’). We always had signal. We had easy access to the lake. We couldn’t have asked for a better boondocking spot. Highly recommend.

This was my first true boondock and I loved it. I was a little nervous about driving my rig into an unknown area but I took it slow and had no problems. The road was washboard and very bumpy. It was getting late when I arrived so I chose the first open area for the night. The next morning I drove around and found a perfect spot.
I only saw four other campers the entire stay. This is a huge area. There is plenty of room for rigs of all sizes.
I didn't see any trash laying around. The site I choose was level and overlooked the lake.

This is technically part of Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and as such, you're camping out in the wilderness, immersed into nature, but easily accessed by hard-packed gravel road.

As the first reviewer pointed out, the strongest Verizon 4G signal is at the first arm, which leads into the south-eastern most section of the Area (sites 1001, 1002, 1003). As you move more north and to the west, you lose Verizon signal. However, these sites are grassy pads and are somewhat unlevel. If you want gravel, level pads, then set up towards the western end, closer to the boat ramp.

Campsites here get fully packed by Friday. Campers start moving in here by Thursday night. Meanwhile, from Monday to Wednesday, the sites remain half-full.

You will see lots of deer and pronghorn here. Plenty of songbirds to listen to in the morning. Lots of great fishing here too.

There is a free RV dump station with potable water at Downstream Campground, by the dam.

The winds do blow in the evenings, and some nights it gets pretty fierce.

This is a very beautiful and secluded camping spot overlooking the Fort Peck Lake. As you drive in Nelson Creek Rd there are multiple roads that lead to multiple different camping spots. Each one has a concrete picnic table and fire ring. There are also vault toilets. We had good Verizon cell service with our WeBooster. It is very far from any town so make sure to stock up on supplies before camping here! We enjoyed watching gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, biking, viewing wildlife, and simply relaxing.

I stayed at Nelson Creek Recreation Area on a summer weeknight, and it's perhaps the best boondocking spot I've ever been to. This is not just one campground! The main road (Nelson Creek Road) has a bunch of forks and sub-forks that bring you to individual camping areas with anywhere from one to four spots in each. So, if someone else is camping in the recreation area but not in your area, chances are you won't see or hear them. I was alone in my section, and I saw another RV in another - that was it.

There are no hookups (no power, no fresh water, no dump site) but there are a few vault toilets. There are 25 official spots (I think some people just park wherever they want though), and you can see the bright white concrete tables at each on Google Maps satellite view. In August 2016, Fork 1 had great Verizon coverage (no booster), but there was no cell service in the other forks or down by the dock/boat launch. If you're in an RV/trailer, Nelson Creek Road isn't too bad, but you might want to scope out the sub-fork roads on satellite view so you know if you should back in. The photo I uploaded was taken from the campsite at (47.566339, -106.213613). 14 day limit at the campground.

I think camping is free? There was no pay station or cost listed anywhere. VisitMT, Recreation.gov, and the Army Corps of Engineers site all don't mention any costs. Recreation.gov does not (at this time) accept reservations. There are MANY other campgrounds in the region, here's the Corps' map: http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Portals/23/siteimages/recreation/FtPeck.pdf

There are no nearby amenities. There is a pretty new rest area with running water down at 24 & 200 (20 minutes south down 24) that does have six big parking spots for RVs.