boondocking in Montana

[w&cferb]

We are going to White Sulfur Springs, Montana in Oct/ Nov. Need to know what national forest campgrounds are open and availability of water. Also if there is disperse camping in the area.Thanks for the help.

[Mike R]

We are going to White Sulfur Springs, Montana in Oct/ Nov. Need to know what national forest campgrounds are open and availability of water. Also if there is disperse camping in the area.Thanks for the help.

Well, White Sulphur Springs is closest to property of the Gallatin National Forest. There telephone number is (406) 587-6701. The four closest campgrounds to White Sulphur Springs are: Battle Ridge open May-Sept.; Fairy Lake open July-Sept; Halfmoon open Yearlong, Drinking water available May 25 - Sept.30; Shields River open May-Sept. All are no fee campgrounds. All dates are dependent on snow pack.

[acadianbob]

There is an excellent book available at most major bookstores that lists every National Forest Service campground in the country. # Sites, elevations, availability of water, etc. We use it extensively. Also, many of the National Forests have excellent websites.

[Voodoo]

For good info on NFS CGs, check Campground Directory and National Forest Campgrounds

[dzwiss]

There is an excellent book available at most major bookstores that lists every National Forest Service campground in the country. # Sites, elevations, availability of water, etc. We use it extensively. Also, many of the National Forests have excellent websites.

There seem to be a number of them out there. Which one do you use, could you post the author/publisher?

[MikeR]

There seem to be a number of them out there. Which one do you use, could you post the author/publisher?

The National Forest Directory that I use is the National Forest Campground & Recreation Directory. Published by The Coleman Company (yes that Coleman) and Old Forests, Inc. You might email Old Forests, Inc., as to where you might find a copy. Their email address is: [email protected]. I had two copies, but I sent one to StaggerLee.

[Voodoo]

The National Forest Directory that I use is the National Forest Campground & Recreation Directory. Published by The Coleman Company (yes that Coleman) and Old Forests, Inc. You might email Old Forests, Inc., as to where you might find a copy. Their email address is: [email protected]. I had two copies, but I sent one to StaggerLee.

I have the 2nd edition, copyright 2003. I don't think there has been an update since then, so some of the information on campgrounds is very dated. But it does have them all and their location. We still use it and it is showing its age. They have an email address to send them update information. I did that for a while but never got an indication they were doing anything with it. If there is a later edition, I can't find it through Amazon or a search. But it is still available from Amazon.

Fred and Suzi, who publish the info I linked earlier, contact each of the NFS districts to update the information on their site. I find it a rather cluttered format but the info is there and seems up to date. Those two sources plus the forest service web site should give you any info needed. I some times visit the reservation site to get more detailed info on park layout and site sizes for those CGs that have reservtions.

Outdoor Books and Maps also publishes some useful books on individual states. I am currently using their Colorado edition to plan this summer's travel . The listings are concise and have most of what I am looking for such as max length, elevation, fee, water, toilets and the managing agency. I then go to other sources for more details on the places of interest. Enjoy the national forests. They are great camping. Bill

[w&cferb]

camping in the Castle Mountains, Montana

Well, we made the trip and back to Wisconsin. There are two campgrounds on Fourmile Creek Road, just east and south of White Sulfur Springs. We disperse camped about seven miles in from Hwy 12, just off of Fourmile Creek Road. Found the forest road to be one lane and in good to excellent condition. Looks like it could be a great area for trout fishing. We had cold, snowy weather and so just hunted. There was four feet of snow in the higher elevations. We did not have any problems getting in or out of the forest. The ranger checked in with us on the second day to make sure we could be located if really bad weather came in.
thanks for the suggestions. Seems like every National Forest has some variation of camping rules, especially from state to state.
PS - the rules for four wheelers are not favorable toward non-residents.
:Scratch-Head:

[muddy princess sara]

In ohio if you want to ride your atv or motorcycle on the proper trails in state run forest, you must buy a tag for your atv or bike. in order to do so you must have your title or proof of title and an ohio tag plus a state forest tag. its a bunch of hoops to jump thru. we had several issues with these rules b/c older model motorcycles as in dirt bikes did not come with titles and there for are unable to get tags. there is a large fine something close to 2000$ if you dont have said stickers in place. that being said, we only have one out of 5 bikes stickered. we dont use the trails near enough to have all the bikes tagged so if cole rides its on that one bike and david takes his chances. :jawdrop:

[w&cferb]

Montana residents can license their four wheelers as motorcycles and drive them on the streets and highways. This gives them more access in the National Forest. Non-residents can not do this and so are limited to access. And we pay a lot more for hunting licenses, travel expense and buy our supplies in the states where we hunt to support the local economy. Makes you wonder if the State wants you there???

[staggerlee]

National Forest Directory

The National Forest Directory that I use is the National Forest Campground & Recreation Directory. Published by The Coleman Company (yes that Coleman) and Old Forests, Inc. You might email Old Forests, Inc., as to where you might find a copy. Their email address is: [email protected]. I had two copies, but I sent one to StaggerLee.

Yes you did, and I thank you.
Lee

[ksss]

The books are helpful in learning locations but at the rate they are being renewed or used, the descriptions on road conditions to and from the sites is not as accurate, nor is the descriptions on the levels of services provided. That is our experience in the Idaho area. Many of the campgrounds are being updated. The USFS received a huge allocation of stimulus money and so they are working at spending it. So the moral of the story is to use the books to gain some insight but the websites and phone calls seem to be the most accurate.

[wingnut60]

Voodoo,
We are going back to Colorado again this year, would like to meet up with you again.
No timeframe, yet, but we do plan to be in Leadville for the Boom Days first weekend of August. I believe we will be back at Bristol for a week also.
Drop me a line at joejd at aol.com.
Joe