Going to Montana.. need advice

hey guys! I am a newer member here. First time posting. I am taking my first gen out to Montana this fall and am looking for some good places to camp. We are going to be in the glacier area and would love to camp on BLM land or state land, But if anyone knows of any good campgrounds that would be great too! We are planning on just staying in the back of the truck. Here is a picture of my truck. It has a topper now, and is getting a new frame from Toyota this summer! Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated!

 

Great trip! Love that area! First, be mindful of the Grizzlies at that time of year. Make sure you lock your cooler down in the truck at night and when you are not with the truck. Also, if you are camping in the Park, check on the regs about sleeping in the bed of your truck. They might frown on that. Not sure what the difference between that and a tent is, but... On the West side of the park, head out of Apgar Village on Camas Road, take a right on N. Fork Road after you cross the Flathead River. North the N. Fork Rd. you can find some nice pulloffs to overnight. Keep going and make it to Polebridge Loop (take a right). Stop at the Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery. Famous for their baked goods. The BearClaws are fabulous. Turn left at the Mercantile on Polebridge Loop/Glacier Drive. Over the North Fork again you get to the Polebridge Ranger Station. About 150yds past the Ranger Station, take a right and go to Bowman Lake Campground. You won't regret that one. If you keep going straight it turns into Inside North Fork Road then into Kinta Lake Road. Some private land as you go, but there are campgrounds along the river. Mud Creek Campground, and eventually the Kinta Lake Campground.

Polebridge Ranger Station - https://www.google.com/maps/@48.7814147,-114.2804845,295a,35y,39.1t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

On the east side of Glacier, North out of Babb on 89, turn left on 17. Off of 17 there are many little dirt/gravel roads that you could find an overnight spot. FR3826505 (on the left) ends with a fantastic view of Chief Mountain. Not sure whether this is BLM or Tribal land, but it outside of the park border. You might want to investigate.

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.9746375,-113.5955528,182a,35y,39t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

If you like beer; Great Northern Brewing in Whitefish.

Make sure to spend a day or two in Missoula. Good food, great beer. Northside Brewing Co. (Kettlehouse.com) is a favorite. Iron Horse Bar & Grill has great food and atmosphere. Make sure to visit the classics in town; Charlie B's, The Rhino, and Montgomery Distillery (their bloody mary's are spectacular). South across the S. Higgins Ave. bridge is Big Dipper Ice Cream (YUM) and around the corner is the Myrtle Street Taphouse (Kettlehouse south). If you go to Kettlehouse South, look for the bartender (manager) with a great mustache by the name of Ryan Weingardt, tell him the West Virginia Crew (Emily, Duane, Steve, Josh, Mitzi, Brent) send their best!

Ping me if you want me to expound with more info! Hope you have a great time!

 

When I was in Glacier two years ago there are definitely campgrounds that required hard-sided RV’s - no tents or soft sided campers allowed. But it was a moot point as all campgrounds in the National Park were full. We ended up always staying in Forest Service or State/County CG’s, plus one private CG (Whitefish Bike Retreat, can’t praise it enough even if you don’t bike), no dispersed camping. Seeley Lake, Salmon Lake, Park Lake outside Helena, were good spots in the general area.

 

@FredTheRedTaco, thank you so much for your recommendations! Definetly interested in the beer! Can’t wait to start researching all of these awesome spots

 

Good places in glacier? I'd recommend near flathead lake, or on the outskirts in places such as dayton. There's a lot of good places to go offroading in that general area, you can even get some good ass flathead cherry's all the way around the lake. I don't know of really many places around glacier, because I'm in gallatin county. Thats my recommendation.