Fish and camp along the north shore of the Teton River with panoramic views of the Sawtooth Range at Cave Mountain Campground. Aspen and fir provide shade for most sites, which are separated by foliage and distance for a more private camping experience. The campground is set at 5,300 feet, 32 miles from Choteau. At Thain Creek Campground -- a 35-mile drive from Great Falls -- you can pitch your tent at one of four walk-in sites. Both campgrounds provide drinking water, vault toilets and campsites with level tent pads, fire rings and picnic tables.
Hundreds of miles of trail suitable for mountain biking is in the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Jumping Creek Campground, 17 miles from Neihart, is one place to hook into the trail system, with a medium starting elevation of 5,800 feet. Kings Hill Campground is 8 miles from Neihart, lying at a higher elevation of 7,400 feet in the midst of a stand of conifers. Less than 20 miles from Great Falls, Logging Creek and Thain Creek campgrounds provide access to mountain-bike trails, starting at elevations below 5,000 feet. All campgrounds provide vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings, and are appropriate for RVs less than 35 feet. RVs may need to take a longer approach to Logging Creek to avoid steep single-lane roads that have no turnouts.
Explore horse-friendly trails and stay overnight at Benchmark Campground near Augusta. The campground is situated in the Sawtooth Range among conifers and aspens that lend shade to most sites.Two of the three camping spurs have feeding troughs at the campsites, as well as spacious parking for RVs, horse trailers and tow vehicles. Each of the campground's 25 sites are equipped with tables and grills, and lie in grassy terrain. Water is available on site from a hand pump, and vault toilets are provided. You also may camp at a dispersed site adjacent to forest roads in hard-packed areas clear of vegetation. Some designated areas are near popular trailheads, and some provide feed troughs and hitching posts at the trailheads.
National forest campgrounds generally open for the season Memorial Day weekend and close after Thanksgiving. Both wildflowers and bears usually emerge by the start of the season. Avoid drawing hungry bears to camp by packing food and other scented items in airtight containers and storing them in a wildlife-resistant container secured at least 100 feet away from your tent. Other safe places to store food include the trunk of your car and out of sight in your RV. Pet food, garbage and unopened canned sodas and sports drinks should be stored in a similar manner.
