Dry Camping @ Lone Tree Campground, Clark Canyon Reservoir, Dillon, Montana. #RVLIFESTYLE

Alrighty. On the move again today. Trying to avoid crowds this holiday weekend, so I decided to head about 4 hrs north and slightly east to find a spot to get settled in for the weekend. I’m glad I did. Most of the traffic and RVs I saw today (which was fairly light) were headed in the opposite direction. Had scoped out an area on the Campendium website that had a bunch of possibilities on the water. Had about an hour left in the drive and I found myself rolling down I-15….a major interstate….with hardly any other vehicles and admiring the mountains and awesome scenery of Idaho and said to myself… this is why I love this state so much!!! 2 minutes later, my GPS dinged and said “welcome to Montana!” Whut you talkin about Willis??? I really thought the spot I scoped was in ID! Well damn! Oh well, no harm no foul, but it did take me a little by surprise and I felt like a dummy for not even realizing it! Yes my friends, even I make mistakes….I know it’s hard to believe….lol. Anyway, I made to the spot. I’m about 3 hours west of Yellowstone, 5 hours south of Glacier NP and 20 miles south of Dillon, MT. ID is pretty close to the west in my defense…lol.

I’m at the Lone Tree Campground on the Clark Canyon Reservoir, managed by the Bureau of Land Reclamation. Little bit of false advertising, cause I counted 5 trees , but we do have a winner here folks. Checks all the boxes. Stunning views, on the water, full sun for my solar and surrounded by mountains. Right now maybe 5 other occupied RVs. There are 3 or 4 stashed here with no one in them….maybe to hold a spot for the holiday? (no one likes a cheater). Plenty of open space and pretty spread out. Just my style. So this area is pretty historically significant. This is the area of Camp Fortunate, where Lewis and Clark met up with the Lemhi Shoshoni Tribe and where Sacajawea was reunited with her people. Unfortunately the dam was built in the early 1960s and all that history now sits underwater……guess it wasn’t THAT significant at the time……..

The Reservoir is pretty large, about 6,000 acres and is known for its excellent rainbow and brown trout fishing. There are 7 or 8 other campgrounds around the the lake, all managed by the Bureau. All but one are free, and that one is 30 bucks but they have hook ups. From what I read, the other camps are a lot busier than this one and 2 others because they have boat ramps. So if you are not fishing/boating…pick one without a ramp, cause it will likely be less crowded.

As for this camp….no hookups. Fresh water is available via a hand pump. Vault toilets scattered throughout. A majority of the spots have a picnic table (some covered) and a fire ring with a grill attachment. They have a row of 8 old school Oscar the grouch style trash cans too. 14 day max stay. Not sure how many spots there are…maybe 25? But there are huge open areas to park and set up in if needed. If you need to dump, the pay campground (Lewis and Clark campground…10 miles away on the north shore) will let you for 10 bucks. No OTA TV. VWZ and AT&T internet very good, with AT&T winning once again with blazing fast 46 mbps down /14 up. VZW is 18/5.

Very pleased with this camp and entire area. I would for sure put it on your list to stop over and stay a day or more if in en route to Glacier or Yellowstone…..or just as a destination all on its own. It’s an easy stop right off I-15. Access road is a breeze. Weather is supposed to be fantastic for the next 10 days as well. I know what you are thinking….this crazy gypsy can’t really stay in one spot that long? Can he?? Well…..Maybe. As usual, I’ll figure it out in the morning, or the next…..

More Later……