Camping in Montana

Camping rules worth knowing in Montana

Camping in the Breaks is allowed where nothing has been developed

In the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, camping is permitted on BLM land that has not been developed as a campsite, provided you have legal access. That is a real dispersed permission over a very large area, and the catch is in the second half of the sentence: access across the checkerboard of private ground has to be legal, and it is not always obvious from a map. Source 12

On trust land, roads are closed unless they are public

The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation states the rule in one sentence: motorised vehicles are allowed on public roads, meaning federal, state and dedicated county roads, only, and all other roads are closed unless the department designates them open. Every two-track across trust land is therefore closed by default. Source 51

State trust land: a licence, two nights, and no driving to your camp

Montana’s trust land is open to recreation, but on the state’s terms. The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation allows motorized vehicles on public roads only, federal, state and dedicated county, and closes every other road unless DNRC designates it open. Dispersed camping needs a Conservation License, which Fish, Wildlife and Parks now requires of everyone aged 12 and over to access most state lands. The stay is two days on leased or licensed land and up to 16 days in a 30-day period on unleased land. Tents must be within 200 feet of a customary access point and trailers and RVs within 50 feet, and vehicles must be parked within 50 feet: you may not drive further in to set up. Campfires are not allowed on leased land, and group camping needs a special recreational use licence. Source 50

Fire restrictions are posted, not published in advance

The BLM says it puts fire restrictions in place to prevent losses from human-caused wildfires brought on by extreme drought, high fire danger and heavy use of public lands, and points visitors to three places to check before lighting anything: the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s fire restrictions guide map, the Montana interagency fire information site, and InciWeb. Restrictions are issued agency by agency and county by county, so the rule where you are camping may differ from the one 20 miles away. One prohibition holds across the Northern Region whatever the fire stage: you may not possess material containing nails, screws or other metal hardware, including wood pallets and construction debris, that could be used as firewood. Source 11

The full guide to overlanding Montana