A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service group campground

Fales Flat Campground

Forest Service group campground in Bitterroot National Forest, Ravalli County, Montana. 5,109 feet. 23 miles from Darby.

Managed by
Forest Service Bitterroot National Forest
Elevation
5,109 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
3 3 group standard non-electric
Longest rig
50 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Fales Flat Campground is a group facility on Nez Perce Fork of the Bitterroot River. It is also well equipped for equestrian campers. The campground provides access to a variety of hiking and horseback riding trails in the area, as well as a variety of historic sites that denote the presence of the Nez Perce many years ago.

Recreation

Fly fishing and wading in the Nez Perce Fork, which runs alongside the campground, are also popular activities. A variety of trails and unimproved roads are great for hiking and horseback riding. Three trails originate near the campground. Watchtower Trail is just down the Nez Perce a mile, Sheephead Creek Trail which is across the road from Fales Flat campground accesses the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and can be hiked as a loop, or up to or down from the top of Nez Perce Pass. A third trail, Barecone Trail starts just below Fales Flat Campground and is a steep, 2-mile trail which leads to Bare Cone Lookout.

Facilities

The campground offers one large group site for tent and RV camping. It can accommodate 15 to 100 people. Hookups are not available. Parking surfaces are gravel. The site is equipped with multiple tables and a large campfire circle. Vault toilets are provided. Drinking water and trash collection bins are not available. A few individual and equestrian sites are available at the campground on a first-come, first-served basis. Those sites have access to a horse staging area and hitching racks.

Natural Features

The campground is located in a large meadow at the base of Nez Perce Pass along the Nez Perce Fork of the Bitterroot River. The area is believed to have been used by the Nez Perce Nimi'ipuu tribe during its travels to the buffalo country in eastern Montana.

Nearby Attractions

The campground is at the base of Nez Perce Pass which is a corridor into the heart of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Areas. The Montana/Idaho stateline sits atop Nez Perce Pass where there is interpretive information and trailhead access north and south.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • biking
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • historic sites
  • hunting
  • scenic drive

The land around Fales Flat Campground

The ringed pin is this group campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated April 9, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.