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

Forest Service campground

Spire Rock Campground

Forest Service campground in Custer Gallatin National Forest, Gallatin County, Montana. About 5,600 feet. 18.3 miles from Bozeman.

Managed by
Forest Service Custer Gallatin National Forest
Elevation
About 5,600 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
20 19 standard non-electric, 1 group standard non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

Spire Rock Campground is located in scenic Gallatin Canyon on the Bozeman Ranger District of the Gallatin National Forest, in southwestern Montana. It is 26 miles south of Bozeman.

The surrounding area offers many outdoor recreational opportunities, including fishing, rafting, hiking and viewing local wildlife.

Recreation

Great opportunities for hiking, fishing, scenic driving and wildlife viewing are available around the campground. Anglers cast for rainbow, brown, brook and cutthroat trout, whitefish and Arctic grayling on the Gallatin River. Rafting and kayaking are popular activities as well.

The popular Storm Castle Trail begins nearby. This steep, 3-mile one-way trail climbs to Storm Castle Rock, with excellent views of the canyon below. Garnet Mountain Lookout Trail also begins near the campground. The 3.5-mile trail climbs 2,800 feet in elevation, to the lookout.

Facilities

The campground offers single-family campsites and an overnight, GROUP AREA (SITE 12) , that can be used for overnight camping or day-use picnicking. Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets.

No drinking water is available in the campground. Campers must bring their own water. Roads and parking spurs within the campground are gravel.

Natural Features

The campground sits next to Storm Castle Creek, a tributary of the Gallatin River, at an elevation of 5,600 feet. Most campsites are located along the creek and are surrounded by spruce and fir trees.

A variety of wildlife makes its home in the area. Visitors can often glimpse bald eagles, bighorn sheep, moose, elk, mountain goats, deer and coyotes. Black bears and grizzly bears also live in the canyon.

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

What people do here

  • backpacking
  • berry picking
  • biking
  • birding
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • mountain biking
  • mushroom picking
  • photography
  • star gazing
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Spire Rock Campground

The ringed pin is this 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 September 3, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.