Barretts Diversion Dam Camping Area
Free camping at Bureau of Reclamation's Barretts Diversion Dam on the Beaverhead River, about 8 miles south of Dillon and 11 miles north of Clark Canyon Dam, just off I-15. READ THIS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU RELY ON IT: Reclamation's brochure says of Barretts that "many people stop and use the facilities offered free to the public" and that "Day use as well as limited overnight camping is available." Those are two separate sentences -- Reclamation plainly says the facilities are free and plainly says overnight camping is allowed, but it never says in one breath that the camping itself is free, so we have listed this at lower confidence than the Clark Canyon campgrounds. The word "limited" is Reclamation's, not ours: this is a small site, not a campground loop. A large group-use shelter on the south side of the river is popular for weddings and family reunions and can be reserved through the Dillon Field Office, so it may well be booked. The site has historic interest -- Lewis and Clark wrote about the "Rattlesnake Cliffs" here, and between 1866 and 1880 this was a toll road, post office and store. Reclamation does not publish a stay limit for these campgrounds anywhere we could find -- you will see "14 nights" repeated on camping websites, but that number does not appear in any Reclamation document, so treat it as unconfirmed and ask the Dillon Field Office. Call the Dillon Field Office at (406) 683-6472 and confirm both the price and that overnight camping is still allowed before you count on this one. We have not visited it.
Everything you need — measured from camp
- FFuel1 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- DDump9 mi
- WWater18 mi
- @Mail34 mi
- OOutfitter34 mi
- ShShower55 mi
- +Urgent care56 mi
- RxPharmacy60 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBeaverhead River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBarretts · ~0.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelChevron · ~0.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~8.8 mi
- GroceriesSafeway · ~8.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBarrett Hospital & Healthcare · ~6.8 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBarretts Park CXT Single Vault Building · at this camp · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletBarretts Park-Precast Vault Toilet Building · at this camp · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletBarretts Park-Precast Vault Toilet Building · at this camp · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletBarretts Park CXT Single Vault Building · at this camp · BoR
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Beaverhead River Campground (Clark Canyon)~10.3 mi
- Beaverhead Campground (Clark Canyon)~10.7 mi
- Horse Prairie Campground (Clark Canyon)~12.1 mi
- Cameahwait Campground (Clark Canyon)~12.6 mi
How we know this
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up