Found · unverifiedMontana FWPFree

Beartooth WMA

Drive-up · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · MT · 46.94523, -111.84363

We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.

SEASONAL -- this WMA is open only May 15 to Dec 1; it is CLOSED the rest of the year to protect big-game winter range. Do not plan a winter or early-spring night here. Beartooth Wildlife Management Area, managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, FWP Region 4. FWP's own site record lists a designated primitive campsite here and its fee table shows no camping fee. IMPORTANT -- THIS IS NOT FREE LAND, even though the camping itself costs nothing: Montana requires a Conservation License of every person aged 12 and older to use an FWP wildlife management area FOR ANY REASON, not just to hunt or fish. It is $8/year for residents, $10/year for nonresidents ($4 for resident youth 12-17 and seniors 62+). Buy it before you arrive. There is no separate per-night camping fee. Camping is allowed only in areas FWP has designated or marked for it (ARM 12.12.107), for no more than 7 nights in any 30-day period statewide. Primitive: pack in / pack out, no hookups and no drinking water; there is a vault toilet. BEAR COUNTRY -- black and possibly grizzly bears use this area. FWP requires food and attractants stored in a vehicle or a certified bear-resistant container. Carry bear spray. Quiet hours are 10 p.m.-7 a.m. and certified weed-free feed is required for stock. We have not visited this site. Confirm the current season dates, the travel plan map and whether camping is still allowed with FWP Region 4 at (406)454-5864 before you go.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Weather outlook

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,908 ft.

Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow

Checking active fires & air quality…

Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from camp

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

WWater5 mi
FFuel11 mi
GGrocery11 mi
@Mail11 mi
DDump14 mi
OOutfitter16 mi
HHardware18 mi
MMechanic22 mi
+Urgent care24 mi
RxPharmacy24 mi
LLaundry25 mi
ShShower31 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 11 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

Access

Drive-up

Land

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Elevation

4,908 ft

State

Coordinates

46.94523, -111.84363

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

Nearest townNelson · ~9.0 mi
Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.9 mi
FuelExxon · ~11.3 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump stationDump station · ~14.0 mi
GroceriesCanyon Store · ~11.3 mi
PharmacyBergum Drug · ~26.1 mi
Hospital / clinicOptions Clinic · ~23.9 mi
HardwareProtech Steel · ~20.0 mi

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Vault / pit toiletDeparture Point Mens Vault Toilet · ~4.6 mi W · BLM
Vault / pit toiletDeparture Womens Vault Toilet · ~4.6 mi W · BLM
RestroomLog Gulch Campground Group Mens Toilet (East Toilets) · ~4.8 mi W · BLM
RestroomLog Gulch Campground Group Womens Toilet · ~4.8 mi W · BLM

Open this spot elsewhere

Google satellite →Gaia GPS →CalTopo →Back to the map →

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this

Source

Montana FWP (wildlife management areas)

Confidence

Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.

How it was placed

Montana FWP WMA. Camping flag: fwpLands WMA Locations layer (fwp-gis.mt.gov/arcgis/rest/services/fwplnd/fwpLands/MapServer/7), CAMPING='Yes'. Designated campsite independently confirmed by the Facilities list on FWP's own site page myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/landsMgmt/siteDetail.action?lmsId=39753622 ('Pack in/Pack out Primitive Campsite Toilet (Vault)'). No camping fee: that page's structured `sitefees` table lists only Conservation License rows -- no 'FAS Camping' row (which is $12/$18 per the 2025 FAS Annual Rule where it applies). Conservation License required for any use of an FWP WMA per FWP's conservation-license page and the 2026 Fishing Regulations ('for any reason'). Stay limit 7 nights/30 days per ARM 12.12.107. Coordinates cross-checked between two independent FWP channels -- GIS geometry and the detail page's stated Latitude/Longitude -- agreeing to 0.0006 mi. Open season per FWP: May 15 to Dec 1. Nightshift ingest 2026-07-20 21:28:38.

Field check

Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.

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

Before you go

Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →

Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →