Free camping near Essex, MT
Yes. 140 of the 152 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Essex, MT are listed as free; 9 charge a fee and 3 have no price on record. The closest free one is Chlorinda Southwest, 8.8 miles southwest, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is Devil Creek Campground, 7.1 miles east, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at one of these camps.
The 50 nearest camps to Essex, MT
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devil Creek Campground | 7.1 | Fee | — | 1.2 mi to Snowslip | — |
| Chlorinda Southwest | 8.8 | Free | — | 1.1 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Murray Gravel Pit | 9.0 | Free | — | 3.9 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Elk Island Campground | 9.2 | Unpriced | — | 2.4 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Murray Bay Campground | 9.4 | Fee | — | 9.4 mi to Essex | — |
| Murray Bay Campground | 9.5 | Fee | — | 4.2 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Flathead County, MT | 9.5 | Fee | Tent Creek (stream) | 4.6 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Lakeview Campground | 10 | Unpriced | — | 1.7 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Knieff Dispersed Camp South | 10 | Free | — | 1.5 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Trout Lake South | 10 | Free | Trout Lake (water) | 3.0 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Betty Creek Pullout | 11 | Free | Logan Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Logan West Beach | 11 | Free | — | — | — |
| Clayton Creek Gate | 12 | Free | — | 12 mi to Essex | — |
| Flossy Bay Dispersed Camp West Site | 12 | Free | Clayton Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Flossy Bay Dispersed Camp South Site | 12 | Free | Clayton Creek (stream) | 5.3 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Summit Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Snowslip | Check |
| Pike Cr Rd-06 | 12 | Free | Summit (stream) | 0.3 mi to Summit | — |
| Devil's Corkscrew Campground | 13 | Unpriced | — | 2.3 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Pike Cr Rd-04 | 13 | Free | Summit (stream) | 1.1 mi to Summit | — |
| Pike Cr Rd-02 | 13 | Free | Pike Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Summit | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — MT #149 | 13 | Free | — | 1.8 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Fire Island Campground | 13 | Free | — | 8.1 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Fire Island Campground | 13 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Lid Creek Campground | 14 | Free | Wounded Buck Creek (stream) | 8.1 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Lid Creek Pullout | 14 | Free | Wounded Buck Creek (stream) | 7.9 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Forest Dispersed Camp West | 14 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Handkerchief Lake Campground | 14 | Free | Handkerchief Lake (water) | 5.6 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Wheeler West | 14 | Free | — | 12 mi to Swan Lake | — |
| Hungry Horse Bay Camp | 14 | Free | Hungry Horse Creek (stream) | 6.9 mi to Martin City | — |
| Graves Creek Campground | 14 | Free | Graves Creek (stream) | 6.3 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Graves Creek Gate | 14 | Free | Graves Creek (stream) | 6.2 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| View Improvement Logging Disp. Camp | 14 | Free | Wounded Buck Creek (stream) | 8.8 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Heinrude North Point | 14 | Free | — | 0.6 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Heinrude Dispersed Camp North Loop | 15 | Free | — | 0.5 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Road 11139 Gravel Pit | 15 | Free | Wounded Buck Creek (stream) | 8.8 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Heinrude Dispersed Camp South Point | 15 | Free | — | 0.4 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Road 1636 Baptiste Creek 3 | 15 | Free | — | 2.2 mi to Heinrude | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — MT #219 | 15 | Free | — | 2.9 mi to Heinrude | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — MT #200 | 15 | Free | Sullivan Creek (river) | 1.7 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Wounded Buck Pullout Middle | 15 | Free | Wounded Buck Creek (stream) | 8.4 mi to Martin City | — |
| Wounded Buck Dispersed West | 15 | Free | — | 9.0 mi to Martin | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — MT #759 | 15 | Free | — | 11 mi to Swan Lake | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — MT #576 | 15 | Free | Sullivan Creek (river) | 1.7 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Emery Cr Falls Site | 15 | Free | Emery Creek (stream) | 5.6 mi to Martin City | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — MT #328 | 15 | Free | — | 11 mi to Swan Lake | — |
| 1615 Rd Gate/Emery Cr. | 16 | Free | Emery Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Martin City | — |
| Road 11501 | 16 | Free | — | 2.6 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Peter's Creek Campground | 16 | Free | — | 2.8 mi to Heinrude | — |
| Blackfoot_Lake_002 | 16 | Free | Blackfoot Lake (water) | 7.3 mi to Canyon Creek Boat Landing | — |
| Wounded Buck Creek Dispersed Camp | 16 | Free | Wounded Buck Creek (stream) | 8.5 mi to Foster Mobile Home Park | — |
The other 102 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Essex, MT.
Who manages the camps near Essex, MT
Who manages them: 151 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
- Flathead National Forest — 144 camps: 133 free, 8 fee, 3 unpriced
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest — 8 camps: 7 free, 1 fee
Season read for these camps, today
Today's season read covers 1 of the 152: 0 open, 0 closed, 1 worth a call. It comes from each camp's own record, so a camp with no season word is not counted either way.
Forecast near Essex, MT
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Essex, MT, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.