Free camping near Essex, MT
Within 25 straight-line miles of Essex, MT there are 152 camps: 140 free, 9 fee, 3 unpriced. The closest is Devil Creek Campground, 7.1 miles east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Chlorinda Southwest, 8.8 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at. Today's season read covers 1 of them: 0 open, 0 closed, 1 worth a call.
Who manages them: 151 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| 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.
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.