Devil's Elbow Campground
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- A night
- $25From, per site
- Sites
- 4943 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices
In the agency’s own words
Devil's Elbow Recreation Area is situated on the picturesque "Devil's Elbow" of Hauser Lake. Just a short drive from Helena, the area offers stunning views of the Big Belt and Elkhorn mountains. The area is overflowing with outdoor adventure opportunities. Whether you're into fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking, mountain biking, boating or all of the above; all of these things are immediately accessed from (the greater) Hauser Lake Recreation Area. There is surely an activity for everyone! While just a short drive from Helena, the state capital; the feeling of seclusion and abundant nature is sure to impress. Keep reading
Recreation
Devil's Elbow offers excellent recreational access. Devil's Elbow has a small beach area, picnic areas, as well as a ramada/pavilion with power and lights, available by advanced reservation. There are vault toilets located in convenient locations throughout the area. There is a network of non-motorized dirt, gravel and paved trails throughout Devil's Elbow, Two Camps Vista and Clark's Bay that allow you to walk or bike around the area without contending with vehicles. There are multiple trails within the larger Hauser Lake Recreation area, as well as multiple fishing access sites, hunting access, wildlife viewing and of course, boating. There are several world class mountain biking trails in the area as well. The recreation opportunities in the area are truly boundless.
Facilities
Devil's Elbow offers several amenities that will make your stay enjoyable and comfortable. Devil's Elbow is a 48-site campground that has spacious and level gravel parking pads that accommodate RVs, camper trailers and tents. Of the 48 sites, there are five sites that are specifically designated for tents. All sites are reservation only. Devil's Elbow features a large concrete boat launch with a courtesy dock, as well as day use and overnight dock slips for campers. The docks are first-come, first-served with no assigned slips. A fish cleaning station is available near the day-use parking at Devil's Elbow. There are men's and women's vault toilets located in each loop of the campground as well as near the boat launch. There is potable water provided throughout the campground and day use areas, as well as garbage dumpsters. Every campsite contains a fire ring with a grill grate in addition to a picnic table. There are also picnic tables and small pavilions throughout the areas and benches along the lake to take in the views. There is a small marina, general store with gas and a bar/restaurant just a half mile away.
Natural Features
The campground and day use areas are situated in a shrub-steppe landscape, mostly comprised of sage brush and bunch grasses. Every campsite has a view of the lake and mountains. While there are some ponderosa pine and deciduous trees throughout the area, they are scarce and do not provide a large amount of shade, but the lake does help keep the temperatures down a bit on those hot summer days.
Nearby Attractions
Devil's Elbow is located in a prime location to get out and recreate outdoors, or within the capital of Montana. There are hundreds of miles of trails, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands, state parks, the Lewis and Clark Trail and so much more. Helena (only a short drive away) has all the amenities of a large city with small town charm. There are great restaurants, museums, the capitol building, old mining settlements, Last Chance Gulch, Reeder's Alley and a vibrant downtown with a walking mall area. Contact Info For local information, please call (406) 233-1093 or call (406) 318-8100 for general information.
Charges & Cancellations
Reservation Cancellations & Changes • Cancelling a Reservation: Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation (see below). • Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window • Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. The recreation.gov cancellation policy can be found here: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies
What the agency tells you
*** You must occupy your campsite every night that you have reserved. If you do not show up for 24 hours from "Check-In Time" (2:00 PM), you forfeit the use of that site and are not entitled to any refunds or discounts. *** *** You must occupy the site you reserved and cannot change sites, or move to a different loop of the campground.*** Caution: While it is uncommon to sight a bear in the area, it is possible. Bears, raccoons, ravens, seagulls, magpies and other animals will get into your food if not properly stored. Please be prepared to store your food either in your vehicle, RV or trailer or in a bear-proof container while camping.
Prairie rattlesnakes and bull snakes inhabit this area. Be cautious of where you step or reach into.
Black widows are very common in the area; while not usually deadly, their bite can be extremely painful and has caused local necrosis of the associated tissues and severe illness.
Everything else this campground posts · 9
Prickly Pear cactus are a native plant that will prick you, rip your clothing or your tent and can be very hard to remove.
Campsites are limited to no more than 2 RVs or 2 tents or a combination of 1 RV and 1 tent. Each RV or tent is considered a camping unit and must pay the fee per unit.
There is no power available on site for campers and generators are only allowed from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
There is no black or gray water dump on site.
First-come, first-served sites are available in this campground.
If you plan to bring a watercraft with you, please remember to always: Clean, Drain, Dry and Inspect your craft for Aquatic Invasive Species.
Weather can change drastically in this area. Be prepared for any type of weather event.
Stock animals are not allowed in this facility. Non-road legal ATVs, UTVs or motorcycles are not allowed in this facility.
Check out time is 11:00 A.M.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 49 · 5 tent-only, 1 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
- Paved pads
- 2 of 49
- Accessible sites
- 7
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…by advanced reservation. There are vault toilets located in convenient locations throughout the…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER (PEAK SEASON) on 1 of 49 campsite records
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Store
- Nearby
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, Beach, Coast
- Biking
- Birding
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic site
- Hunting
- Information Site
- Ranger programs
- Non-Motorized Boating
- Other Recreation Concession Site
- Paddle Boating
- Picnicking
- Night sky · 494th darkest of 501 in MT
- Bortle 4
Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:44 UTC
recreation.gov lists 43 of the 49 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 17
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $25 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation (see below). • Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days be…” · this campground’s own terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 16:44 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
49 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 16 mapped sitesAll 49 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 38 of the 49 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| A | 01 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 58 ft | 184 ft | $25 | |
| A | 02 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 58 ft | 241 ft | $25 | |
| A | 03 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 50 ft | 159 ft | $25 | |
| A | 04 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 79 ft | 239 ft | $25 | |
| A | 05 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 50 ft | 151 ft | $25 | |
| A | 06 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 67 ft | 183 ft | $25 | |
| A | 07 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 77 ft | 245 ft | $25 | |
| A | 08 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 59 ft | 301 ft | $25 | |
| A | 09 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 59 ft | 330 ft | $25 | |
| A | 10 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 66 ft | 358 ft | $25 | |
| A | 11 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 66 ft | 396 ft | $25 | |
| A | 12 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 66 ft | 431 ft | $25 | |
| A | 13 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 66 ft | 453 ft | $25 | |
| A | 14 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 56 ft | 522 ft | $25 | |
| A | 15 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 56 ft | 518 ft | $25 | |
| B | 16 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 17 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 18 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 19 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 20 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 21 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 22 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 23 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 24 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 25 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 26 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 27 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 28 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 29 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 30 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 31 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 32 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 33 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 34 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 35 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | $25 | |||
| B | 36 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | yes | $25 | ||
| B | 48 | rv nonelectric | 45 ft | $25 | |||
| C | 37 | type not stated | 55 ft | yes | 356 ft | ||
| C | 38 | type not stated | 55 ft | yes | 293 ft | ||
| C | 39 | type not stated | 55 ft | yes | 220 ft | ||
| C | 40 | type not stated | 55 ft | yes | 167 ft | ||
| C | 41 | type not stated | 55 ft | yes | 128 ft | ||
| C | 42 | type not stated | 55 ft | yes | 115 ft | ||
| C | LOOP C CAMPSITES WITH RAMADA/PAVILION | group standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 517 ft | 270 ft | $25 | |
| TENT | 43 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 44 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 45 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 46 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 47 | tent only nonelectric |
25 of 49 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
White Sandy CampgroundButte Field Office · 4.6 mi
Riverside Campground4.7 mi
Court Sheriff Campground5.7 mi
Chinamen's Campground5.9 mi
Cave Point Group Use Area6.3 miDevil's Elbow Campground is located at 5965 York Road, Helena, Montana 59601. From Interstate 90 driving from Bozeman, exit at Exit: 274 US 287 Helena/Ennis; right turn to continue north on 287 and continue for 57 miles. Turn right onto Lake Helena Drive, then turn right in 450 feet to stay on Lake Helena Drive. Continue for 4 miles through the roundabout. Turn right onto York Road and drive 6.2 miles to Devil's Elbow Recreation Area. From Helena/Butte/Great Falls: Drive to (or exit from I-15 onto) Custer Avenue, head east on Custer Ave. Take left turn onto York Road. Continue on for 16 miles to Devil's Elbow Recreation Area; or take the Lincoln RD exit on I-15, Head East on Lincoln Road until it intersects with Lake Helena Dr (T-Intersection). Take a right (South) on Lake Helena Dr (this route contains portions of dirt and gravel roads) and continue until the road turns back into pavement, take a left (East) on Deal Lane and follow the road until it terminates at York Road. Take a left (North) on York Road and continue for about 2 miles to Devil's Elbow.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Helena Valley Northeast, MT
Typical weather
Typical October night 34°F, day 58°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 14°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Devil's Elbow Campground is in Montana’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Troy Downing (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →