Holter Lake Campground
1Heads up1 fire 44 mi away
- Right now
- Closedrecreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend, read 16:43 UTC
- A night
- $25When it reopens, per site
- Sites
- 52In the agency’s record
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Holter Lake Campground is situated on the picturesque Holter Lake in west central Montana. The site is located approximately 45 miles north of Helena, Montana, along the Missouri River. The area offers stunning views of the Sleeping Giant Wilderness Study Area. Gates of the Mountains Historic Site is in close proximity of the campground, which is accessible via a watercraft. The area is overflowing with outdoor adventure opportunities. Whether you're into fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking, boating, water skiing, or all of the above, all of these activities are in close proximity to Holter Lake Campground. There is surely an activity for everyone! Keep reading
Recreation
Holter Lake Campground offers excellent recreational opportunities. Activities in the area include camping, boating (motorized and non-motorized), fishing, water skiing, hiking, scenic/wildlife photography, wildlife viewing, and bird watching. There are trails within the general vicinity, as well as multiple fishing access sites and hunting access points. The recreation opportunities in the area are truly boundless.
Facilities
Holter Lake Campground offers several amenities that will make your stay enjoyable and comfortable. Holter Lake Campground is a 52-site campground that has spacious and level gravel parking pads that accommodate RVs, camper trailers, and tents. There are 9 tent-only sites. Most of the campsites can accomodate up to 2 RVs or tents per site. Of the 52 sites, all are reservation only. First come first serve sites may be avaible on a daily basis after 2pm but are not guaranteed. Holter lake Campground features a large concrete boat launch with a courtesy dock, as well as day-use and overnight dock slips for those camping in the campground. The docks are first-come, first-served, with no assigned slips. There is potable water provided throughout the campground and day-use areas, as well as garbage dumpsters. There are no hook-ups available. The A loop and tent area sites contain a fire ring with a grill grate in addition to a picnic table. There are also picnic tables and benches along the lake to take in the views.
Natural Features
Every campsite has a view of the lake and mountains. The campground and day-use area has poplar and green ash trees throughout the campground, which provide shade during the height of the summer. The site is situated in a shrub-steppe landscape, mostly comprised of sage brush and bunch grasses. The campground is surrounded by sparsely wooded hills. Contact Info For local information, please call (406) 233-1098 or call (406) 318-8100 for general information.
Nearby Attractions
Holter Lake Campground is located in a prime location to get out and recreate outdoors. There is access to public lands, where multiple recreation opportunities and experiences are available. The campground is adjacent to the Missouri River, which was also the historical travel corridor for The Lewis and Clark Trail. Holter Lake Campground is situated between Helena and Great Falls. In Helena, there are great restaurants, museums, the capitol building, old mining settlements, Last Chance Gulch, Reeder's Alley, and a vibrant downtown area. In or near Great Falls, there is the First People's Buffalo Jump and Interpretive Center, Charlie Russell museum, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Giant Springs Fish Hatchery and State Park, and Tower Rock State Park. The Continental Divide Trail is nearby.
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). 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
Check-in is 2:00pm and Check-out is 11:00am. ALL SITES RESERVATION ONLY
Stay limit is 7 consecutive days and 14 days within a 28-day time period.
Campsites are limited to no more than 2 RVs or 2 tents or a combination of 1 RV or 1 tent. Each RV or tent is considered a camping unit, and each camping unit costs $25.
Everything else this campground posts · 12
There is no black or grey water dump on site.
No hook-ups are available. Potable water is available throughout the campground to fill containers.
Quiet hours are from 10:00pm to 7:00am. There is no power available on-site for campers.
Caution: While it is uncommon to sight a bear in the area, it is possible. Bears, racoons, 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 locked vehicle, RV, trailer, or bear-proof container while camping.
Prairie rattlesnakes and bull snakes inhabit this area. Be cautious of where you step or reach.
Please watch for ticks and black widow spiders. Both are very common in the area. Black widow bites, while not usually deadly, can be extremely painful and have caused local necrosis of the associated tissues and severe illness.
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.
ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles must be street-legal. All drivers must be licensed.
Discounts are only available for those carrying a Senior or Access National Park Pass. You must have your pass with you.
It is your responsibility to secure property in your site and at the docks.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 52 · 10 tent-only
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 68 ft
- Paved pads
- 11 of 52
- Accessible sites
- 3
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- 43 of 52 sites
- Shade
- 24 of 43 sites
Facilities
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER (PEAK SEASON) on 8 of 56 campsite records, ACCESSIBLE DRINKING WATER on 8 of 56 campsite records
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River
- Birding
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic site
- Ice Fishing
- Information Site
- Jet Skiing
- Kayaking
- Mountain biking
- Paddle Boating
- Paddling
- Picnicking
- Night sky · 329th darkest of 501 in MT
- Bortle 2
Nothing to book until it reopensread 16:43 UTC
recreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend
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.
Tell me when it reopens
Watch for it to come back
One email when the agency reopens it, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check the agency’s own record once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time it stops saying closed.
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.
Every line of the receipt · 11
What you actually pay
“A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. 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…” · 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 · 5
Why this page can’t say why
recreation.gov lists every site at Holter Lake Campground closed this Friday and Saturday night. The Bureau of Land Management has published no closure notice we hold, so this page can’t say why, and it won’t fill the gap with a guess. A closed night isn’t a sold-out one: the reservations its record still carries were taken before the sites were closed.
There’s no notice to quote and no reason to argue with, so this page offers you the watch and the list below, and no letter.
Open within 150 miles · 4
The agency’s own word that these are open, not our reading of a season.
- Skidway CampgroundHelena National Forest · 61 mi
- Thain Creek CampgroundLewis & Clark National Forest · 74 mi
- Hidden Lake CampgroundLolo National Forest · 75 mi · walk-up
- Rainy Lake CampgroundLolo National Forest · 79 mi · walk-up
recreation.gov availability, read 16:43 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
56 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 33 mapped sitesAll 56 records
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 42 of the 56 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 | 58 ft | 62 ft | 196 ft | $25 | |
| A | 02 | rv nonelectric | 47 ft | 62 ft | 182 ft | $25 | |
| A | 03 | rv nonelectric | 33 ft | 44 ft | 165 ft | $25 | |
| A | 04 | rv nonelectric | 44 ft | 44 ft | 178 ft | $25 | |
| A | 05 | rv nonelectric | 62 ft | 64 ft | 187 ft | $25 | |
| A | 06 | rv nonelectric | 50 ft | 72 ft | 204 ft | $25 | |
| A | 07 | rv nonelectric | 68 ft | 75 ft | 208 ft | $25 | |
| A | 08 | rv nonelectric | 68 ft | 75 ft | 227 ft | $25 | |
| A | 09 | rv nonelectric | 50 ft | 22 ft | 249 ft | $25 | |
| A | 10 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | 22 ft | 234 ft | $25 | |
| A | 11 | rv nonelectric | 43 ft | 27 ft | 244 ft | $25 | |
| A | 12 | rv nonelectric | 58 ft | 27 ft | 227 ft | $25 | |
| A | 13 | rv nonelectric | 50 ft | 22 ft | 224 ft | $25 | |
| A | 14 | rv nonelectric | 50 ft | 22 ft | 243 ft | $25 | |
| A | 15 | rv nonelectric | 54 ft | yes | 20 ft | 222 ft | $25 |
| A | 16 | rv nonelectric | 54 ft | 20 ft | 240 ft | $25 | |
| A | 17 | rv nonelectric | 53 ft | 20 ft | 240 ft | $25 | |
| A | 18 | rv nonelectric | 64 ft | 20 ft | 220 ft | $25 | |
| A | 19 | rv nonelectric | 56 ft | 54 ft | 233 ft | $25 | |
| A | 20 | rv nonelectric | 49 ft | 54 ft | 270 ft | $25 | |
| A | 21 | rv nonelectric | 58 ft | 63 ft | 347 ft | $25 | |
| A | 22 | rv nonelectric | 41 ft | 63 ft | 401 ft | $25 | |
| A | 23 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 69 ft | 403 ft | $25 | |
| A | 24 | rv nonelectric | 58 ft | 69 ft | 402 ft | $25 | |
| A | 25 | rv nonelectric | 63 ft | 82 ft | 396 ft | $25 | |
| A | 26 | rv nonelectric | 60 ft | yes | 88 ft | 374 ft | $25 |
| A | 27 | rv nonelectric | 28 ft | 69 ft | 298 ft | $25 | |
| A | 28 | rv nonelectric | 24 ft | 42 ft | 284 ft | $25 | |
| A | 29 | rv nonelectric | 33 ft | 42 ft | 272 ft | $25 | |
| A | 30 | rv nonelectric | 50 ft | 64 ft | 251 ft | $25 | |
| A | 31 | rv nonelectric | 43 ft | 92 ft | 284 ft | $25 | |
| A | 32 | rv nonelectric | 45 ft | 92 ft | 301 ft | $25 | |
| A | 33 | rv nonelectric | 43 ft | 98 ft | 301 ft | $25 | |
| HolterLake | 34 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | yes | $25 | ||
| HolterLake | 35 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 36 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 37 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 38 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 39 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 40 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 41 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | 42 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $25 | |||
| HolterLake | Day Use Shelter 1 | day use | |||||
| HolterLake | Day Use Shelter 2 | day use | |||||
| HolterLake | Day Use Shelter 3 | day use | |||||
| HolterLake | Group Use Shelter | day use | |||||
| TENT | 44 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 45 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 46 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 47 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 48 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 49 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 50 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 51 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 52 | tent only nonelectric | |||||
| TENT | 53 | tent only nonelectric |
The agency files 4 more records here that aren’t sites for the night. It files them as day use. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.
25 of 56 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Holter Dam CampgroundButte Field Office · 1.0 mi
Log Gulch CampgroundButte Field Office · 3.2 miDeparture PointButte Field Office · 3.6 miBeartooth LandingButte Field Office · 7.9 mi
White Sandy CampgroundButte Field Office · 18 mi
Indian Flats CabinHelena National Forest · 19 miFrom Great Falls, Montana take Interstate-15 South towards Helena. Take exit 234 to Craig. Turn left heading to Craig and cross the Missouri River. Come to a "T" and then take a right on Recreation Road. Travel approximately 5 miles. Before crossing the Missouri River/steel bridge, turn left onto Beartooth Road. Continue 2.3 miles to Holter Lake Campground. The Campground will be on your right.
From Helena, Montana take Interstate-15 north towards Great Falls. Take exit 226 to Wolf Creek. Turn right towards Recreation Road and cross the railroad tracks. Turn left onto Recreation Road. After crossing the Missouri River/steel bridge, turn right onto Beartooth Road. Continue 2.3 miles to Holter Lake Campground. The Campground will be on your right.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Wolf Creek, MT
Typical weather
Typical October night 36°F, day 59°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 20°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
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Holter Lake 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 →