Following closure due to flooding, Basin Campground (Montana) west of Red Lodge is now open.
According to its website, Basin Campground is located 7 miles west of Red Lodge, Montana, along Forest Road 2071, which is paved to the campground. The area is a popular location for hiking, backpacking, and fishing.
The campground features several single-family sites, three of which are accessible.
The campground and the area surrounding the campground were burned by the Cascade Fire in 2008, leaving an open landscape abounding with wildflowers.
Amenities include accessible campsites, accessible vault toilets, campfire rings, drinking water, food storage locker, grills, lake access, picnic area, fire pit, tent pad, picnic table, and more.
As per a report, while the campground was fairly empty on the fourth of July weekend, some Montanans went out to enjoy the great outdoors.
Kelly Stevenson didn’t want his fourth of July tradition to be ruined.
Every year, we come up to Red Lodge around the fourth and find a camping spot and spend a couple of days up here, just over the hill but just to get away,” said Stevenson, Monday.
He thought the campground would be crowded but was shocked at how few people were there.
“I think if people knew about it, it would have been full for sure,” said Stevenson.
This is good news for Sabrina Charney, who didn’t know that the campground was open when she arrived.
“We came here by chance looking for a campground. We visited a couple of other campgrounds around Palisades for one. We tried to go up the pass, and it was closed,” said Charney.
She’s been to Basin previously and noticed a few changes since then.
“The landscape has been totally rearranged since the flood, so it’s very interesting to go running around,” said Charney.
She’s grateful that she came across one campground that is open for the summer.
It was a bit of a letdown seeing as Montana country is so special, to have it out of commission for the summer season especially, but you know, we made it,” said Charney.
It costs $15 per night to stay at the campground, and since there have been many empty spaces, it’s an excellent opportunity to see some wildlife.
“About 50 yards over there, there was a sow, a black bear, and two cubs up in the tree that stayed up there until everybody went to bed, and she disappeared during the night,” said Stevenson.
Stevenson hopes more people get outdoors, camp at Basin, and enjoy the beautiful views, just as he has.
This story originally appeared on KTVQ. Featured image from Basin Montana Campground.
