Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (Montana) is ready for the camping season as Memorial Day approaches.
According to a report, area campgrounds typically get crowded during Memorial Day weekend, but dispersed camping is permitted not more than 300 feet from designated roads.
All campgrounds have passed preseason inspections. Roads and access to campsites will likely be muddy, and higher elevations could still be covered with snow.
As per the Forest Service, the largest of the national forests in Montana, the Beaverhead-Deerlodge covers 3.35 million acres and lies in eight Southwest Montana counties: Granite, Powell, Jefferson, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Madison, Gallatin, and Beaverhead.
The forest provides timber, minerals, and grazing lands. It also offers breath-taking scenery for a wide variety of recreational pursuits. Whether it’s wilderness trekking in the Anaconda-Pintler or Lee Metcalf wildernesses, driving the Gravelly Range Road or Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, or camping in one of the 50 small to medium-sized campgrounds in the forest, the Beaverhead-Deerlodge has it all.
The official camping season in developed campgrounds is Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend.
Most campgrounds have sites accessible on a first-come second-served basis and can be reserved via www.recreation.gov.
For more information on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/bdnf.
This story originally appeared on Montana Standard.
When you head out for your Memorial Day camping adventure at Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, why not venture off the beaten path to discover some hidden gems? Make sure to keep an eye out for fire restrictions and bear safety rules to have a safe and fun time in the great outdoors!