Although the Helena and Lewis and Clark National Forests used to be separate, they are now one entity. These two beautiful Montana forests were combined in 2015 and make up approximately 2,846,600 acres across 17 counties. There are eight ranger districts including White Sulphur Springs, Rocky Mountain, Musselshell, Judith, Belt Creek, Townsend, Helena, and Lincoln. There are also 10 different mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountains, Snowy, Elkhorn, and Castle. With such a large area, you can find a plethora of things to do in any season.
In the summertime, water sports are popular including swimming, boating, and fishing, as well as waterskiing, tubing, and jet skiing. If you would rather stay on dry ground, you can enjoy hiking the thousands of miles of trails or try biking, OHV riding, or horseback riding. Winter is fun too with trails for skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and even mushing with your pooches.
You can also enjoy some hunting or just relaxing in one of the awesome campgrounds that are open all year long. The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has 18 RV campgrounds ranging from six campsites to 28 campsites. We have highlighted our top three choices below.
In the middle of Montana, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has some of the most stunning drives in the country. The Lewis and Clark route through Montana in the Missouri River Country takes you on a 187-mile drive on Highway US-2 along the Missouri and Milk Rivers. You can see parts of the historic trek that Lewis and Clark took along the way as you pass through several historic towns.
You can also take the Milk River Road along the badlands near Havre over the railroad tracks to the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Rookery. The roads in and out of the forest can be tough if you’re driving a large rig or pulling a trailer. Take it slowly and watch for sharp curves and steep drops on narrow roads. You should also be watchful of the wildlife that tend to wander onto the road.
Park your RV or trailer in the campground and use your feet, bike, or horse to get around whenever possible because the campgrounds are rugged. You will likely find gravel and dirt roads with low hanging branches in most campgrounds. It can be difficult to maneuver a big RV or campervan through these spots.
At the base of Mount Harlow, Crystal Lake Campground in Lewistown has 28 spacious campsites with pad lengths up to 40 feet in length. Each site has a picnic table, a fire pit with a grill for cooking, and a large cleared space for relaxing. Although they do not have sewer or water hookups, you can get potable water at three different spigots and there are several vault toilets scattered around the park. These campsites are first-come, first-served, so make sure you get here early to get a spot, especially on weekends and holidays.
The lake is 100 acres and is stocked with a plethora of rainbow trout every year. You can also catch bass, bluegill, and crappie, as well as crawfish and turtles. Boating is allowed and they have a boat ramp for public use at no charge. If you want to take a walk, there are three trails to choose from varying from 1.75 to eight miles long. One is equestrian friendly, and another is ADA-accessible. Bears frequent the area, and bear proof food containers are required but not provided. Pets are allowed as long as they are restrained and supervised during your stay.
Aspen Grove Campground near Lincoln, Montana has 19 campsites over eight acres at an elevation of 4,800 feet in a grove of cottonwood trees. Each site has its own picnic table, fire ring with a grill, and a cleared space for sitting around the fire. There is also a bear-proof box in each site for you to keep your food and other scented items because bears frequent the area. The parking pads range from 20 to 45 feet long so your RV should fit but you should get there early since these are first-come, first-served. You can also find drinking water spouts and vault toilets in various places around the campground.
Since you are right next to the Blackfoot River, you can enjoy fishing, swimming, floating, and boating anytime you like. There is a large number of different types of trout as well as whitefish and crappie to catch. Although there are no named trails, there are plenty of paths in the area where you can explore the woods and surrounding area. Pets are welcome but you need to keep them restrained and supervised at all times.
Many of the trails on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest are shared by horseback riders, OHV riders, bikers, and hikers. Some of the most popular trails include the 8.3-mile Hellgate Ridge, 5.5-mile Strawberry Ridge Trail #311, and the 2.5-mile Corral Creek Trail. The 0.7-mile Carpenter Trail merges with the Hellgate Trail #264 and the Hunters Gulch Trail #239 to make a fun and challenging trek. The 7.6-mile Stonewall Mountain Trail #418 north of Lincoln is also a fun trip.
Toss the floaties and beach toys in the RV before heading to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest because there are plenty of places to swim and play. If you want an established beach to swim at, there are several lakes with beaches including Crystal Lake near Lewistown, Wolf Creek near Lincoln, Canyon Ferry Lake near York, and Holter Lake near the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. However, you can find hundreds of lakes, ponds, and creeks where you can swim throughout the forest as well.
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is a fantastic place for a picnic so pack all your friends and family in the RV and head on over to one of the picnic areas. The Meriwether Picnic Area has 10 picnic shelters, a shelter, boat dock, running water, restrooms, and BBQ grills along the Missouri River. The Aspen Grove Picnic Area has six tables with charcoal grills and a vault toilet. The Wood Lake Picnic Site has several tables and BBQ pits as well as a trail to enjoy.
Just west of Augusta, Benchmark Campground has 25 sites with picnic tables, large fire rings with grills, and a parking pad up to 35 feet in length. There are no utility hookups, but you can find water hydrants for drinking water around the park as well as vault toilets. Bears have been spotted in many areas near the park so you must use bear boxes for your food, which are not provided by the park.
Surrounded by the Rockies, this campground is beautiful and peaceful, perfect for families with Wood Creek running along one side of the campsites and Straight Creek along the other. Wading, fishing, and floating on the creeks are popular pastimes here. These are first-come, first-served sites so you need to get here early to get a spot. You can also bring your pooch, but they must be restrained and supervised at all times while you are here.
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has 87 hiking trails for you to explore including the 15.2-mile Straight Creek Trail #212 at the Benchmark Campground, which accommodates both hiking and equestrian usage. There is also the 10-mile Snowbank Trail that starts in Copper Creek Campground. Also, at the Vigilante Campground in Helena, you can find the 12-mile Hanging Valley Trail #248 and the three-mile Trout Creek Canyon Trail #270. You can also meet up with the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, which is a 3,100-mile trek from Canada to Mexico.
You can enjoy mushing, also known as dog sledding, at the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest as well, so put the dogs in the RV before heading out. The most popular place in the forest for mushing is the snowmobile trails at the Little Belt Mountains. There is a large parking lot specifically for mushers in the Winter Recreation Area at Kings Hill off Highway 87/89. The Monument Peak Lookout at the top of Little Belt Mountains is also a popular place for mushing.
Be sure to pack your hunting gear in the camper before heading to the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest because there is a plethora of critters to hunt here. The large game species found in the area include mountain goats, whitetail and mule deer, big horn sheep, moose, elk, and bears. The Rocky Mountain Range section of the forest has 16 different hunter-friendly campgrounds, as well as some in the other six sections of the area. Waterfowl and small game can be found in just about any area but are mostly concentrated in the Little Belt Mountains.
