Butte KOA

Butte sits on the edge of the Continental Divide and has ample opportunities for hiking when you stay at one of the RV campgrounds there. Some of the most interesting trails can be found in the Pintler Wilderness just outside of Anaconda and less than a half hour's drive from Butte KOA. They’re relatively uncrowded, and it’s quite possible you won’t see another person during a full day of hiking.

Georgetown Lake is also near to the Pintler Wilderness and is quite popular with boaters and kayakers. The pristine mountain lake sits at over 6,000 feet and has spectacular views of the surrounding Anaconda Range. It’s also well stocked with rainbow and brook trout; it’s been said that more fish are caught here than any other lake in Montana.

Anglers will also want to check out the Big Hole River to the south of Butte. It’s one of the best rivers in the state (even the country) for fly-fishing. All manner of trout (rainbow, brook, brown, and cutthroat) along with Arctic grayling can be caught there. Never been fly-fishing before? It’s easy to find a guide along the river in towns like Twin Bridges, Divide, and Melrose.

The western entrance to Yellowstone National Park is also just a couple hours' drive away when you’re RV camping at Butte KOA. The park’s exotic geological features are a mainstay of motorhome camping road trips. The gushing waters of Old Faithful, the technicolor waters of Mammoth Hot Springs, and some of the best hiking in the state make this a must-see destination whenever you’re RV camping in Montana.

Butte is one of the larger towns in Montana and has a comparatively good selection of restaurants and shopping to choose from. The Butte Plaza Mall is right off of Interstate 90 on Harrison Ave, which is where most of the town’s commercial development is located. If you need to fuel up or empty the tanks of your rental RV, the interchange between I-90 and Harrison Ave is where you’ll find a number of gas stations and truck stops.

To really get a sense of the town’s history, you’ll want to spend a few hours at the World Museum of Mining when you book an RV in Silver Bow County. Not only can you see all of the equipment used to extract the copper, but there’s even a short underground tour that takes visitors a short distance into the mine itself. There are also some fascinating exhibits that cover the goings on around the boomtown: gambling, drinking (during prohibition), and the unlikely cultural melting that formed in central Montana.

For a more modern example of what mining looks like, head just a short distance to the Berkeley Pit. If you’re a fan of “dark tourism” or just want to see the consequences of poor environmental planning, this is a good place to start your campervan rental adventure. Starting in the 1950s, open pit mining became more economical than underground mining, and over the years, an 1,800-foot-deep and mile-long hole was dug. Today it’s one of the largest Superfund sites in America, filled with heavy metal-laden water. A beautiful sight it is not, but it’s certainly an interesting one.