Choteau Mountain View Campground

The Great Outdoors

Choteau’s position on the Front makes it a favorite with outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you’re into hiking, bird watching, fishing, or just sitting on a rock out in nature, you’re sure to find something to enjoy when you rent a camper near Choteau Mountain View Campground. You’re almost certainly going to be exploring the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the million-acre wilderness west of town and behind the Rocky Mountain Front. One of its most popular trailheads is just over an hour's drive from Choteau at Gibson Reservoir. If you’ve only got a day hike in you, trek along the northern shore of the reservoir to the K Bar L Ranch, where the North Fork of the Sun River enters the lake. It’s flat and easy enough for any age or fitness level. With more time, it might be worthwhile to check out some of the outfitters in the area who can take you farther into the wilderness on horseback and set up a campsite.While a bit more crowded, Glacier Park is another option for getting outside when you choose a campsite at Choteau Mountain View Campground. The most popular activity in the park is simply driving the incredibly scenic Going to the Sun Road, the only road that crosses through the park. It takes a couple of hours, and there are several good pull-offs to take photos. If you’re itching for a hike while driving Going to the Sun, look for the Hidden Lake Trailhead near the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Walking to the lake’s overlook is relatively easy, and passes through some spectacular scenery; it’s also a good spot to see some of the park’s famed mountain goats.If you love fishing, head to Lake Francis near the town of Valier. There’s an ample supply of perch, northern pike, and walleye in its waters, making it one of the most popular lakes for fishing in north-central Montana. If you’re picking up a rental RV in the late fall, head to nearby Freezeout Lake to see the annual snow geese migration. The majestic birds make their way from Canada to Texas and Oklahoma every year as the temperatures dip, and Freezeout Lake is one of their main staging areas along the journey. It’s very popular with migratory bird hunters, but bird watchers often take in the spectacle too.

Exploring the City

Choteau is a fairly low-key community, serving more as a jumping-off point for adventures along the Front rather than as a destination in itself. However, it does have a grocery store, a couple of gas stations, and several restaurants along its main street. The restaurants serve basic diner and bar food (pizza, fries, and steaks), but a few of them have Montana specialties like bison burgers and huckleberry pies.The Old Trail Museum is one of the only tourist attractions in Choteau, but it’s well worth seeing when you book an RV in Teton County. Its main building is filled with interesting artifacts that tell the story of Choteau’s past life as a trading center on the Old North Trail (an ancient route said to have been used by everyone from indigenous people crossing from Siberia to South America up to the cattle drives of the 19th century). In the backroom is a fantastic dinosaur exhibit housing remarkably intact fossils that were unearthed along the Rocky Mountain Front. Some of the smaller buildings outside have faithful recreations of pioneer houses and a bear’s dens that you can wander around in. A visit to the museum is a must for history buffs and traveling families looking for educational adventures while camping with an RV.If the dinosaur exhibits in the Old Trail Museum weren’t enough, there’s also the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center just up the road in Bynum. The two museums are part of Montana’s Dinosaur Trail, which includes 14 different museums and archeological digs around the state. The Two Medicine Center houses the world’s largest seismosaurus, a species similar in size and body type to the brontosaurus.