Chinamen's Campground

Show on map 406-475-3921 dagallagher@usbr.gov

7700 CANYON FERRY RD
HELENA, MT 59602

Overview

Review campsite details -- RV's larger than 20 feet long maybe be to large for many of the campsites.

This Campground is located at the very northern end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir, 30 miles east of Helena, Montana, along Montana Highway 284 and offers year-round access to a wide range of recreational opportunities. The Canyon Ferry area has a rich mining history. In the 1850’s the gold rush hit the Canyon Ferry area attracting miners from all over the United States in the hopes of striking it rich.

Recreation

Canyon Ferry Reservoir offers a wide range of year-round recreational opportunities. Water related activities include everything from swimming and fishing to sailing and motor-boating. Canoeists and kayakers explore the many quiet backwater bays. Jet skiers, windsurfers and water skiers skim the summer waves, while winter draws ice fishermen, ice boaters and ice skaters.

Facilities

This Campground has 38 campsites many of the campsites are too small for RVs larger than 20 feet long. The campground has gravel roads with campsites containing a picnic table and a fire ring. During the summer months services include vault toilets, potable water, trash, and a campground host.

Natural Features

This Campground sits at the north end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir between the Big Belt and Elkhorn’s mountain ranges.

Nearby Attractions

Canyon Ferry Reservoir is located halfway between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park along with the capital city of Helena, Montana. For up to date events visit, www.helenamt.com.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (406) 475-3920.

Camp site features

Across 37 camp sites:

Fire pit: all 37 sites
Pets allowed: all 37 sites
ADA accessible: 2 of 37 sites
Longest RV: 47 ft
Largest party: 8 people

Fees

We only charge fees during "Peak Seasons" the 1st weekend of May through the second weekend of September.

Directions

Heading north along MT highway 12/287, drive north to Spokane Creek Rd and turn right Yellow flashing light. Follow Spokane Creek Rd for 4.6 mi and turn right onto Co Rd 430/Canyon Ferry Rd and continue on to Chinamen's Campground. The campground will be on the right.

Stay Limit

Check in from 5 PM, check out by 4 PM.

Reviews

87 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Julie O

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Excellent, fun, helpful camp hosts. Day users were somewhat intrusive in our space at the bottom end of the campground but it wasn't for the entire stay which was good. Surprised that the sites were not made with longer RV's in mind. We could barely fit our 21 ft trailer into most in the lower area. Clean bathrooms, nice beach area.

randolph R

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

camp host done everything needed for a small problem with site 12 thank you!!!

Katherine I

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Beautiful area and great access to the water. However, the camp hostess was not interested in doing her job but was more interested and day drinking down by the water and partying all night with other camp attendees, which meant that no one was going to get the 10 pm quiet hours enforcement. When another camp attendee had had enough and asked the site to be done, at 1 am, they threw a huge screaming melt down fit. People were allowed to do just about anything at this campground, no rules applied. The amount of garbage in the sites and around was gross. No garbage can at the bathrooms so tons of feminine products and other garbage just strewn about. I did go around the sites I had reserved and the bathrooms and picked up trash. This camp hostess could not be bothered to fill the toilet paper in the bathrooms, my husband had to go rouse her from her slumber at 5 pm to get toilet paper installed….”I’ll look into that” she told him and then over an hour later she came out and filled the toilet paper. Good thing we bring our own for cases like this. I think you can do better than Jessica, forest service.

Bill H

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

Our camping experience at Chinamen's Campground on Canyon Ferry Lake, Montana, was only fair and definitely not relaxing. The camp host openly allowed loud music, multiple vehicles and campers at campsites, did not check ID's to see if occupying campers were registered and pre-paid, allowed drive-in parties without reservations to stay at open campsites without paying camping fees, and allowed jet-ski craft to park and go on the SW beach.

Emily C

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

Worst experience ever I have camped there every summer but this was awful. There was trash all over the place and dogs pooping all over beach. There was a whole camp site up the that looked like a trash dump !! The camp host didn’t care about the quality or respect of the camp area they contributed to it

Debra F

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

Absolutely the worst campground we’ve ever stayed at! There is nothing about this CG being a day use area in the facility description nor on the entrance sign. However, campers beware…this place was overrun with locals all 3 days we were there (we actually left 1 day early because we couldn’t take it anymore) We felt like we were camping in the middle of a parking lot. There is no fee for the day use so this place was completely overrun with cars, people and even dogs off leash. Locals were parking in the empty campground sites. When a truck pulling a trailer showed up he couldn’t even get past all the cars blocking the loop and then had to wait an hour until the “host” could find the owners of vehicles parked in his reserved site. Quiet hours were a joke. There were intoxicated groups in campsites blasting loud music and using loud profanity throughout the whole night. Bathrooms - DISGUSTING!!! When you have hundreds and hundreds of people using vault toilets all weekend that are meant to be there for a limited number of campsites, not a good thing. Campground “host” - worthless and pretty much nonexistent. Then again, can you blame her. I doubt she signed up to monitor the thousands of day use people that show up for a free day on the lake. I wish there was a way to add photos to this review

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

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