Blankenship Bridge - Dispersed Camping

I stayed here in November and we were only 1 of 2 campers.  I will never stay here in the summer because it is too packed.  There was a lot of dog poop that wasn't picked up so that was pretty gross. Also, the road down to the campsite was a bad as people said but my truck handled it fine.  I would definitely NOT bring a car on it!

I'm not sure I'd camp here in the summer because of the crowds but my friend and I camped here in November and there was only one other camper.  The road WAS horrible as previously reviewed but my truck and Scout camper handled it beautifully!  (WAY TOO MUCH dog poop left though)

Pulled out Alliance Valor 32A10 down the horrible access road. Had to do a walk around after to verify no damage. Bed rails touched under my front cap a few times but luckily no damage.

Best for overlanding vehicles. Beautiful location if you can get down the access road.

This spot is it! Right on a clear river, came in on Tuesday at 6pm. Still river spots available. Dog friendly and safe, I’m a female traveling on my own with my dog.

Stayed 2 night, 15 minutes from the west gate. Amazing “live in a van by the river” vibe. Does get alil packed and tight. Great spot for car camping

Beautiful beach side or individual sites. Super clean porta potty. Off road to access - need 4WD if real muddy. Not easy access for campers.

We stayed here to have quick access to Glacier National Park. The road coming down to the camping area was sketchy with deep potholes and ruts but we had a large SUV so we managed. There are plentiful sites, some with fire rings, many spots for car or van campers to park near the beautiful river. The location is breathtaking. I would stay here again! There are also MANY porta potties which were clean.

Deep rutted muddy holes filled with water to get to site. Sketchy low trees and narrow road. Decided not to risk it in my van

You can only park on the one side of the river and it’s very crowded. Additionally the road going down to the camping area has huge pot holes and and water so you need high clearance to get down there.

Only about 15 minutes away from Glacier National Park Westgate. I was able to stay here for multiple days. Each time was no trouble in finding a place to park. This area is popular for rafting and fishing. The surrounding area is also beautiful. There are outdoor restrooms located nearby. The camping limit for this area is 3 days. I was able to have good Verizon signal. Overall a great spot to camp.

At first it looked crowded but we managed two vans side by side right in the river. Everyone was respectful of each other. Fire rings available. We heard that it can be very loud and crowded on the weekends with groups/parties

It's a good spot right on the river. Rocky Beach that has a somewhat difficult road to get into. Any stock 4 x 4 truck SUV can do it though. Are some sketchy types sometimes in peak season. There are porta potties, but they are not recently pumped out.

i have a subaru crosstrek and the potholes were too flooded to drive down. super unfortunate bc looked absolutely beautiful! only trucks and jeeps were able to make it down the treacherous road.

Great spot but was crowded. Plenty of room and even more towards the back.

Beautiful view! The beach was easy to get to (a very short drive from the road), and there’s a lot of room to find a spot. The water is super clear and perfect for a dip, although it might be cold for some. It’s pretty busy, but everyone is quiet and respectful. Definitely worth a stay.

Lots of space, recommend a taller vehicle to get in though. Water is perfect to swim and at the time of our stay, very little mosquito activity.

Very nice scenic spot, close to the river. Great if planning a visit to Glacier National Park.

The road was a little rough if you wanted to go all the way to the river. Fantastic site where you can tent camp, car or RV.

In this video we review 2 more of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. This time we focus on the Middle Fork Flathead River(Blankenship Bridge) and Glacier Rim River Access Locations. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 3 day stay limit at Middle Fork and 16 day stay limit at Glacier Rim. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO8kY0x0BoY&t=27

Got here around 1700 and had to squeeze in between 20-25 other vehicles. Trash everywhere, people parked right on the water’s edge, and when I started hiking away from the water to dump my dish water it only took about five steps to reach a couple dozen non-buried piles of poop. But the site itself is very pretty.

Make sure to go across the bridge and to the left! The camping spot is not the little parking areas. They clearly state No Camping. You have to go across the bridge and to the left. There are some potholes and then you get to the river side and that is where you are allowed to camp. I almost didn’t stay because I didn’t want to get in trouble but it was just a little further. It’s super cute and the rocks and hills around are very pretty. Don’t park too close to the water tho!

I loved this spot! I was able to get a spot back in the trees and shade a bit, but could still just walk down to the river. When I was there they also had porta potties available, because it’s illegal to even bury waste in this location. Super convenient and free spot for anyone traveling to Glacier National Park! I stayed 3 nights and it’s one of the coolest dispersed camp spots I’ve found.

This is a great spot right on the Flathead river. Lots of room. A bit busy. Road coming in has a few hundred feet of bad potholes. My trailer 21’ bottomed out.

This spot is amazing. Arrived at night using the coordinates here. Was surprised no one was there since it’s summer and all reviews talk about how popular it is.

Discovered in the morning that there are No Overnight Camping signs everywhere. Nothing happened to us but camp at your own risk!

Awesome location near the west entrance to Glacier. The road in was muddy and filled with potholes but doable for vans and four wheel drive vehicles. Saw a few cars. It fills up at night but a lot of space. True dispersed camping experience

Perfect location outside of west glacier. 15 min from the west entrance to the park. Option of large open river bank or wooded area to camp. Fires allowed. Entrance is tough, especially after rain, but we saw campers and vans make it down. 3 day max.

Amazing atmosphere. Safe and quiet. Nice neighbors.

Nice camping area with access to the river. Was a bit noisy during the day (stayed over the weekend) as the area is used by non-campers coming to fish, kayak, sightseeing, etc. Cell service is adequate, clean porta-potties, max stay is 3 days. I’m assuming locals don’t approve as some vehicles laid on their horns while crossing the bridge. Overall I enjoyed my stay. The trail coming down to the river is rough but witnessed multiple different vehicles such as cars and trailers. You can camp right next to the river (rocks) or there are camp spots in the wooded area in the back.

The spot was wonderful. When you first turn off the main road there’s about 100 feet of very rough road so go super slow and keep to the left. And then splits three ways I kept the left and it was super smooth and brought me out onto the beach. I drove all the way through the beach back into the forest area for more privacy and that’s where the toilets are located. There were a total of four Porta potty‘s. No other services available. It’s 20 minutes from West glacier and had good enough AT&T service for me to work remotely. I would say they were about 15 other campers when I arrived Wednesday evening. The weekends I guarantee he gets very full but I think you could easily fit over 50 people camping here. I will definitely be back again and would recommend. I drive a Ford transit van and didn’t have issues.