Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights3 sites open for every nightA forested campground near trout fishing. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.
Hellgate Campground sits on the north shore of Canyon Ferry Reservoir in an open valley between the Big Belt and Elkhorn mountain ranges, roughly 25 30 miles east of Helena and about 21 miles north of Townsend. The reservoir itself covers some 35,200 surface acres with about 76 miles of shoreline, and the broader lake area supports three marina concessions Goose Bay, Kim's Marina and Yacht Basin that offer boat launching, rental docks and small stores.



Length limits vary by campsite.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 72 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 67 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 14 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 37 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 25 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 21 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 33 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 58 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 27 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 001 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 18 standard nonelectric |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Hookups (individual campsites): 69 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (3 electric).
7700 Canyon Ferry Road
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Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Verbatim from guest reviews on Bureau of Reclamation ↗ (186 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.
“If a storm is coming across the lake, prepare for high winds. Very suddenly a wind storm and rain came across the lake and even with all our efforts, ripped our awning on the RV.”
“Host Mel was awesome. Have camped here several 0times and always a great experience.”
| – |
| $10 |
| 38 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 49 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 12 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 17 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 36 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 57 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 46 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 010 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 53 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 68 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 66 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 22 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 40 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 24 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 65 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 61 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 29 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 32 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 26 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 16 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 51 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 34 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 31 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 003 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 009 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 20 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 002 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 60 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
| 007 standard nonelectric | – | – | $10 |
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights3 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights1 site open for every night
First come, first served69 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7 · 3 group sites listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent, van or small RV, no power
69 sites · $20, $10/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
3 sites · $170, $130/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 60 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Travel trailer · 31 ft · sleeps 8 · 19 mi from campground
$135/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Class C motorhome · 30 ft · sleeps 8 · 60 mi from campground
$259/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Camper van · 22 ft · sleeps 2 · 62 mi from campground
$330/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rentalSites open for booking 6 months ahead; stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For July weekends, book about 170 days ahead. Three in four July Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 101 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 34 days ahead | 111 days ahead | 28 days ahead | 104 days ahead |
| June | 55 days ahead | 140 days ahead | 35 days ahead | 135 days ahead |
| July | 101 days ahead | 170 days ahead | 77 days ahead | 168 days ahead |
| August | 41 days ahead | 136 days ahead | 33 days ahead | 144 days ahead |
| September | 27 days ahead | 68 days ahead | 15 days ahead | 73 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (12,839 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.