We departed Great Falls and headed south on I-15 through the Missouri River canyon. It is an absolutely beautiful drive and we stopped along the canyon for a short break along with taking a few photos and then on towards Boulder, Montana. We followed the Missouri River for much of the way and saw lots of fishermen out doing their thing.
We had read about Galena Gulch Recreation Site in Boulder, Montana many times but had never camped here only due to the time of day we drove past it. This time we decided to try it out. The campground is about 6 miles further west from the town of Boulder and sits directly off I-15. There are 11 sites and vault toilets and that’s about it. Each site does have a campfire pit and a picnic table.
We turned off the interstate and had to go under an overpass which wasn’t marked with its’ height. Surely, if motorhomes could not fit under it we would have read about that on campground reviews, right? But we were still unsure so I got out of the motorhome and stood on a small hill to watch as Norm drove the motorhome, slowly, under the overpass.
It sure looked like we weren’t going to make it but in the end it was NO PROBLEM!! Plenty of space to spare even. Then we crossed a narrow, rickety bridge to the entrance of the campground. We arrived there early maybe around 11am or noon and most of the sites were taken. There was only about 2 sites left so we quickly grabbed a site and set up camp for the day. Since there is no official check-in and check-out time then several motorhomes left later in the day and we could have snagged one of those sites. As they say, timing is everything. By early afternoon, more motorhomes arrived and all sites were taken for the night. As a matter of fact, more came later and had to go elsewhere since the campground was full.
Campground: Galena Gulch
Location: Boulder, Montana
Site: NA (back-in) – no site numbers
Cost: $0
Services: dry camping
Comments: A fine little campground with first come first serve sites, free, and alongside I-15.
We had a little visitor and then we had a nice little rainstorm in the evening. We could still sit outside under the awning and enjoy it. It was quite refreshing.
The campground has two entrances (which equates to two exits also) with a row of sites along the Boulder River as you come in the first entrance and then a loop at the end. It is a very simple campground but has nice views of the mountains.
Boulder River is a tributary of the Jefferson River and is approximately 77 miles long and should not be confused with the other Boulder River which is a tributary of the Yellowstone River. The Boulder River we were camping along (near Boulder, MT) is called the west Boulder River (Southwestern Montana) as it lies west of the other Boulder River which is referred to as the east Boulder River in Sweetgrass County (runs through Timber, MT). Confused? Me too. The campground sits right on the Boulder River and the river separates the campground from I-15. Yes, we could hear the interstate traffic but at night it was surprisingly (very surprisingly) quiet.
It is a small river but is known for its game fish of brook, brown, and rainbow trout along with mountain whitefish. It is a lovely area and a perfect spot to stop by for an overnighter. And you can’t beat the price.
I really enjoy following your journey. Wondering how far in advance do you plan your next destination?
Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoy reading our adventures. We can plan way ahead of time depending on our destination. The more popular the destination then the more we have to plan. If we want a national park or state park campground then we have to try and reserve as soon as reservations are possible but we usually still don’t get a site. We just keep trying for cancellations and reroute accordingly. If a campground does not take reservations and is first come first serve then we try and arrive early to get a site. And sometimes we just go with the flow and stay wherever we can find at the last minute. If you really want to stay somewhere then we would recommend book as soon as you can otherwise just enjoy.