Yellowstone-to-Glacier town hop with real camps. Built off the Beeloved City small-town route, reordered where geography or an 18ft rig demanded it.
Rig: 18ft self-contained RV
Start / end: Star, Idaho
Default length: 12 nights / 13 days
Compress: 10 days Expand: 14–16
days
Season: late June–mid September (most USFS loops closed
or dry outside that)
Drive times are OSRM estimates (loaded camper will be slower). Recheck Recreation.gov / Reserve America the week you book — loops and dump stations change.
Do these before you fall in love with a start date.
| What | Why | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Baker’s Hole or Rainbow Point | West Yellowstone weekend death match | Recreation.gov |
| Seeley Lake, Big Larch, or River Point | Swan/Seeley fills early | Recreation.gov |
| Whitefish Lake State Park | Only 25 sites | montanastateparks.reserveamerica.com |
| Fish Creek (Glacier NP) | Best in-park fit for an 18ft | Recreation.gov (id 232493) |
| Buffalo CG or Henry’s Lake | Breaks the 6.3-hour Star → Island Park day | Rec.gov / Idaho Parks |
| Glacier Logan Pass plan | No vehicle reservation in 2026. Timed 3-hour parking + ticketed shuttle at Logan Pass. Do not take the camper over Going-to-the-Sun. | nps.gov/glac |
| Yellowstone in-park site (optional) | All YNP camps reserved in advance except some Mammoth FCFS. Madison is the west-side one if you want to sleep in the park. | nps.gov/yell camping page |
| Fire / smoke check | Aug–Sep. Stage 2 kills campfires. | Idaho Fire Info + MT fire restrictions |
Park entrance fees: Yellowstone + Glacier. Bring the pass if you have one.
| Blog | This plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Starts West Yellowstone | Starts Star → Island Park | 406 mi / 6.9h Star–West Y in one shot with a camper is a bad first day |
| Camp in every town | Base + day trip | Virginia City is 14 mi from Ennis. Columbia Falls / Hungry Horse / West Glacier are a 26-mile cluster |
| Anaconda required-looking | Official skip | Blog already said so. Lost Creek is the only reason to peel off |
| Whitefish then three more Glacier towns | Whitefish 1–2 nights, then one Glacier-west base | Don’t relocate the rig four times in 40 minutes |
| No return | Home via US-93 → Missoula → US-12 Lolo → US-95 | Fastest OSRM route (~516 mi / 11.2h). Split it. Daylight on Lolo. |
| If you want… | Sleep here | Skip if… |
|---|---|---|
| Break the Idaho slog | Buffalo CG or Henry’s Lake | You left Star at 5am and still feel good at Island Park — then push to Baker’s Hole |
| Yellowstone west gate + hookups | Baker’s Hole | You want a lake more than town — use Rainbow Point |
| Cowboy town + fishing | Ennis / Madison River CG | Ghost towns only — still day-trip VC from here |
| Ghost towns | Day trip from Ennis | Moving the camper 25 minutes to plant it in a tourist street |
| Copper town + limestone canyon | Lost Creek State Park | You want a straight shot — skip Anaconda |
| Prison + ranch, then leave | Lunch stop in Deer Lodge | Overnight only if you’re cooked — Indian Creek is the hookup dump |
| Quiet lake reset | Seeley Lake CG or Big Larch | You want nightlife |
| Mountain resort town | Whitefish Lake SP | Trains will bug you — they run next to the park |
| Glacier west side | Fish Creek (in-park) or a West Glacier private | You refuse to book 6 months out — take the private backup |
| Easy dump / groceries | Missoula night on the way home | You’d rather be on the Lochsa — Powell CG |
| Day | Sleep | Drive | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Island Park, ID | Star → IP 378 mi / 6.3h | I-84 → I-86 → US-20. Do not add Craters. |
| 2–3 | West Yellowstone | 28 mi / 35 min | Town + optional YNP west-side day. Camper stays put. |
| 4 | Ennis | 71 mi / 1.3h | US-287. Working town. |
| 5 | Ennis again | 14 mi each way | Virginia City + Nevada City day trip |
| 6 | Lost Creek or Seeley | 113 mi / 2.2h to Anaconda, or 126 mi / 2.4h VC → Deer Lodge + 94 mi to Seeley | Anaconda is the skip |
| 7 | Seeley Lake | 25 + 94 mi if you did Anaconda/Deer Lodge | Prison + ranch as a midday stop, not a camp-hop |
| 8 | Seeley Lake | — | Reset. Paddle. Don’t drive. |
| 9–10 | Whitefish | 112 mi / 2.2h | MT-83 Swan Valley. Scenic. Daylight. |
| 11–12 | West Glacier / Fish Creek | ~26 mi from Whitefish | Columbia Falls groceries + Hungry Horse pie on the way in |
| 13 | Powell CG (US-12) | ~200 mi / ~4.5h | Missoula dump if needed, then Lolo Pass daylight |
| 14 | Star | ~320 mi / ~6.5–7h | US-12 → US-95 south. Home. |
Compress to 10: one night West Y, skip Anaconda, one
night Seeley, skip extra Whitefish day (Seeley → Glacier), one Glacier
night, still split the return.
Expand to 14–16: second YNP day, third Seeley, third
Glacier, or a New Meadows / McCall night so day 14 isn’t 7 hours.
Why: The only sane way to start. 378 miles. Front-load the interstate, finish on US-20 through Rexburg / Ashton / Island Park.
Do: Leave early. Fuel and a full water tank in Star or Mountain Home. Do not tack on Craters of the Moon unless you split this into two days.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Buffalo Campground (Caribou-Targhee NF) | Yes. River sites, vault toilets, water in season. Rec.gov id 232219. ~49 listed sites (FS page also describes a larger complex). | Recreation.gov. Late May–early Sept; after that FCFS, no water/toilets. | 26 miles south of West Yellowstone. Trout water. $25 single on the FS page. |
| Backup | Henry’s Lake State Park | Yes. Closer to the pass. | Idaho Parks / Reserve America | Dump station closed for the 2025/26 season (drain field). Full-hookup sites still dump. Winter note: limited dry sites. Alternate dumps: Bing Lemke FS (Last Chance) or Grizzly RV in West Yellowstone. |
Next drive: 28 mi / 35 min to West Yellowstone.
Why: Blog stop 1. West entrance town. Built for the park. Souvenir street is whatever — Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center and Museum of the Yellowstone are the actual stops.
Do: Day 2 settle + town. Day 3 Yellowstone west side without relocating the camper (Madison, Fountain Paint Pot, Grand Prismatic overlook). If you want to sleep in the park, that’s a different reservation (see bookings). No car-camping in pullouts — NPS is explicit.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Baker’s Hole (Custer Gallatin NF) | Easy. 73 sites, 33 electric, average spur 25×75. No dump, no showers. | Recreation.gov id 10231392. FS: $20 / $28 electric (page also lists a higher peak pair). | 3 minutes from town on the Madison. This is the right base. |
| Backup A | Rainbow Point (Hebgen Lake) | Easy. 83 sites, 46 electric, spur ~60×33. Boat ramp. | Recreation.gov id 233131 | Better if you want lake over town. |
| Backup B | Lonesomehurst (Hebgen, South Fork Arm) | Yes. 26 sites, 4 electric, spur ~30×45. | Recreation.gov id 233331 | Smaller, quieter, fewer hookups. |
Private nuclear option in town: Yellowstone Grizzly RV (hookups, dump, priced like a hotel — confirm current rates). Use it if Baker’s/Rainbow are gone.
Next drive: 71 mi / 1.3h north on US-287 to Ennis.
Why: Blog stops 2–4. Ennis is a working cowboy town (Willie’s Distillery, Gravel Bar, Madison River). Virginia City + Nevada City are a 14-mile / 25-minute pair on the old Vigilante Trail (normal paved road). Leave the camper in Ennis.
Do:
- Day 4: Main Street, fishing, Madison Valley Lookout if you want the
view.
- Day 5: Virginia City (National Historic Landmark, Bale of Hay = oldest
saloon in MT, summer ghost tours) + Nevada City (3 minutes further, walk
the signs). Then back to the same site.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Madison River Campground (Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF) | Yes, but only 11 sites. | Recreation.gov id 234904 | Small. Book it or have the backup ready. |
| Backup | Ennis-area private RV / fishing-access camps (Ennis RV Village and similar) | 18ft is not the problem | Call / their sites | Hookups and a dump when you need one. Confirm length and river-access fees. |
Do not make Nevada City a separate camp night.
Next drive: either 113 mi / 2.2h to Anaconda, or skip and run Virginia City → Deer Lodge (126 mi / 2.4h) then on to Seeley.
Why: Blog stop 5. Copper town. Skip is correct unless you want the canyon.
Do if you go: Hard & Thistle, Copper Village Museum. The camping reason is Lost Creek State Park — 50-ft falls, limestone cliffs, bighorns on the walls.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Lost Creek State Park | Yes, but 23-ft max. You’re under it. 25 sites. | FCFS only | 6,211 ft. Opens ~mid-May (FWP had it open 7 May 2026). Pack-in/pack-out, vault toilets, water. Tight canyon road — daylight, no heroics. |
| Backup | Skip the night and continue to Deer Lodge / Seeley | — | — | Don’t invent a Georgetown Lake plan unless you want a second optional night. |
Next drive: 25 mi / 31 min to Deer Lodge.
Why: Blog stop 6. Author was right: budget real time. Old Montana Prison + Auto Museum (closed as a prison 1979). Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS — working cattle ranch. Then leave. Seeley is the camp.
Do: Morning prison + ranch. Groceries if needed. Drive I-90 west toward Missoula, then MT-200 / MT-83 to Seeley.
If you must overnight in Deer Lodge
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency overnight | Indian Creek Campground (private, Deer Lodge) | Yes. 60 RV sites, pull-throughs, 50-amp, dump, wifi. | Their site / phone | One mile from the prison. Fine for a hookup/dump night. Not scenery. |
Next drive already built in: 94 mi / 1.8h Deer Lodge → Seeley Lake.
Why: Blog stop 7. The breath. Paddleboard, swim, do nothing. Then the Swan Valley is better when you’re not fried.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Seeley Lake Campground (Lolo NF, west shore) | Yes. 29 sites. $20. Host. 4 miles to town groceries. | Recreation.gov id 10227380. All reservable. | C Loop had a 22 May–25 Jun 2026 road closure on the FS alert — check before you book a C-loop site. |
| Backup A | Big Larch (Lolo NF) | Yes. 53 sites / 29 individual RV-tent in season. Boat launch, swim beach. $20. | Recreation.gov id 234346. Memorial–Labor Day reservable, then FCFS. Loop 1 year-round if snow allows. | Right off MT-83, 1 mile north of town. Easiest in/out. |
| Backup B | River Point | Yes. 27 sites. | Recreation.gov id 10107638 | Quieter neighbor of Seeley Lake CG. |
| Backup C | Salmon Lake State Park | Yes. 24 sites, some electric. | Reserve America | 15 min south. Better if you want hookups. |
Bear food-storage order is in force on Lolo NF. Use it.
Next drive: 112 mi / 2.2h up MT-83 to Whitefish. Scenic. Daylight only. Kalispell is the grocery/antique optional pause, not a camp.
Why: Blog stop 8. Rocky Mountain scenery shift. Walk town. Whitefish Mountain Resort summer lift to Summit House; hike down Danny On Trail if you want.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Whitefish Lake State Park | Yes. 40-ft limit, 25 sites, beach, boat launch. | montanastateparks.reserveamerica.com | Trains. Regularly. Right next to the park. If you’re a light sleeper, this is the wrong primary. |
| Backup | Private Whitefish / Columbia Falls RV parks | 18ft is easy | Call | Use this if the state park is gone or you hate trains. Don’t add a third camp just to be in Columbia Falls. |
Next drive: Whitefish → Columbia Falls (9 mi) → Hungry Horse (7 mi) → West Glacier (10 mi). Groceries in Columbia Falls. Huckleberry pie + dam viewpoint in Hungry Horse. Then park the rig for two nights.
Why: Blog stops 9–11 collapsed into one base. West Glacier cafés + Crown of the Continent Discovery Center. Going-to-the-Sun as a truck/toad day, not a camper crossing.
2026 access (NPS): no park-wide vehicle reservation. Logan Pass has timed 3-hour parking and a ticketed shuttle. Read the current Logan Pass page the week you go.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Fish Creek Campground (Glacier NP) | Best in-park match. 171 sites. Lake McDonald west side. | Recreation.gov id 232493 | Book at the 6-month window. This is the one worth planning around. |
| Backup A | Apgar Campground (Glacier NP) | 18ft usually yes; 187 sites but tighter, more chaos. | Recreation.gov id 10171274 | Closer to the village. Harder to live in. |
| Backup B | Private: Glacier Campground / West Glacier KOA-class parks | Easy | Their sites | When Fish Creek is gone, pay the private and stop refreshing Rec.gov at midnight. |
Sprague Creek is a no for most RVs (short, no towed units). Hungry Horse Reservoir camps (Lid Creek, Emery Bay, etc.) are a fine overflow if you want water and don’t need to be in the park.
Do: One Logan Pass / GTTS day. One easier day (Apgar village, Lake McDonald, pie you missed). Camper stays put.
Why: Don’t do Glacier → Star in one 11-hour camper day.
Route: US-2 / MT-206 / MT-35 / US-93 to Missoula (138 mi / 3.1h). Dump and grocery in Missoula if tanks are ugly. Then US-12 west over Lolo Pass in daylight to Powell.
Camp
| Name | Fit for 18ft | Book | Blunt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Powell Campground (Nez Perce-Clearwater NF) | Yes. 40-ft. 34 sites, 23 electric, 19 reservable. Paved loops. Half mile off US-12 near mp 162. | Recreation.gov (search Powell Campground, Lochsa) | 60 mi SW of Missoula. Lochsa Lodge / ranger station next door. |
| Backup | Wilderness Gateway (US-12 mp 122.5) | Yes. 50-ft. 91 sites. | Some reservable | ~40 miles further west. Dump station was closed in 2024 — don’t count on it. |
| Weather bail | Missoula private RV park | Easy | Call | If Lolo is a thunderstorm/snow/fire-closure day, sleep in town and do the pass in the morning. |
Next drive: ~320 mi / 6.5–7h. US-12 to Kooskia / Grangeville, US-95 south (White Bird, Riggins canyon, New Meadows, Cascade corridor) → ID-44 to Star.
Why: Last miles. 18ft is fine on US-95. Riggins canyon is winding, not a 4x4 road. Daylight. Don’t rush the White Bird grade.
Camp: Home. If you’re cooked at New Meadows / McCall, that’s an optional 15th night (Ponderosa SP books early — you already know that from the Idaho guide).
Outbound (easy camper): Star → I-84 east → I-86 → US-20 → Island Park → West Yellowstone → US-287 Ennis → (optional Anaconda) → I-90 Deer Lodge → MT-200/83 Seeley → MT-83 Swan → Whitefish → US-2 Glacier.
Home (fastest OSRM): Glacier → US-93 Missoula →
US-12 Lolo → US-95 south → Star.
Not the Coeur d’Alene I-90 loop (that’s longer). Not Going-to-the-Sun
with the box on the back.
| Risk | How it bites | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| First day is 6.3h | You arrive at Island Park already done and still have “just 35 minutes” | Those 35 minutes become Baker’s Hole only if you left at dawn |
| YNP / Glacier sold out | You built the trip around Fish Creek and it’s gone | Private West Glacier / Baker’s Hole backups booked the same day you lock dates |
| Smoke | Aug–Sep valleys turn into an ashtray | Have a skip-ahead day (Seeley → home via Missoula) |
| Lost Creek full (FCFS) | You drove the canyon for nothing | Turn around. Deer Lodge lunch. Seeley that night. |
| Whitefish trains | You don’t sleep | You already knew. Earplugs or private park. |
| Logan Pass circus | 3-hour parking + shuttle tickets | Go early. Camper stays at Fish Creek. |
| Lolo weather | Pass is rain/snow/fire | Missoula night. Morning pass. |
| Henry’s Lake dump closed | You planned to dump there | You didn’t. Last Chance or West Yellowstone private. |
Before leaving Star - [ ] Water tank full - [ ] Propane full - [ ] Dump empty - [ ] Bear spray - [ ] Offline maps (Gaia / onX / Google offline) - [ ] Rec.gov + state-park confirmations downloaded / printed - [ ] Park passes or a plan to buy - [ ] Fire-restriction check (ID + MT) - [ ] Spare hitch pin / leveling blocks / sewer hose
Every move day - [ ] Daylight arrival - [ ] Fuel before the thin stretch (Ashton, Ennis, Seeley, Missoula) - [ ] Food locked before you walk away - [ ] Don’t relocate the camper for a 15-minute town
Glacier day - [ ] Camper stays in camp - [ ] Logan Pass timing / shuttle checked that morning - [ ] Backup hike if the pass is a parking lot (Lake McDonald / Avalanche if open)
10 days: Day 1 Island Park. Day 2 West Y. Day 3 Ennis + VC same afternoon if you have light. Day 4 Seeley (skip Anaconda, Deer Lodge as a lunch). Day 5 Seeley or push Whitefish. Day 6–7 Glacier. Day 8 Powell. Day 9 Star. That’s tight. No extra YNP.
14–16 days: Second full YNP day. Third Seeley. Third Glacier. Optional McCall/Ponderosa last night. Optional Lost Creek night instead of skipping Anaconda.
Private-park rates, exact 2026 loop open/close dates, and Yellowstone in-park vendor split (Lodges vs Rec.gov) move. Confirm the week you book. Hungry Horse Reservoir site-level length limits were not individually verified — treat those as overflow, not primary. Indian Creek details from visitmt.com listing (60 RV, 50-amp, dump).
Source towns: Pauline, Beeloved City, “The Ultimate
Montana Small Town Road Trip from Yellowstone to Glacier.”
Camp facts: USFS pages, Recreation.gov search IDs,
Montana FWP, Idaho Parks, NPS Glacier camping + 2026 vehicle page.
18ft from Star. Town hop, not a park-or-bust. Book the four hard camps, skip Anaconda unless you want the canyon, don’t move the box for pie.