Published
A campground map is really a neighbour map.
The campground map is a neighbour map
Buyers look at campgrounds as competition for a rental or as somewhere to stay while they scout. The more useful reading is that a campground tells you what happens on your access road in July, and who is legally allowed to camp near your property line.
There are two entirely separate systems around Island Park ground, they follow different rules, and confusing them is how people end up surprised. One is developed federal campgrounds, which are bounded and bookable. The other is dispersed camping on national forest land, which is free, and which has rules most owners have never read.
System one: the developed campgrounds
These are Forest Service campgrounds with defined sites, reservable through Recreation.gov. Two of them anchor the area and both run roughly May to September.
| Campground | Where | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk | ≈30 miles southwest of West Yellowstone, ≈32 miles north of Ashton, on the reservoir | Two single-family loops plus a group loop, 55 sites |
| Riverside | On the Henry's Fork, ≈15 miles north of Ashton | Tent, RV and group sites |
Amenities and current fees are deliberately not printed here. They change between seasons and Recreation.gov is the live source; a page that freezes them is a page that lies quietly. What does not change is the shape: fixed site counts, a season, a booking system, and therefore predictable, bounded traffic on a known road.
For an owner, a developed campground nearby is usually the benign case. The people are metered, they arrive on a route the Forest Service maintains, and they leave when the season ends.
System two: dispersed camping, which is free and closer than people think
This is the one worth reading properly. On national forest land, camping outside a developed campground is permitted, free, and governed by rules that decide how long somebody can sit near your boundary.
You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 14 days. After 14 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area. Please place your campsite at least 100 feet from any stream or other water source. Typically, dispersed camping is not allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads.
— USDA Forest Service, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, dispersed camping guidance. Retrieved 1 September 2026
Four consequences for somebody who owns or is buying ground here:
- Fourteen days is a long time. If your lot abuts forest land, a legally-placed camp can sit within sight for two weeks before anyone has to move, and then move five road miles and start again.
- The 100-foot water rule is why camps cluster where they do. On ground with a creek or a shoreline, dispersed camps push back to the first flat spot outside that buffer — which is frequently the same flat spot a cabin lot wants.
- There are no facilities. West End Dispersed, on the reservoir's western shore, has no restrooms and no potable water, and campers are required to be self-contained and pack out everything. Most are. The ones who are not become your problem, not the Forest Service's.
- It is not allowed near developed sites, which is why a lot near a formal campground often sees less informal camping, not more. That is a genuine point in favour of the developed-campground neighbourhood.
| Rule | Figure | What it decides for you |
|---|---|---|
| Stay limit | 14 days | How long a camp may sit near your line |
| Move distance | 5 road miles | Whether they come straight back |
| Water buffer | 100 feet | Where camps end up on creek and shoreline ground |
| Near developed sites | Not allowed | Why a formal campground can mean fewer informal camps |
| Facilities | None | Self-contained only, pack everything out |
What this changes about choosing a lot
- Find the forest boundary before you find the view. A lot that backs onto national forest gets permanence and privacy in winter, and a rotating fourteen-day neighbour in July. Both are true.
- Walk the access road in August, not May. The road that is empty at snowmelt is the road that carries trailer traffic to a 55-site campground on a Saturday in high summer.
- Check where the flat ground is relative to water. If the only buildable pad on your lot is also the only legal dispersed pad nearby, you will meet the people who found it.
- Know the boundary line properly. The county parcel viewer shows you where the county thinks it runs, and it is not a survey — what the two parcel tools do and do not show.
The question this page is not answering
“Can I camp on my own lot while I build?” is a different question with a different answer, and it is governed by county rules and by what a septic system can serve rather than by Forest Service camping policy. It is answered properly on the septic side — living in an RV while you build — and it is worth reading before assuming a trailer on your own ground is simply allowed.
Likewise, whether you may rent the finished cabin to the same people who currently camp nearby is settled by your covenants rather than the county: the state has removed the county's power to require a short-term rental permit, and the private restrictions are what remain.
Who to ask
For anything specific — which roads are open, whether a particular area is closed to dispersed camping this season, current campground status — the district office is the right call rather than a website: Ashton/Island Park Ranger District, (208) 652-7442. Seasonal closures and fire restrictions change faster than any page, including this one.
And the wider calendar still governs everything: the Yellowstone West Entrance takes cars only until the end of October and reopens to oversnow travel on 15 December, which is what actually empties the campgrounds and the roads — the full seasonal picture.
Common questions
How long can someone camp on forest land near my property?
Up to 14 days in one dispersed area, after which they must move at least 5 road miles before camping in another. That is long enough for a legally-placed camp to sit within sight of a boundary for two weeks.
How close to water can dispersed camping be?
Campsites must be placed at least 100 feet from any stream or other water source. On ground with a creek or shoreline that rule pushes camps back to the first flat spot outside the buffer, which is often the same spot a cabin lot wants.
Is dispersed camping allowed right next to a developed campground?
No. It is typically not allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas or trailheads, so a lot near a formal campground often sees less informal camping rather than more.
How many sites does Buttermilk Campground have?
55 in total — two loops for single-family camping plus one group loop. It sits about 30 miles southwest of West Yellowstone and about 32 miles north of Ashton, and runs roughly May to September.
Where is Riverside Campground?
On the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, about 15 miles north of Ashton, with tent, RV and group sites. Like Buttermilk it runs roughly May through September.
Why are campground fees and amenities not listed here?
Because they change between seasons and Recreation.gov is the live source. A page that freezes a fee or an amenity list quietly becomes wrong; the durable facts are the site counts, the season and the location.
Does dispersed camping have restrooms or water?
No. West End Dispersed on the reservoir's western shore has no restrooms and no potable water, and campers are required to be self-contained and pack out all trash.
Can I camp on my own lot while I build a cabin?
That is a different question, governed by county rules and by what a septic system can serve rather than by Forest Service camping policy. It is answered on the septic side of the portfolio and is worth reading before assuming it is allowed.
Is backing onto national forest good or bad for a cabin lot?
Both, and honestly so. It gives permanence and winter privacy because nobody can subdivide it, and it gives a rotating fourteen-day neighbour in July. Which matters more depends on how you will use the place.
Who do I ask about seasonal closures?
The Ashton/Island Park Ranger District at (208) 652-7442. Seasonal closures and fire restrictions change faster than any published page, so the district office is the reliable source rather than a website.