U.S. Forest Service · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · Montana

South Fork Campground

Located 31 miles west of Augusta, the South Fork offers 7 campsites with opportunities to fish and hike. Bears may frequent the area; keep all food out of sight in approved containers and remove all food from area after eating. Mandatory food storage is required.

Closed for the seasonTakes reservations7 sitesFrom $10 per nightTents only

More like this: reservable in Montana · tent only in Montana

4fires
active
Rx D6 Horseshoe West Unit 23 (prescribed burn) · 34 mi away · 115 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
Fees$10.00/night for single unit & $5.00/night for extra vehicle

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
ForestHelena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Fees$10.00/night for single unit & $5.00/night for extra vehicle
RulesSee motor vehicle use information, food storage information and know fire warnings and restrictions before going out to camp.

Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near South Fork Campground20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.67 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.92 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.82 inches of precipitationApril: 1.63 inches of precipitationMay: 2.93 inches of precipitationJune: 3.13 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.14 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.33 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.31 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.12 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.78 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.77 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 24.0°F averageFebruary: 24.1°F averageMarch: 30.5°F averageApril: 37.6°F averageMay: 45.9°F averageJune: 53.3°F averageJuly: 61.6°F averageAugust: 60.4°F averageSeptember: 51.9°F averageOctober: 41.2°F averageNovember: 31.2°F averageDecember: 23.9°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Gibson Dam, 9 miles from the campground at 4,590 feet, station USC00243489 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates47.5011° N, 112.8881° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Rx D6 Horseshoe West Unit 23

    34 mi from the campground · 115 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D6 Horseshoe West Unit 38

    34 mi from the campground · 40 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D6 Horseshoe West Unit 37

    35 mi from the campground · 72 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D6 Horseshoe West Unit 20

    35 mi from the campground · 99 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Explore

Worth a stop

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.1 mi
    Benchmark Cabin Spur
    0.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.1 mi
    South Fork Sun Access
    0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.1 mi
    Benchmark Corral Spur
    0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.1 mi
    South Fork Sun Tie
    under 0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.2 mi
    Kencks Cabin
    0.6 mi trail · hiking, horse
  • 0.3 mi
    South Fork Sun Cutoff
    0.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Bob Marshall Wilderness, which overlaps Lolo National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Guidebooks for Montana

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Best Tent Camping: Montana
    Vicky Soderberg and Ken Soderberg, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Montana, Wyoming and Idaho Camping
    Becky Lomax, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Camping Montana
    Kenneth L. Graham, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at South Fork Campground?

Sites at South Fork Campground take reservations. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at South Fork Campground?

$10.00/night for single unit & $5.00/night for extra vehicle

Source: Forest Service

Is South Fork Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does South Fork Campground have?

7 sites.

Source: Forest Service

Can I bring an RV to South Fork Campground?

South Fork Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if South Fork Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Benchmark Campground (1.1 mi), Van Deriet Campground (2 mi, first-come), and Wood Lake Campground (6.7 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby