Montana · Camping

Bad Medicine Campground

Jun–Sep
best months

Is Bad Medicine Campground open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Kootenai National Forest. It doesn't name Bad Medicine Campground, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Kootenai National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

  • At 2,326 ft
  • Cabinet Ranger DistrictKootenai National Forest

Bad Medicine Campground is a Forest Service campground in the Cabinet Ranger District of Kootenai National Forest in northwestern Montana. The land is managed by the Forest Service, and the site sits among the forest's backcountry trails and rivers. Vault toilets are the only facility listed, and the campground is not reservable. That makes it a destination for visitors who plan their trips ahead and arrive at a site that works for a base camp, rather than one that books out. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs around 82°F with lows in the mid-40s and the fewest wet days of the year. Winters there are cold and snowy, with January highs near 33°F and about 12 snow days. The Dry Creek hike starts just 0.1 mile away, and the Hamilton Gulch and Berray Mountain West trails lie within about 3 miles. The Bull River, about 3 miles off, offers canoeing.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Sep

    Best time to visit Bad Medicine Campground

    Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      33° / 23°

      17 wet · 12 snow

    2. Feb

      37° / 23°

      14 wet · 8 snow

    3. Mar

      47° / 27°

      14 wet · 6 snow

    4. Apr

      57° / 31°

      13 wet · 2 snow

    5. May

      67° / 39°

      13 wet

    6. Jun

      72° / 45°

      12 wet

    7. Jul

      82° / 47°

      8 wet

    8. Aug

      82° / 46°

      6 wet

    9. Sep

      71° / 40°

      9 wet

    10. Oct

      55° / 34°

      13 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      40° / 29°

      16 wet · 6 snow

    12. Dec

      32° / 23°

      18 wet · 12 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Heron 2 Nw, MT, 8 mi away at 2,240 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Bad Medicine Campground

Book on Recreation.gov

Reserve