U.S. Forest Service · Custer Gallatin National Forest · Montana

Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area

A campground on the Ashland Ranger District. Camp sites: 4. Picnic Site: 1. Accessible Facilities: Toilet. Trash Pickup: No. Firewood: No. No Reservations: This campground does not use a reservation system, it is managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware the campground may fill up on weekends & holidays during the summer months and you should arrive in the early afternoon to ensure there is a space available for the night. There is a 10 day stay limit.

First-come, first-served4 sites

More like this: first-come in Montana

Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area
Photo from the area. Forest Service - Northern Region (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
1fire
active
Buffalo 2 · 31 mi away · 25 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Season & status

SeasonYear-Round Weather Dependent
ForestCuster Gallatin National Forest
FeesNo Fees

Custer Gallatin National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 3.9 inches of snowFebruary: 0.70 inches of precipitation, 6.6 inches of snowMarch: 0.91 inches of precipitation, 5.0 inches of snowApril: 1.85 inches of precipitation, 3.4 inches of snowMay: 2.95 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 2.69 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.67 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.10 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.38 inches of precipitation, 1.3 inches of snowNovember: 0.56 inches of precipitation, 3.1 inches of snowDecember: 0.51 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.2°F averageFebruary: 25.0°F averageMarch: 34.7°F averageApril: 43.0°F averageMay: 52.3°F averageJune: 61.7°F averageJuly: 69.7°F averageAugust: 68.5°F averageSeptember: 58.5°F averageOctober: 44.8°F averageNovember: 32.5°F averageDecember: 23.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Sonnette 7 SW, 16 miles from the campground at 3,914 feet, station USC00247740 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 16 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 29 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Ashland, MT go 4 miles east on US 212. Turn right on Otter Creek Road (County Road 485) and travel 20 miles south. Turn right on Cow Creek Road (Forest Road 4095) and travel 5 miles to campground on left.

Coordinates45.3092° N, 106.2469° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Buffalo 2

    31 mi from the campground · 25 acres

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

Explore

Video

Cow Creek North Campground - Green Mountain Reservoir

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.9 mi
    Stag Rock ↗
    5.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 9 more
  • 1.1 mi
    Paget Creek ↗
    9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 9 more
  • 1.3 mi
    Brown Cow
    1.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 9 more
  • 1.5 mi
    Coal Cr
    3.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 9 more
  • 1.7 mi
    King Creek ↗
    14.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 9 more
  • 2.2 mi
    Horse Creek Butte ↗
    7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 9 more

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

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

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 Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area?

No. Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area?

No Fees

Source: Forest Service

How many sites does Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area have?

4 sites.

Source: Forest Service

What if Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Blacks Pond Campground (3.4 mi, first-come), Red Shale Campground (18.8 mi, first-come), and Holiday Spring Campground (26.3 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby