RV travel in Montana
Montana is the canonical big-sky RV state: empty interstates, two major national parks (Glacier and the Montana side of Yellowstone), and more dispersed camping on National Forest and BLM than you could chip away at in a season. The catches are distance and weather. East of the Continental Divide is wide-open prairie with wind that doesn't quit; west of the Divide is mountain country with narrow forest roads and a hard summer window that runs roughly mid-June through mid-September. Outside that window the high passes -- and Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier -- are closed. Plan the route around the snow gates and Montana is one of the cheapest, quietest, biggest-feeling RV states in the country.
Last verified: 14 May 2026
Free RV PDF guide to Montana
Driving rules, RV-friendly and RV-restricted highways, NPS reservation rules, BLM and NF boondocking, propane, dump stations, weather, and emergency contacts. Save it to your phone for offline use on the road.
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Driving rules
Interstate (cars)80 mph
Interstate (trucks + towing)70 mph
US/State highway (cars)70 mph day / 65 mph night
US/State highway (towing)65 mph
Built-up areas25-35 mph (posted)
Drive onRight
RV passenger seatbeltsRequired for all front-seat occupants; under-18s in all seats
Cell phone use while drivingNo statewide ban (hand-held legal), but several cities ban it -- Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Helena, Whitefish. Stay hands-free.
RV-friendly and RV-restricted highways
RV-friendly
I-90Main east-west corridor across the southern half: Missoula, Butte, Bozeman, Billings. Two passes (Lookout west; Homestake near Butte) but interstate-standard.
I-15North-south spine from Idaho through Helena and Great Falls to the Canadian border. Wind exposure on the prairie sections.
I-94Billings east to North Dakota. Empty, fast, no scenery.
US-93Missoula north to Whitefish and the Canadian border. Heavy summer traffic; passing lanes infrequent.
US-2 (Hi-Line)Glacier east-entry to North Dakota along the Canadian border. Long fuel gaps (Browning to Cut Bank is the last reliable diesel before 100+ miles east).
US-89Yellowstone north entrance via Livingston, plus Glacier east-side. Paradise Valley is well-paved; Kings Hill Pass on the central stretch is steep but doable.
RV-restricted
Going-to-the-Sun Road (Glacier NP)STRICT vehicle limits: 21 ft length AND 8 ft width AND 10 ft height max. Larger rigs must use US-2 around the south end of the park. The 21-ft length limit includes any tow vehicle + trailer combined.
Beartooth Highway (US-212)Open late May to mid-October only. 10,947 ft summit, switchbacks, no guardrails in places. Driveable in any RV that fits the 13'6" tunnels but not pleasant in a fifth wheel.
MT-200 over Rogers PassOpen year-round but unplowed shoulders; recorded -70 F in 1954. Avoid in winter.
Many Glacier Road inside Glacier NPSteep narrow climb to the campground; RVs over 35 ft prohibited.
National parks and monuments
Glacier NP$35/vehicle (7 days), $80 America the Beautiful annual. Vehicle reservation system required Jun-Sep for Going-to-the-Sun, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and North Fork entrances. Book at recreation.gov 4 months ahead (plus 24-hour-ahead release). Fish Creek, St Mary, Apgar, Two Medicine campgrounds reservable; Many Glacier first-come and impossible in summer.
Yellowstone NP (North + Northeast entrances)$35/vehicle (7 days). All Yellowstone campgrounds reservable via recreation.gov; book 6+ months out. North entrance (Gardiner, MT) open year-round; Northeast (Cooke City via Beartooth) closed Oct-May.
Little Bighorn Battlefield NM$25/vehicle (7 days). No camping on-site. 7th Ranch RV Park adjacent.
Big Hole NBFree entry. No camping on-site; nearest options at Jackson Hot Springs or USFS dispersed.
Bighorn Canyon NRAFree entry; camping $15-30. Horseshoe Bend and Afterbay Campgrounds first-come; Barry's Landing reservable.
Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHSFree entry. Day-use only; no camping.
Nez Perce NHP (Big Hole, Bear Paw sites in MT)Free entry. Day-use only.
Boondocking and dispersed camping
BLM: Montana BLM is mostly the eastern half of the state -- prairie, badlands, and the Missouri Breaks. Free 14-day dispersed camping is the default. The Upper Missouri River Breaks NM (north-central MT) has river-access dispersed sites; high-clearance recommended on most spur roads. Western Montana has less BLM and more Forest Service.
National Forests: Montana has chunks of 8 National Forests (Flathead, Kootenai, Lolo, Bitterroot, Helena-Lewis & Clark, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Gallatin, Custer). All allow free dispersed camping along forest roads, generally 14-day limits. Popular FR areas around Bozeman, Big Sky, West Yellowstone, and the Flathead fill up fast on summer weekends. Fire restrictions normal Jul-Sep.
Stay limit: typically 14 days per location.
Service stops
Propane: Reliable in Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, Great Falls, Helena, and along I-90/I-15. Sparse along US-2 east of Cut Bank, throughout the Missouri Breaks, and in the southwestern mining-town corridor (Philipsburg, Anaconda). U-Haul reliable for refills; Town Pump (Montana chain) sells exchange tanks at most locations but few do refills.
Dump stations: Most Montana state parks have free dump stations for paid guests. Flying J / Pilot stops along I-90 and I-15 charge $10-15. KOA and Yellowstone-gateway campgrounds in West Yellowstone, Gardiner, and Cooke City all have dumps. Glacier-gateway towns (West Glacier, St Mary, East Glacier) all have at least one commercial dump.
Fuel: Diesel widely available along interstates. Long gaps to watch: US-2 from Browning east (200+ miles to Havre with limited stops), US-191 between West Yellowstone and Big Sky (50 miles), MT-200 across the central prairie (60+ miles between stops), and any back-road approach to the Missouri Breaks. Montana fuel taxes among the lowest in the West -- fill up before crossing into Idaho or Washington.
Weather windows
Best monthsMid-June through mid-September for the mountains; May-October for the prairie. Daytime highs 75-90 F in summer; nights drop into the 40s above 5,000 ft.
Avoid monthsOctober through May for anything over 5,000 ft. Going-to-the-Sun Road typically open late June to mid-October only. Beartooth (US-212) open late May to mid-October. Prairie temperatures can hit -30 F in winter; not RV weather. Spring shoulder (Apr-May) flat-tire muddy on dirt roads.
Going-to-the-Sun Road has firm size limits: 21 ft length, 8 ft width, 10 ft height. Rangers DO measure at the entrance and turn rigs around. If your RV + toad combined is over 21 ft, take US-2 around the south end and drive a rental car or motorbike over the pass.
Emergency and road conditions
State patrolDial 911 for emergencies; (406) 444-3780 for Montana Highway Patrol non-emergency