USDA Forest Service · Montana
Fales Flat Campground
USDA Forest Service · Montana, United States
- Sites
- 3
- Hookups
- 3 no hookups
- Season
- May 21 to September 6
- Max RV length
- 50 ft
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Elevation
- 5,141 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- (FDR) FALES FLAT (NFSR 468E) · native material · moderate degree of user comfort
- Lake
- Bitterroot National Forest
- Nearest town
- DARBY
- Address
- WEST FORK RANGER STATION, DARBY, MT, 59829
- Phone
- 406-821-3269
- Activities
- Biking, Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Historic Sites, Hunting, Scenic Drive
1 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Overview
Fales Flat Campground is a group facility on Nez Perce Fork of the Bitterroot River. It is also well equipped for equestrian campers. The campground provides access to a variety of hiking and horseback riding trails in the area, as well as a variety of historic sites that denote the presence of the Nez Perce many years ago.
Recreation
Fly fishing and wading in the Nez Perce Fork, which runs alongside the campground, are also popular activities. A variety of trails and unimproved roads are great for hiking and horseback riding. Three trails originate near the campground. Watchtower Trail is just down the Nez Perce a mile, Sheephead Creek Trail which is across the road from Fales Flat campground accesses the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and can be hiked as a loop, or up to or down from the top of Nez Perce Pass. A third trail, Barecone Trail starts just below Fales Flat Campground and is a steep, 2-mile trail which leads to Bare Cone Lookout.
Facilities
The campground offers one large group site for tent and RV camping. It can accommodate 15 to 100 people. Hookups are not available. Parking surfaces are gravel.
The site is equipped with multiple tables and a large campfire circle. Vault toilets are provided. Drinking water and trash collection bins are not available.
A few individual and equestrian sites are available at the campground on a first-come, first-served basis. Those sites have access to a horse staging area and hitching racks.
Natural Features
The campground is located in a large meadow at the base of Nez Perce Pass along the Nez Perce Fork of the Bitterroot River. The area is believed to have been used by the Nez Perce Nimi'ipuu tribe during its travels to the buffalo country in eastern Montana.
Nearby Attractions
The campground is at the base of Nez Perce Pass which is a corridor into the heart of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Areas. The Montana/Idaho stateline sits atop Nez Perce Pass where there is interpretive information and trailhead access north and south.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 15° | -12° | 40° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 33° | 17° | -11° | 45° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 42° | 24° | 12° | 57° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 44° | 29° | 5° | 62° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 54° | 34° | 28° | 77° | 6 of 11 |
| June | 69° | 45° | 32° | 88° | 1 of 11 |
| July | 82° | 56° | 38° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 81° | 55° | 44° | 92° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 70° | 47° | 33° | 84° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 55° | 33° | 20° | 73° | 8 of 10 |
| November | 41° | 24° | -13° | 58° | 9 of 10 |
| December | 28° | 13° | -3° | 44° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Rombo · USDA Forest Service · 8 mi · 16 sites
- Painted Rocks State Park · Montana State Parks · 8 mi · 25 sites
- Slate Creek Campground · USDA Forest Service · 8 mi
- Slate Creek Campground · USDA Forest Service · 8 mi
- Sam Billings Memorial Campground · USDA Forest Service · 11 mi
All public campgrounds in Montana · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-04-09. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.