USDA Forest Service · Montana
Howard Lake Campground
USDA Forest Service · Montana, United States
- Drinking water
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Elevation
- 4,144 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
- HOWARD LAKE CAMPGROUND (NFSR 4779A) · native material · high clearance vehicles
- Lake
- Kootenai National Forest
- Address
- MT
- Activities
- <div style="padding-left: 5px"> <p> Howard Lake is a beautiful lake for fishing or playing. The lake is 33 acres in size with an average depth of 30 feet. The deepest point in the lake is 58 feet. Rainbow trout is the most common fish caught, but other species are present.</p> <p> Fishing regulations for the State of Montana can be found at <a href="http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/">Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks </a>web site.</p> </div> <p> <br clear="all" /> </p> , <p> Howard Lake is 32.6 acres in size. Therefore limiting it to a no-wake lake.</p> <p> Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks regulate all watercraft operating on public lakes and reservoirs that are 35 acres or fewer are limited to a no-wake speed.</p> , Camping, Recreational Vehicles
About
Howard Lake campground is located south of Libby on road 4779. The campground has 10 sites (3 pull thru's) including one host site with tables and fire rings. Camground roads and parking spurs are gravel. Amentities include vault toilets and swimming beach. There are 2 day use sites with fire rings and picnic tables near the beach area.
The camphost may close the gate to the campground each evening at 10:00 pm and open it again at 7:00 am. The gate closes for the season on December 1st and is opened again when access permits.
Howard Lake and Howard Creek were prospected and named after the Howard brothers, Alfred and Benjamin. These two were among some of the the earliest miners to file and work claims on Upper Libby Creek from 1885 to 1915 when at the age of 80 Benjamin died.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 20° | -29° | 39° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 31° | 18° | -19° | 41° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 39° | 24° | -2° | 59° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 42° | 28° | 11° | 66° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 54° | 37° | 27° | 79° | 6 of 11 |
| June | 64° | 44° | 32° | 82° | 1 of 11 |
| July | 79° | 55° | 43° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 54° | 44° | 92° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 65° | 46° | 33° | 82° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 49° | 34° | 23° | 70° | 7 of 10 |
| November | 37° | 27° | 2° | 56° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 31° | 23° | -4° | 41° | 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
- Lake Creek Campground · USDA Forest Service · 5 mi
- Bull River Guard Station · USDA Forest Service · 12 mi · 1 sites
- Pleasant Valley Campground · USDA Forest Service · 12 mi
- Bad Medicine Campground · USDA Forest Service · 17 mi
- North Shore Campground · USDA Forest Service · 17 mi
All public campgrounds in Montana · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.