We only spent a night at Moose Creek Flat Campground outside Big Sky, Montana, but it was a memorable visit we’d happily repeat.
Dry Camping Outside Big Sky, Montana
On Saturday, June 23, we left West Yellowstone to make our way north to Bozeman. We had passed Moose Creek Flat Campground in Gallatin National Forest a week earlier, on our way to get Javen and Silas from the airport. This national forest is incredibly beautiful and I was instantly eager for a chance to camp there.
Moose Creek Flat Campground is small, but beautiful. We pulled in at noon on a Saturday and snagged the only open site. It backed onto the stunning Gallatin River, roaring with melt. There were kayakers and rafters merrily bouncing down the rapids.
A couple of sites cleared out later in the day and the campground emptied on Sunday per normal.
While there was absolutely no cell coverage (thus the Saturday-night-only stay), Big Sky town center was a mere 12ish minutes away. The cost was $15/night or $7.50 with an Access Pass. No hookups.
Things to Do Around Big Sky
Our stay was brief, but we still got out to enjoy the area. I took Javen and Silas for a hike at Durnam Meadow. It was cold, windy, and threatening to rain, but full of beauty and peace. We loved the barely visible path into the meadow, and ended up zooming around like hyper pioneers making our own trail.
I can’t find Durham Meadow on AllTrails, but you’ll see the sign off U.S. Highway 191. We also drove up Forest Road 984 with the Jeep, also located off 191 in the national forest.
We discovered Lone Peak Cinema in the town center, a super cute community theater with two screens–and a cocktail menu.
In an act of desperation only a date-starved momma could conjure, I drove the boys into town to see Jurassic World (which they had not-so-subtly hinted they wanted to do), then drove back to the RV. After telling Eric what was happening and hanging out for a bit, I went back to get Javen and Silas, then drove back to the RV. Eric and I immediately turned around to go into town to see the same movie by ourselves, while big brothers stayed home with baby.
Our night was awesome and my cocktail was good. In case you’re not doing the math, that’s six drives between the campground and Big Sky, in the space of a few hours. But date night was so worth it.
Where to Eat in Big Sky
We only had one real meal out in Big Sky. It was at Scissorbills Saloon, which had decent reviews but was disappointing (food and service). I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, since it was off season.
Sunday morning, Caspian and I stole out to Blue Moon Bakery. He wakes up before 7 a.m. and his brothers are literally right next to him in the living room. So vacating the premises was the decent human thing to do.
Anyway, we enjoyed Blue Moon. It’s a fairly typical local cafe/bakery, with an emphasis on bread and bagels for sale. We had a bagel with honey walnut cream cheese. I didn’t know until after we had finished eating, but there’s a family-friendly area upstairs with a few toys and books.
For groceries, Roxy’s Market is a charming independent joint. It was insanely expensive, which is saying a lot considering we’ve been traveling through tourist central for months. But I’m sure it isn’t easy to source high-quality food items when you’re off the beaten path.
Fast Forward to Present
I mentioned we were in Big Sky at the end of June, so I’m a full two months behind with travel logs. I’ll do my best to catch up. In the meantime, our social media accounts are always up to date, so come see us there!
-B
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