Yellowrock Campground — Hotel in Lolo

What a slice of heaven! My husband and I moved in to our motorhome, permanently, and took off to Missoula. Within a couple days of hot, dry Walmart parking, my husband wanted to move to a campsite, but we didn't want to pay a lot. That week we were to have visitors anyway, so we decided to buy a week at this campground because it was the cheapest, and the tree cover is amazing! Well, that week has turned into a few months! We never left. Couldn't bring ourselves to. This place is amazing! For $360 a month we enjoy; a beautiful, shaded, tree full parking space, electricity galore, the best Wifi connection I've ever experienced (we download full movies in 10 minutes!), free (cold water) laundry machines and clothes lines, super big and clean bathrooms (even decorations in the girl's room. So cute!), an awesome Wiffle Ball golf course and a creek! We paid $1,600 cash for our motorhome, which I have completely glammed out. So it's pretty comfy, cheap livin'! There are walking trails by the creek that are lush, dense and beautiful. Almost magical. My daughter and I are afraid to go in at night because you get the serious feeling that there are fairies, and other woodland creatures, hiding in the trees. Obviously there are not, but the creek trails are very majestic! We've seen a Beaver, there is a bum deer that lives in the campground, there are the most interesting webs and nests from all sorts of insects in every tree. (just by the creek. If you don't like that kind of thing, the rest of the grounds are fairly bugless) Very cool. The campground is mostly full of older people, which I enjoy because it's very quiet and safe. We have not locked our doors once since we've been here. At first I worried the large elderly population would clique up and try to run us out because we're young (well, 30. lol), but we have made so many friends and connections with such awesome, like minded people! There is a gas station/ small store/ bar about 1,000 feet from the campground that we ride our bikes to whenever we need anything, but Lolo is also only 3 miles away. Coming in off the Hwy is always an amazing experience. As soon as we hit the driveway the air is cooler and sweeter than I've ever felt before. It's like this whole property is our house and the motorhome is just our bedroom. So comfortable! The staff is plentiful and ALL nice! I have not been treated rudely by one single person. Everyone is always polite, kind, helpful. Everyone chips in around here! They have a crew of probably 10+ people (In the summer) who live on grounds and all help out with different things. It's really nice to see and everything is always in tip top shape. One of the owners, Barry, is always working! I don't know how he does it. I think someone told me that he and his wife are in their 70's, which I could never believe! They work from early morning to late night taking care of the grounds, running square dance activities and god knows what else! It's very inspiring. Lately there has been a little open jam weekly in front of the office. It started with a lady playing the accordian and now there are several instruments involved. I love to sit outside on the picnic table on these nights and listen from my place. I close my eyes and pretend I am back in Paris. There are dances a few times a week that pack the large parking lot up front. It's really cool to see all the Western wear. People get really in to it! Well, I think I've covered everything. I would highly recommend this place! We will probably never come back to MT after this Summer, but if we did, this is the only place I'd want to stay. I hope they stay around forever! If you're are considering posting up...

We stayed here years ago and I had a very different perception of the place. We planned our entire vacation around the times they had open just so we could stay here again. It is evident that management has changed. It is no longer the welcoming atmosphere that previously captured our attention and brought us back. Yes, you will be greeted on the phone friendly, or when you go into the office to check in, but pull your camper in and actually stay, and you will find out exactly what I mean. It appears that there are a lot of long term tenants which they cater to. Something that really stands out is the man on the bike riding around as if he thinks you are going to break a rule any second...lurking and glaring at you. And when you don't see the man on the bike or in the cart, look over at your neighbor...it is probably "Karen" who is their long term buddy helping to do the same. It is as if you are not welcome or even wanted there. That is why we left. Also, your dogs can't even walk on the grass. And, there are just all these rules...... so many rules. The rules are an entire page....the ones they have listed. Others are just made up as they go. After about two hours, we were ready to leave. We came to relax and enjoy our stay, not feel like we were somewhere we weren't wanted. And, be aware... If you need wifi, you have to drive up the road to get any service. So if you need to make plans for your next stop or anything else, you won't have it at their site. As soon as you leave their site, your signal will come back. They tell you to go up to the office or certain spots, but forget it. The wifi worked one time, briefly, when we were standing in the office and never again. It is listed as an amenity, but it is not. If you ask them about it, they will just say, "What do you expect in the middle of a forest." That isn't the reason we left, but if you are needing that as an amenity, it won't work. We decided to stay one night and cancelled the rest. We ended up buying a generator and staying in the Bitteroot forest. It was about 30ish minutes past Lolo......$15 per night. Oh...and in the middle of the forest, we had a Verizon signal (two bars)....worked just fine on our hot spot. Best part, nobody riding around to "just glare and make sure we weren't breaking any of their real or imagined rules. We were the same good campers we were at their campground, but with peace and quiet....Our site was right across from the camp host who was very welcoming. We had no intention of ever breaking a rule (and we read them all)......... It was absolutely beautiful where we ended up staying. The people camping there were friendly and neighborly. We are glad we left and changed our plans. We wouldn't have gotten anything close to that experience at the "Square Dance Campground. That was a major disappointment.||||The facilities used to be clean, and they probably still are. We just went back in our camper and didn't come back out until the next morning to leave. If that is how you are going to be spending your time, then it may work out better for you. It just wasn't what we were looking for and will remember that when we come back to Missoula. We will not be staying at this...

Great Camper’s Campground, but Not Pet Friendly & Little to No Cell Service or Starlink

Throughly read the website and the rules before reserving. I included a copy.

I went back and forth on what rating to give because some will absolutely love this campground for its tall trees, burbling creek, friendly staff, and proximity to Missoula while still being in a forest near the Bitterroot Range. I listed more positives below. This is my experience, though.

Things you should know:

1 bar Verizon & few sites can accommodate Starlink (when I made this reservation, they said they could accommodate our work need for Starlink. Later, I saw that their website said differently. FYI, this was after the Starlink update to work around trees better, and it still didn’t work well.)

Cramped sites- I wish I had a picture of three 40”+ rigs with their tail ends wedged into a small space. I included a picture of the campground map modified to show how sites 6, 7, & 9 are actually arranged.

Weird, strict, pet area restrictions. This is the biggest one for me. The pet areas were located in the middle of other sites or in isolated fields or woods. (Please see the picture of the campground map that I included.) I was alone for most of the week, and walking my dog would require either walking in the middle of the backs of other campers’ rvs in the dark of the night or into an isolated field or forest by myself with a 10 lb dog to protect me. There was a $25 violation threat in the welcome pamphlet for a dog that used any grass between your own site and the pet areas.

Awesome staff, but they’re in the sites a lot… a lot. I’m sure they don’t want to be, and they were really cool about it, but a lot more than any other campground I’ve stayed in.

Positives:

Beautiful, tall trees

Close to Missoula & gorgeous Bitterroot Range

Friendly, kind, and hard working staff

Commitment to a well-maintained campground.

Lush grass is challenging in Montana and under full tree coverage, almost impossible, but they have done it. This explains a lot, but for me easy access to a place for my dog is really important. A little patch of pea gravel along the road would’ve sufficed.

Quiet - I read in another review that the tent area was close to the road, but there were tons of gorgeous sites in the back of the property well away from the road. The creek could be heard from most of them.

Did I mention the...