Canyon Ferry Lake is reservoir water at the picnic table and a boat ramp in the same loop, with the Big Belt and Elkhorn ranges on the far shores. Court Sheriff and Hellgate are at the north end of the lake, and Chinamen, Jo Bonner, White Earth, and Silos continue down the Bureau of Reclamation shore.
Most of Court Sheriff's pads line the water. A Helena Saturday is boats off the ramps and a night on that same shoreline. Marinas and day-use areas share the shore with the loops, so the day and the night happen in the same place. Those loops fill on weekends, so you lock the overnight first.
The lake is about 20 miles east of Helena on Hwy 12 and Hwy 287. Court Sheriff books through Recreation.gov. As of September 2026, Riverside Campground is closed through spring 2027 for sidewalk construction, while the boat launch, dock, and parking stay open.
Gates of the Mountains and Holter Lake
Limestone walls about 1,200 feet high close over the Missouri until the boat comes around the next bend and the canyon opens again. Lewis and Clark named those gates. The Gates of the Mountains boat tour runs about two hours from the marina off I-15, about 20 miles north of Helena. As of September 2026, the season starts in late May.
The overnight is the BLM shore at Holter Lake, Log Gulch, and Departure Point, gravel pads and no hookups. Holter Lake Campground is reservation-only, about 45 miles north of Helena on I-15. As of September 2026, Log Gulch is closed September 14 through October 11, and Departure Point stays first-come.
Black Sandy State Park on Hauser Lake
Black Sandy State Park puts a Helena night on Hauser Lake, close enough that you can boat, fish, and water-ski and still be near town. The ramp and the electric sites share the same park. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks runs electric hookups May through November and caps trailers at 35 feet. If you need more sleeping space or a longer rig, look at RV rentals in Montana.
Cromwell Dixon at MacDonald Pass
Cromwell Dixon is up on MacDonald Pass, a Helena-Lewis and Clark campground west of town on US-12. The Forest Service lists it about 15 miles from Helena with no potable water, in any season. As of September 2026, Park Lake is closed through October 2027.
Mount Helena and the South Hills
Switchbacks on Mount Helena climb through city open land above town, with trailheads at the edge of downtown. The South Hills trails keep you walking for a morning. There is no camping in the city parks, and Last Chance Gulch is the historic walking district downtown if you want an hour on foot.
Elkhorn is the ghost-town day, a dirt street of empty false-fronts with Fraternity Hall and Gilliam Hall still standing, interpretive signs along the street, and the rest of the town private. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks does not allow camping in or within walking distance of Elkhorn.
If the trip keeps going, the Rocky Mountain Front is a Great Falls drive. Yellowstone's north entrance is a Bozeman trip.