Historic Montana Railroad Town
This is a Boondockers Welcome host in Dutton, MT
Hosted By
Horakfam
Max Rig Size
45+ (ft)
Parking Spaces
1
Max Nights Per Stay
3
Same Day Requests
Yes
Nestled between two rivers, Collins is roughly 5 miles from the interstate, albeit mostly gravel. There are two railroad trestles, the Muddy Creek Railroad Trestle to the North and the Teton River Railroad Trestle to the south. Wildlife frequent the area, so bear safe food storage is recommended . Wildlife that surround the area include mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, coyotes, foxes, pheasants, turkeys, rattlesnakes and the occasional moose or grizzly bear. This the heart of Montana's Golden Triangle, so there are fields, both in crop and fallow, that surround the area. Collins started out as a place to fuel the steam trains of the early 1900s with water. Water was pulled from the Teton River to the rail station in Collins. Originally there were wooden trestles over the Muddy Creek and Teton River. These wooden trestles were eventually replaced with the steel ones still present today. Some of the infrastructure to accomplish these engineering feats are still visible. You'll have a quiet parking spot to yourself. Our neighbors are quiet, but there may be some light truck traffic on the county road if you are visiting during harvest or hunting season during the day. You will have great views of the sunrise, sunset and stars. There is not a lot of light pollution in our slice of Big Sky Country. Weather in our area can be quite volatile; drastic change in temperatures, wind, smoke, and snow. However over half of the year, 60-70% of the time, the skies are sunny. Cell phone coverage: Decent Verizon and AT&T available at the site (not experienced with Sprint or discount networks). Cell signal will drop when traveling into the river bottoms. Local amenities Conrad: approximately 20 miles to the north - Transportation Museum, restaurants, grocery and fuel available Choteau: approximately 25 miles to the west - Old Trail Museum, restaurants, grocery and fuel available Great Falls: approximately 45 miles to the south - Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, CM Russell Museum, restaurants, and major retailers Port of Sweet Grass & Canadian Border: approximately 80 miles to the north East Glacier & Glacier National Park: approximately 100 miles to the northwest St. Mary & Glacier National Park: approximately 120 miles to the northwest West Glacier & Glacier National Park: approximately 160 miles away to the north and west
Vehicle Suitability Information
Pets Welcome
Separate Tow Vehicle Parking
Offleash Area for Pets
Outdoor Cooking Allowed
Generators Allowed
Slideouts Allowed
RV Dump Station
House Rules
No smoking or open fires as the location is surrounded by wheat, barley and hay fields. Propane fire pits may be used depending upon local burning restrictions. Oddly enough, Grizzly bears do frequent the area, so bear-proof food storage is necessary. Quiet hours from 10 PM- 7 AM to be cognizant of neighbors.
Location
Pull through parking to accommodate most vehicle sizes.
Parking Surface
Gravel
Hosted By Horakfam
Age:
30-45
We are from North Central Montana. We RV as a family and have gradually increased our RV size as our family has grown over the past 10 years. We have 2 kids and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. We are pretty accustomed to boondocking as most camping in Montana is "dry" camping. Depending on the season and weather we utilize our generator and solar panel for additional power needs. We sometimes pull double and bring our boat for the adventure.
Availability for RV Camping
References for this location from other RVers
Tonipiper
3 months ago
Stayed 2 nights. Gravel road to get there. Good instructions on where to park. Pretty sunsets/sunrises. Heidi came by to see us.
Idlewood
5 months ago
Quiet. Totally enjoyed the historic area and took several pictures. Be sure to follow the directions the hosts spent a lot of time constructing. Don’t follow your GPS for you may not make camp. We really recommend this stay. Thank you for having us.
JoKochDebHoistad
5 months ago
Great directions. Level spot. Peaceful and tranquil. Loved the grain train, since we come from a railroad family. Host was communicative and even referenced the beautiful sunset. Would love to know more about the old schoolhouse on the property. Would definitely stay again. Great stop on the way to Glacier.
LisaGandMAGGie
5 months ago
We had great communication with the owner and settled in fine for the night as we were late getting there rught st dark. It was quiet and peaceful.
FowlerFamily
5 months ago
After a 2 +/- mile drive over bumpy gravel roads we arrived to find our site. Is was surprisingly level and certainly large enough for our 41ft fifth wheel. The area has several old buildings that aren't in use including the old town school house. Wheat (I think) fields surrounded us and we enjoyed walking the dogs and letting them run. The only traffic was an occasional farm tractor going down the road. Met the owner and kids later. They were very nice and accommodating. Gave me a quick history of the area which was interesting. We really enjoyed our stay, one of the most relaxing stops on our trip.