Bean Lake Fishing Access Site (FAS) is a tiny lake in Montana, about 67 miles southwest of Great Falls. It’s free camping, and one of a few free campsites offered by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Bean Lake offers only two campsites for RVers, but there appears to be two, maybe three additional campsites for cars and tent campers. The two for RVs are along the south part of the lake, both accessed by Dearborn Lake Rd. These two campsites have picnic tables and fire rings. These two also have pit toilets.
There is no fee collection box anywhere. There are no signs mentioning camping fees. Moreover, there are no signs posted specifying how long you can camp here.
Considering how small Bean Lake is, and how far away from civilization it is, there’s probably no problems with people trying to camp here for too long. In fact, when I arrived here, on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, there was no one here, and looked as if there hadn’t been anyone camping here for awhile.
Verizon 4G is non-existent here, however it appears you can still get voice and texting here.
Bean Lake does harbor a lot of flying insects, including mosquitoes.
There are no towns nearby with amenities. You’d have to drive 39 miles into Wolf Creek, just to find a gas station.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a place where no one will find you, and you can seemingly stay for as long as you want without having to pay, then Bean Lake might be your choice. Just make sure to bring plenty of mosquito repellent.
Don’t Take State Road 434
Don’t take State Road 434 into Bean Lake. That section of road between Highway 200 and Dearborn Lake Rd has a weak steel bridge with a wooden plank road that spans Dearborn River, and cannot handle loads over 14,000 pounds. Moreover, the bridge is very narrow, just barely wide enough to accommodate a 8.5 foot wide trailer like mine. You will not be able to turn around and go back; there is no room to turn around, and there is a steep descent towards the bridge. Your truck or RV may not be able to get traction on the gravel road driving reverse back up hill.
The better route is to take US-287 to Flat Creek Rd (in the hamlet of Milford Colony). This route is wider, more flat, and easily accessible by 2WD and low clearance vehicles.
Leave a Reply