Branham Lakes Campground and Picnic Area

This adventure is a bonafide gem. If fairies lived in Montana, this is where they would reside. But they wouldn’t be the fairies portrayed in Disney movies. They’d be strong, undaunted rustic fairies that were miniatures of the roughest, toughest pioneer women and mountain men from the Tobacco Root Mountain Range’s past. And these fairies that live in this area would force you to sign (with a drop of blood from your finger) a magical contract agreeing that if you enter their territory, you won’t alter one blade of grass, steal one rock from their lake waters, or pluck one of their wildflowers. Alright... we know fairies aren’t real. But If you go on this adventure, please treat it like the true diamond that it is. Please leave no trace, and enjoy this Montana treasure!

At 8,800 feet, Branham Lakes Campground and Picnic Area is one of the highest places you can drive to in Southwest Montana. It’s located in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in the Tobacco Root Mountains. And though the road to get there is pretty rough, the beauty of this area is totally worth it! The wildflowers!!! Near the creek flowing down from the upper lake, there was the most beautiful blanket of many different types of wildflowers that I’ve ever seen! And the two little alpine lakes were really cool — great for kayaking, paddle boarding, or swimming (though it’d be a refreshingly brisk swim!) The Montana FWP website says the lakes have abundant self-sustaining populations of Brook trout, so it sounds like some good fishing in the clear water.

The small rustic campground is on the edge of the upper lake and has six designated sites, with some sites resting right on the lakeshore. (We found two non-designated spots where you could set up camp on the east edge of the lower lake.) Each site in the campground has a picnic table and fire ring. The campground also has vaulted toilets, but no drinkable water. There are also no garbage services, so pack it in, pack it out. And since this is bear country, proper food storage is required! There’s also no fee for camping here, and the campground is only open July 1st - September 15th. I imagine that there could still be snow drifts in early July that keep you from getting to the lakes — depending on the weather.

Lastly, directions are easy — From Highway 287, turn east onto Mill Street which becomes Mill Creek Road, and drive exactly 13 miles. But the road really can be difficult. It is narrow, so trailers are not recommended. When we were there, the other drivers we encountered were courteous and we were easily able to slowly pass by each other on the dirt road. We also recommend a high-clearance vehicle with good tires, or even a 4WD vehicle.