About Big Nelson Campground
This campground, on the shoreline of Cooper's Lake near Ovando, Montana, is a semi-remote, developed campground which offers shady rest and a beautiful view of the lake and adjacent mountains. The Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wildernesses are 7 miles away by trail. Big Nelson has tent camping only. No camping is allowed in the parking lot and no trailers are permitted.
- Fees: At this time we are not charging any use fees at this recreation site.
- Managed by: USFS - Lolo National Forest
- Where: 12 mi east of Ovando, MT · 47.07022, -112.92216
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jul–Sep (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Oct–Apr.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coopers Lake | Horse, Dirt bike | 0.5 mi | 2.8 mi |
| Bear Creek | Dirt bike | 1.0 mi | 5.7 mi |
| Bear Creek/ Penney Lake | Dirt bike | 1.5 mi | 0.6 mi |
| Dry Creek Trail | Horse | 1.6 mi | 16.6 mi |
| Windy Pass/ Mineral Creek | Horse | 2.4 mi | 4.2 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
No signal at camp
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way casts shadows and the sky is crowded with stars.
Class 1 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Dump station: 21.5 mi
Nearest of each within 25 miles, straight-line.Camps nearby
- Browns Lake Campground 9.2 mi
- Pine Grove Campground 9.6 mi
- Moose Creek campground (free) 10.3 mi
- Harry Morgan Campground 10.5 mi
- Monture Creek Campground 11.2 mi
- Monture Guard Station Cabin 11.6 mi