Visitors can enjoy outdoor fun as two Bureau of Land Management campgrounds and related facilities in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument re-opened on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Officials with the BLM’s North Central Montana District said in a news release that campgrounds at the James Kipp and Coal Banks Landing recreation areas will be first to emerge from winter and reopen their gates.
James Kipp Recreation Area is situated along the Upper Missouri River where U.S. Highway 191 crosses the river valley in central Montana. There are 34 no-hookup campsites that can accommodate trailers or recreational vehicles (RVs) up to 40 feet in length. Each site has a designated fire ring and picnic table. The campground is equipped with vault toilets, trash dumpsters and an RV waste dump. All sites are first-come, first-served. Monument staff note that campground improvements are still in-progress, and some sites may be missing a picnic table for the first few weeks of April.
Coal Banks Landing Campground, located between Loma and Big Sandy, is the starting point for many river trips within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and features 20 first-come, first-served campsites.
Other recreation sites will likely become available for visitor use by mid-May, based on seasonal road conditions affecting access, including Judith Landing Campground (opens May 15).
Staff anticipate the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center in Fort Benton, which was temporarily closed to the public because of a faulty heating system, will also reopen in mid-May.
For more information, click here to visit the website.
