OutReserve

Dead Swede

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River near Dead Swede
River near Dead Swede 2
Rocky cliff in Dead Swede Campground
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Featured amenities

Pet Friendly
Pet Friendly
River Access
River Access

About Dead Swede

Dead Swede Campground is located just off the Bighorn Scenic Byway (U.S. Highway 14) near the Burgess Overlook and Woodrock areas at an elevation of 8,400 feet. The Bighorn National Forest offers a wide variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, scenic driving and a number of historic sites. The administering organization is Rustic Freedom/Gallatin Canyon Campgrounds; e-mail: support@rusticfreedom.com; phone number: 307-431-7446.

Number of accommodations: 17

Campground Amenities

  • Pet Friendly
    Pet Friendly
  • River Access
    River Access

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently closed - Opens on Jun 12

Sites & Availability

17 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 002, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 003, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 004, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 008, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 009, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 010, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 011, Loop: LOOP A
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 012, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 013, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 014, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 015, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 016, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 017, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 018, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 019, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 020, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night
🚐 021, Loop: LOOP B
No Hookups
$20.50
/ per night

Reviews (84)

What Guests Are Saying

Dead Swede campground is highly praised for its cleanliness, well-maintained facilities, and attentive camp hosts, making it one of the best camping experiences for many visitors. The beautiful location by the South Tongue River and opportunities for wildlife viewing, including moose and deer, enhance its appeal. However, some guests noted issues with site privacy and noise from nearby ATV traffic, which may detract from the experience for some campers.

Review Summary

4.5
84 reviews
5
71.4%
60
4
15.5%
13
3
6.0%
5
2
4.8%
4
1
2.4%
2

Sharon S

Verified

July 4, 2022 Stayed at: 011, Loop: LOOP A

2

I thought that quiet hours meant that generators were not supposed to run during those hours. They ran all night all around us and we were in a tent. It was a horrible experience. They were so loud that even earplugs didn't do much. The guy next to us would start it at night and let it run until it ran out of gas which was usually around 3am.

Jack B

Verified

July 2, 2022 Stayed at: 019, Loop: LOOP B

5

This was my fifth trip to the Bighorn Forest Campgrounds. I have stayed in both Dead Swede and Tie Flume. Both are great. I usually do pretty good fly fishing the streams, but this year was kind of poor fishing. It may be that spring came a little late this year, since the camp host told me the campground had only opened a few days before my arrival.

Sean M

Verified

July 1, 2022 Stayed at: 012, Loop: LOOP B

3

Beautiful NF campground tucked away in the Bighorns amidst a pine forest. Some sites are more desirable than others (the ones that abut the creek on the lower loop). Very clean and nice smelling pit toilets. During our stay (6/23) the water had yet to be cleared by the forest service for drinking. Seems to be a nice base camp for UTV/ATV/OHV trails.

jeffrey s

Verified

June 29, 2022 Stayed at: 021, Loop: LOOP B

5

more secluded and private than we expected. we were hoping for that as we needed a couple of days off from the world

Robbin L

Verified

June 22, 2022 Stayed at: 008, Loop: LOOP A

1

It was closed due to snow and no one let us know. I am expecting a full refund.

David S

Verified

October 1, 2021 Stayed at: 004, Loop: LOOP A

5

NICE AND QUITE

Drew H

Verified

September 18, 2021 Stayed at: 012, Loop: LOOP B

4

Probably not your fault...but Google Maps leads you down a different forest road that is incredibly rocky and rough. Not sure how that can be fixed on your end, but that road took me 30 minutes versus the 8 it normally takes on the main road. Everything else was great!

I was also alarmed by the 3 graves that were near my site...but I guess that's why it's called Dead Swede :)

Mick H

Verified

September 17, 2021 Stayed at: 013, Loop: LOOP B

4

Perfect with one exception. They need to make the turn around a little bigger for large RV’s. Scratched the side of mine when leaving. If I’d have known the turn around was so small I’d have backed out as I was in the second location from the entrance.

John M

Verified

September 11, 2021 Stayed at: 019, Loop: LOOP B

5

Dead Swede, especially campsite 15 and 16, is a beautiful place to camp. We saw moose in the campground, so you need to be alert for them. The campground has big campsites, plenty of room to park a trailer and is well maintained.

John L

Verified

September 10, 2021 Stayed at: 008, Loop: LOOP A

5

One of my favorite campgrounds! Very clean and quiet. Bathrooms are exceptional. We had a mama moose and baby walk across the creek! It was rainy one of the days so we took a drive to Shell Falls - very pretty!

Location Dead Swede

Address:
Forest Road 235
Dayton, WY, 82836
United States

Latitude & Longitude: 44.6892 / -107.447

Elevation: 2578 feet

Policies & Rules

Category About
General

The administering organization reserves the right to substitute sites without prior notice.
Two non-towed vehicles allowed per site. The first vehicle is included in the basic fee; the second vehicle will be charged an extra $9.00 fee at the campground.

General

Groups larger than 20 people must use a Day Use facility; Willow Park, Hettinger, Ranger Creek Recreation Area or Pine Island offer group camping

General

Firewood bundles may be purchased from the campground host.

General

Click here for more information on the Bighorn National Forest

General

Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing organisms by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.

General

Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).

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