McGinnis Creek

Great area

I love the beauty of this area, it's so dark at night and there are pockets of phone service (Verizon) and there's so many animals and wild flowers.

There is a lot trafficking that happens here around the park though. Camping near West Glacier this is more prevalent because it's near the reservation. This area off North Fork Road is not far from the park and many people camp here also.

I had an experience today early morning where two men in a truck tried to break into my car to get to me. I keep the windows blacked out with covers aside from the back small windows that are dark tint. I call in my Subaru Outback.

They pulled up to look in the back windows and thought it was a woman in the car. Back the car up to block me and they got out of the car and came around to the cracked passenger window facing the forest to try to get to me.

They didn't realize I saw them the whole time around the top of the blackout curtain. I grabbed my keys and turned my alarm on. They thankfully sped off. I jumped in the front and sped away and called the police.

Many areas don't have cell service here, this spot did. Most are very vulnerable out here. It's 25min back to town and mostly without service.

Colombia Falls said they sent the police but no one ever came. They never called me. Didn't see one officer on the highway driving into town. The car with the men passed me and I told them the car info and still I don't think anything happened at all.

Don't sleep out here unless you have a gun and you feel very secure and self contained in your car. It's not safe. I had a similar experience in two other areas and I won't stay in the area anymore unless it's a private campground that is monitored or is a hotel room.

Be very very safe. If I had been sleeping, I don't know what would have happened.

Great camping for van life. Plenty of pull offs on the side of the road. First few miles of McGinnis Creek rd are open all year. After that, the gates are closed until July 1st. There are about 5 spots for bigger trailers. We managed to find a spot on a side road before the gates, that fit our 32' travel trailer. Verizon and tmobile service but only 1 to 2 bars. This spot is only about 25 minutes from West Glacier. The road is a really good gravel road.

In this video we provide a comprehensive review of 3 of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 16 day stay limit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0llxG33OdoQ 

Free Camping Near Glacier National Park- North Fork Road, Canyon Creek and McGinnis Creek Dispersed 

GPS Point for North Fork Road Dispersed Camping

48.499334,-114.131517 

Natural Spring for drinking water etc. 48.447581,-114.165680 

Conoco Station($5 Dump and Water) 48.371583,-114.203917 

Bonus Content GPS Info Canyon Creek Dispersed 48.463612,-114.167320 

McGinnis Creek Dispersed(start of road with North Fork Road Instersection) 48.52.3474,-114.128642 

McGinnis Creek Large Boondocking Area from Video 48.531014,-114.157493

Only two spots available at this campsite. However I would definitely say it’s worth trying. We tried twice. When both spots were full we just kept driving along the main dirt road. You can camp along that road at any pullout. We found a good, spacious area off the road and still with a fire pit. The second try there was a spot available at the McGinnis campsite (the smaller of the two). There are the most amazing views from this location! Pictures 1 & 2 are from the first location. I don’t have pictures from the actual site— we got in at dark. Picture 3 is from an overlook you can see very near the campsite. We have a pretty low clearance vehicle and had no problems. Would definitely recommend. It’s close enough to Glacier that it’s not hard to get to, but far enough away that it’s not as busy.

Thick, secluded, amazing. Camped 5+ miles off north fork road and it was incredible. Bring bug spray and be aware of animals especially where we camped. The river was 15’away and guided me and the wife to sleep. Can’t wait to come back and explore these mountains even more. It also helps that most of the tourists do not know about this area

This is dispersed camping with no amenities, but it makes up for that with the views. Pack in, pack out, LNT, and be bear aware! We pulled up in the middle of the night and had no idea the views we would wake up to. We were able to get there in a low clearance, two wheel drive in the summer, so regular cars should be fine. Be aware that there are only 1-2 spots here, however, there are plenty of pullouts along N Fork Rd. We parked at the secondary spot since the primary spot was taken at 10pm :) The site is near the western entrance of Glacier going into Apgar village.