Big Arm State Unit — Flathead Lake State Park, near Big Arm, Montana, is a fantastic spot for those looking to soak up the beauty of nature while enjoying some quality camping time. With sites that are often right on the water, you’ll have stunning views of Flathead Lake and the surrounding mountains, making it a perfect backdrop for your outdoor adventures.

The campground offers a range of amenities, including clean bathrooms, showers, and picnic tables, which campers appreciate for their convenience. Many visitors have praised the friendly camp hosts who are always ready to help, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere. One camper noted, “The camp hosts here were so friendly and welcoming. They made us feel right at home.”

For those who love wildlife, keep your eyes peeled for eagles and other birds that frequent the area. The peaceful environment is ideal for relaxing by the water or enjoying a campfire under the stars. As one happy camper put it, “It was a perfect peaceful spot to hang out for 24 hours.”

If you’re up for some exploration, the nearby Flathead Lake offers plenty of opportunities for kayaking and swimming, though the water can be a bit chilly. Just remember to book your site well in advance, as this popular spot fills up quickly. Whether you’re tent camping, RVing, or trying out a yurt, Big Arm State Unit is a great choice for your next getaway.

Big Arm is located on Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. Twenty-eight miles long and 15 miles wide, Flathead Lake is renowned for its fishing. 

Located on the lake's Big Arm Bay, its long pebble beach is popular with sunbathers and swimmers. Camping under a stand of mature ponderosa pine and juniper is a major attraction. The hiking trail provides excellent vistas of surrounding mountain ranges and high peaks with abundant watchable wildlife opportunities. Other opportunities include: fishing for lake trout, board sailing, boating, swimming, camping, picnicking, bicycling, hiking the 2.5 mile trail, wildlife viewing, scuba diving, and water-skiing.

This site is 2,953 feet in elevation and covers 240 acres. The campground has 41 campsites, including one wheelchair accessible site; one group campsite; and three yurts. Maximum RV/trailer length is 40 feet. Bear resistant storage lockers are available.

Yurts offer the latest in circular camping comfort. The Mission yurt is 20’ in diameter, Salish and Swan are 16’ in diameter, and the Swan yurt is ADA accessible. All yurts have furniture, electrical outlets, lights, and electric heat. Yurt sites includes a picnic table and a fire pit for cooking.

A tribal fishing license is needed for fishing at this park. Campers may stay only 14 days during a 30-day period. Pets are required to be on leashes.

Big Arm is a popular jumping-off point to Wild Horse Island, a 2,163-acre island in Flathead Lake State Park, located off the west shore of the lake. The island is home to bald eagles, bighorn sheep, yellow-pine chipmunks, and wild horses.

Big Arm State Unit — Flathead Lake State Park

Join the fun near Big Arm. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Find the best campgrounds near Big Arm, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.

Big Arm

The Best Camping Near Big Arm, Montana

Camp right along Flathead Lake in a campground with modern amenities (running water, showers). The campground is quite large for my taste (I prefer tent camping in solitude), but it is clean and well-maintained with a killer view. 

Flathead Lake at it's Best

Just an hour south of the west entrance of Glacier, Flathead Lake provides a quieter scene than the national park with the view of one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the country. Coming down to this state park is a nice "getaway" (if you even need to call it that!) from the summer crowds of Glacier with a great view of the lake and a relaxing atmosphere. There's also a cute winery just down the road called Mission Mountain if you are looking for other activities. Highly recommend this spot!

Beauty without the crowds of Glacier



Yo mr the most amazing way to stay here is in a yurt! These circular traditional structures are an experience not soon forgotten buy kids or adults alike







Yurt

We stayed at here for two days prior to heading into the backcountry at GNP. The campsites are right along the edge of the Flathead Lake, which I believe is the largest lake in MT. There are plenty of places to launch a canoe or kayak and even a dock for motorized boats. There are several places nearby to rent boats if you want to play on the water. If you want to play in the water that is ok too. Jump right in! The water was a bit chilly but might be better other times of the year. We were there in late August. We rented kayaks from a local place and paddled out to Wild Horse Island. It was well worth the trip. Although we didn't get to see the horses, the island is teaming with wildlife. During the day the lake is busy with skiers, tubers, wakeboarders, etc. Didn't try fishing but saw many people doing it. 

A fun place to stay - even better if you visit Glacier and Wild Horse Island!

There are a few yurts here, which is where we stayed since some are ADA accessible. Campsites are among the trees and at least half of them are right along the lake. There are showers but overall a nice simple campground. There are some hiking trails here, great wildlife, but boating is the main attraction. WIld Horse island in Flathead Lake is incredible, absolutely worth the trip (by boat only). 


Yurt camping 

My daughter and I spent 2 nights in this campground in August 2017\. Our site was right on the lake. We enjoyed a very lazy day hanging out, reading and swiming.

Well maintained campground

Camped in one of the spots that is right on the lake and could get in the water easily. Water is really clear. End if may start of June there's a ton of pollen in the water.

Staying there from out of state is pretty spendy. Showers are $3 for 6 minutes.

Over all a nice place to stay &amp; expierance. Defenitly worth having some kind of water craft to play in the water!

Lake front camping

This park is gorgeous, most of the sites are along the water, and there’s a boat launch and hiking trails too. Staff is very friendly and the views of the lake and Wild Horse Island are incredible!

Gorgeous park! 

Campground was clean and well maintained. Campers were friendly and respectable. Showers a plus! Great fishing and docks to put boats or Jetskis in. Plenty of space to hange hammocks and set up tents. Highly recommend!

Oh say can you see! 

The campground offers many lakeside campsites complete with picnic table and fire rings.  There were 3 yurts for those interested.  all vehicles, including camping vehicles, park alongside road; there are few, if any, pull-in sites.  There is room for a tent or two in the sIte.  Most of the lakeside sites also have a small amount of slope.  

The camp hosts were absolutely fantastic!  There is firewood and ice  for sale at the park.  Polson is about 20-30 mInutes away and has grocery stores, etc.  If you go to Polson, check out The Cove Deli for some really great ice-cream.

The showers were really awkward, but did the job.  They take $ coins (available from host if needed) and quarters. 

If you aren’t bringing  your own boat, Boat Rentals and Rides is only 2 miles down the road.  We rented 2 glass bottom kayaks.  Warning: lake conditions change suddenly and we saw the waves blow in 2 dIfferent directions durIng the 2 days we were there.  There were no bear boxes at the sites, only one by the bathroom.


Lakeside Camping on Flathead 

GORGEOUS! dry camping but beautiful view! We had lake front with a picnic table by the lake. Friendly hosts &amp; rangers. Bathrooms &amp; water pumps available

For a state park fee - totally worth it!

I meant to crash here one night on my way from Glacier to Yellowstone but it was so beautiful I stayed an extra day. 

Most of the sites are along the water, but seem a little close to one another. Fortunately, the woman at the gate told me about sites T1 and T3. They are both walk-in sites at the end of the campground (50ft to T1 and maybe 300ft to T3) and are SO worth it. I stayed at T3 and could not recommend it more. It’s large, you get nearly 100ft of private lakeside, plenty of sun but also enough trees to provide shade. It’s just spectacular. The only draw back is that the tent site is a bit sloped, but that’s it. Everything else is magnificent. I set my hammock up over the edge of the water and just read all day with a couple dips in the lake here and there. 

Truly one of the best campsites I’ve ever had. 

One of the best sites on my toad trip

Had a great time here in may despite the water still being cold it didn’t stop my kids from plunging in. The reservable sites have lake access and views. The camp hosts are great and fun people. 

Great campsite with lakefront views 

Good Area, Not Very Secluded 

It's refreshing to see so may campsites right on the water.  Flathead Lake is a very large wonder of nature and the town of Polson is perfectly situated.  You will not see a more gorgeous mountain range.  Lots of space here and no excuse not to get in/on the water.  Sites were close at points and the tree cover could be better, but this place is well-loved and has a ton of great touches.  Not much of a downgrade from the Flathead Lake/West Shore campground to the north.

Lots of right-on-the-water stuff?  Uh-huh.

I have nothing negative to say about this beautiful park. We tent camped 3 nights, had our pick of sites in late September, right on the water. The camp hosts here were so friendly and welcoming. They made us feel right at home. Gorgeous view of Wild Horse Island. There are bear lockers, but not at each site. Just kind of scattered here and there. Fire pit, picnic table. We pretty much just hung out at the park, it was so peaceful and relaxing. Crystal clear water. Highly recommended, but I’m guessing it gets pretty crowded in summer. 

 Perfect park

Beautiful campground

This place is amazing!  We're staying on loop A and we are right on the water. No electricity but there's clean bathrooms, clean shower house that costs tokens, picnic tables, fire rings, fresh water spickets and access to buy ice and firewood from the camp hosts! So peaceful here. Will be coming back here for sure!! 

Hidden 💎 

I love Flathead Lake and this campground was wonderful. A lot of the sites are pretty tightly packed together and we lucked out by getting this RV site that was right on the lake and separate from the other campers.

  

We had a wall to sit on and look out at the water. Too cold for me to swim, but my brother jumped in. It was a perfect peaceful spot to hang out for 24 hours. 

  

An eagle came and sat in a tree next to us for hours. 

  

This is a place I will return to, for sure!

This Place was Amazing and We Had the Best Spot

Absolutely love this campground. They were so accommodating when we booked a site our unit wouldn’t fit on they gladly moved us. 

If you aren’t right on the water, you’re definitely a short distance away. 

The amenities are great and the camp hosts are always friendly. Definitely worth staying here. 

Love this place

Reserved this deamy site right on the water. Tent 1 is closest to parking but has the most traffic going by to the other sites. 

Pit toilet nearby and a quick drive to flushable toilets. Showers available with tokens from the camphost ($3 for 6 minutes) but camphost weren't around when I was looking so no personal experience here. 

Tent site 

If you’re looking to sleep at the lake, this spot can’t be beat. The sites are close together but everyone has enough space. Lots of large trailers in the b loop — big, flat spots. A couple of walk-in sites still available at 3 pm on a Saturday in late June!

Idyllic lakeside spot

Nice campground, a bit tight if you are a bigger rig but doable in the right spot, 2-3 bars of AT&amp;T 5g, good enough to work, and quite all night. 

Lake views

Views were great, staff was very friendly and helpful. Definitely worth the stop if they have a spot open

Lovely Campground 

This State Park is located directly on the Flathead Lake. Stunning views of the Mission Mountains, and just off the highway for guests to pull off and take a dip!

Photos of Big Arm State Unit — Flathead Lake State Park

Real photos from real campers