Established Camping
Big Larch Campground
About
USDA Forest Service
Lolo National Forest
Overview
Big Larch Campground is located on the east shoreline of Seeley Lake within the Lolo National Forest in Montana. A great place to cool off on a hot day, it has a beach and a boat ramp, as well as ample shade for those who just want to relax and enjoy nature. The campground is a favorite of locals, with plenty of space for camping, picnicking and recreating on the water.
Recreation
___ The campground is popular for swimming, fishing, biking, paddling and boating. Anglers cast for a variety of freshwater fish including Kokanee salmon, bass, whitefish, pike, trout and perch, among other species. Water skiing is a popular activity on the lake.__ ___ The Clearwater Canoe Trailhead just North of Seeley Lake offers excellent flat water for viewing wildlife such as blue herons and river otters. The water trail is popular with canoeists and kayakers as it stretches 3.5 miles, or a couple of hours, down the river. ___ The Morrell Falls National Recreation Trail on the East side of the valley offers an incredible day hike exploring recent burns, dense forests, and a large waterfall.__
Facilities
Two group camping areas, 29 individiual RV/tent campsites, and three bicycle campsites are available for reservation the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day. These campsites will transition to first-come/first-serve outside of these dates.__ 19 individual sites are available on a First-Come/First-Serve basis. These campsites can be paid for onsite by scanning a QR Code using the Recreation.gov mobile app. Visitors will need to download the free recreation.gov mobile app through Android or iOS. This is best done prior to arrival All campites are each equipped with picnic tables, campfire rings with grills, and a large paved parking area. Accessible vault toilets, drinking water and trash receptacles are avaliable throughout the campground. Campground hosts on site 24 hours a day.__ The campground also offers a spacious day use area that includes a roped-off swimming beach, a boat ramp, a dock, boat trailer parking, and several picnic areas. Day use facilities are open year-round from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily. No fees or reservations are required for day use.
Natural Features
Big Larch Campground is located on the east shoreline of Seeley Lake, a 1,025 acre, glacial-formed lake within the "Chain of Lakes" - through which the Clearwater River flows.__ The campground is nestled in a mixed conifer forest, including plenty of tall larch and pine trees. While there is ample space between sites, the lack of understory makes for minimal privacy. At an elevation of about 4,000 feet, temperatures are pleasant throughout most of the summer months. The area contains a wide variety of wildlife and is home to white-tailed deer, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, grizzly and black bears (learn about bear safety ). Both the bald and golden eagle reside in the forest, along with trumpeter swan, herons and dozens of varieties of ducks.
Nearby Attractions
___ The town of Seeley Lake, MT on the southeastern tip of the lake offers a variety of recreation services such as boat, canoe, and kayak rentals as well as guide services and resorts. Services like gas, groceries, restaurants, and lodging can also be found in town. Access to a variety of forests, sweeping views, mountain lakes, and rugged peaks can be discovered just a short drive up any of the nearby Forest Service roads. ___ Just a day trip away from Seeley Lake, Glacier National Park is known for a variety of opportunities to explore alpine landscapes, active glaciers, and view unique wildlife. Contact the park for current conditions.__ ___ About an hour from Seeley Lake, Missoula is one of Western Montana___s outdoor recreation hubs. Missoula is a full-service city with 2 hospitals, an international airport, and access to services, hotels, and outdoor activities.
Fee Info
Location
Big Larch Campground is located in Montana
Directions
From I-90: take exit 109 for MT-200 E and travel for 32.3 mi. Turn left onto MT-83 N and travel 14.0 mi to Seeley Lake, MT. Continue north on Highway 83 for 1 mile. The campground entrance is located on the west side of the highway.__ Directions to Group Sites: Continue straight at the first fork and the group sites will be on the left.__ To Sites in Loop 1 (sites 1-10): Turn left at the fork, then turn right at the first intersection.__ To Sites in Loop 2 (sites 14-28): Turn left at the fork, then turn right at the second intersection.__ To Sites in Loop 3 (sites 34-49): Turn left at the fork, then turn right at the third intersection.__ To Sites in Loop 4 (sites 11-13, 29-33, 50): Continue straight at the fork, follow the road past the group sites, swimming beach, and bike sites. Loop 4 campsites are located on both sides of the access road.__
Address
Big Larch Campground
3335 MT-HWY 83 N
Seeley lake, MT 59868
Coordinates
47.1922222 N
113.4938889 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonFair
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Water Hookups
Mid-October
This was the only campground open in late season on Seeley Lake. Not many people. So, very quiet. Some sites are wide open with very little shelter or shade, others are nicely tucked into groves of trees. Almost all sites are angled to back an RV into. Many could handle 30 foot rigs easily. Really strong Verizon signal
Beautiful spots and lake
Campsites are close together but there is nice trails, clean vault toilets, picnic tables. Dog friendly but not near the lake.
Enjoyed my week stay
Decided to stay here for 5 nights & all were enjoyable. During the week, it’s very quiet. Around Thursday evening, Friday morning, it fills up more but there’s about 50 sites and still had some free while I was there. You can walk to the beach access from the campground. Lots of people mentioned overgrown areas and the host was clearing the picnic table areas during my stay. Each site has a table and fire ring. There’s also several vault toilets and dumpsters scattered throughout the campground. My site was really open and gave me great sunlight for my solar. Also, keep everything locked up at all times. Black bears are active in this area and saw one during the afternoon in the field behind the few station. $20/night during the main season. There’s potable water stations in each loop. Be sure to visit Morrell Falls hike (about 25 min away) and Holland Lake on a warm day, both beautiful! Also had 2-3 bars of 5G AT&T service and was able to work just fine.
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Good beach area
Beach are is nice, campground is spread out with mix of day use and camp sites. Lacking some shade for some sites. Popular day use area for locals.
By Seeley
Winter but nice level Sites. Nat forest still open till dec.
Greenest
Big Larch was a surprise - a sprawling, super-green, uber 🦌-y, ultra-shady respite. If you choose well, you'll have space away from neighbors, though none of the sites are far from a campground road. You just enter this lush cover of leaves right away, pulling you toward the trails, the water and the sun peaking through.
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Be prepared for a big change.
This once lovely campground that was aptly named Big Larch, had been logged until almost unrecognizable. The campsites that are somewhat close but used to feel private because of the dense foliage are now out on display. You can easily see/hear all your neighbors. Not to mention the mess left from the recent logging. Sad to see such a beautiful campground reduced to this.
Good spot on Seeley
Camped the last week of June here and it was one of the only places that had availability. The fee was 10 bucks and it was a nice facility. The beach and boating area was well maintained, and great for my son. The camp spots were a bit small but had a fire ring and potable water was every few campsites. Bathrooms were vaults but fairly close as well. Campsite maintenance had the wood from cutting stacked near each spot, so you could use it for fire wood. Nice spot and would recommend.