Salmon Lake State Park Campground

I wish I could say our stay at Salomon Lake State Park was pleasant. The site was gorgeous. The camp hosts were very nice. The bathroom had flushable toilets. There were pay showers, including a handicapped shower. The cost 75 cents for 3 mins. They claimed the temp had been set at 110 degrees for your protection. It was NOT 110 degrees. I almost froze to death. My biggest disappointment came from the fact the only access to the lake from campground was to a sweet little beach through a path between campgrounds 22 and 23. Now I have posted in the pics descriptions from the website of these 2 sites. Note the size and description. No where does it say 1/2 a mile or more of beach in front of these 2 sites is included nor do the measurements given with these sites come close to including the beach. However we were chased off said beach first by the 2 site occupants then by the ranger, D. Curtis. Both stating the beach was included with their sites and that they- wait for paid for it. Huh? What a load of horse manure. First of all do these prime pieces of real estate that by these occupants and the Rangers description measure 3 to 4 times larger than a regular upper loop site cost more than a regular site? That would be a NEGATIVE!( I have also included a description of site 18. Our site cost$34 a night.) Paid for that extra beach real estate? PFFT! In addition to renting out the only beach access from the campground apparently the same person can reserve the same spot for the entire season! Say what? As I was sitting there on the beach in my wheel chair waiting for my husband to come back from kayaking I had the privledge of having the person from site 22 and 23 screaming at ME for 45 mins. What was I supposed to do? Teleport myself and my husband's bike to the road? During her rant the woman from 23 bragged about how she got up early at the beginning of the season to reserve the site for entire season. Where I come a person can rent a site for 7 days Then must move on. If this is indeed true I find it sad Salmon Lake allows someone to hoard space like that. Before we went to use the beach we asked the campground host if we could. They assured us no problem. My husband and I were off to the side out of way of both campsites. We were doing our best to be considerate of others. Apparently that counts for nada. If you want to use motor boats there is a really nice day use area about 1 mile down the road. If you want to just get wet or splash around well there's the rub. While this sweet little beach would easily support the entire campground of non motorized swimmers it is reserved for the special campers in sites 22 and 23 so the rest of you will have haul your cookies to the day use area or another lake. Just remember A) there are no signs of any kind posted on the the beach B) dimensions of the site do not match with the webite, the beach is not included. Forewarned is forearmed. You know I guess by rights we should have laid claim to horse shoe pit right next to our van the night before and chased away the family using it but then again my moma raised me to be better than that. Sorry Warden/Ranger D. Curtis while you were nice and tried to be charming, sadly you were a fail. Either you were slipped a little something on the side, you don't know how to read or you simply didn't care enough to go beyond the bare bones and just wanted to hot foot it back to your little shack. Either way you allowed 2 people to bully a woman in a wheelchair, call me names and didn't offer support. Welcome to Montana Hospitality! I wish I could recommend Salmon State Park but that would be a big Negative Ghost Rider The Pattern is Full😊

We stayed at Salmon Lake on 2 different occasions in June 2021.  We were lucky enough to score last minute reservation on the lower loop. The lower loop is right on the water and has only 2 campsites, #22 and #23. These two sites are farther down the hill so we did not hear the street noise that other campers complain about in the upper loop. We were tent camping when we stayed in site #22 and #23,  Site #22 has a very nice covered picnic table and is large enough to accommodate a large RV or trailer. This  lower loop only has pit toilet but the upper loop has flush toilets and  very clean showers.  We did appreciate that they sold firewood at the campground for $4. This campground also has very nice walk-in campsite for cyclist and hikers.  We enjoyed both of our stays and would highly recommend the lower loop since the sites were right on the water and you had more privacy.

The bathhouse was fairly new. Showers were taken operated and warm. Much more road noise than we had anticipated. Hard surface driveways/road. Grassy area for tent was not very level and fairly rocky. Short walk to the water. Beautiful sunset.

Nice campground with swimming area and great lake views.

Well managed, clean, and pretty campground with views through the trees of Salmon Lake. Best access to the lake is from the day use and boat ramp area south of the campground. We enjoyed exploring all the trails leading down to and along the lake. The park manager was very friendly and helpful. We lucked out and got a site with water and electricity. The only down side was we could hear the highway during the day, but it quieted at night. The sites closer to the lake probably didn’t have that issue. The walk-in tent sites are really nice above the lake.

Nice campground, if bustling! We were the only tent campers but the sites were nice, somewhat spacious. Appreciated the firewood vending machine ($4/bundle) and ice availability. Good amenities; flushing toilets, running water and showers. Was just hoping for a little more privacy and peace and quiet; the traffic noise was really noticeable so I’d bear that in mind (especially if you’re in a tent)! There’s a few little trails with views of the lake. It’s paved so kids can bike/scooter. You will have to drive to the day use area if you are boating and that space was definitely very busy and crowded, even on a Monday-Wednesday stay.

A long lake that often doesn't have a lot of boaters on it. The campground is spacious. Large RV did see to have issues with parking (over 30 feet). Loved the day use area and very family friendly.

Salmon Lake is quite stunning. There's a nice boat launch and dock right off the highway. It's a busy spot for day use. We camped in our RV so we weren't bothered by the road noise, but if you were in a tent, it might be bothersome. Really impressed by the cleanliness of the shower and restrooms. We constantly saw staff during our 3-night stay. They were helpful and friendly. We met the park manager (Ryan I think). He came to talk to us about Bear safety and our grill. He gave the kids a state park ranger badge and a sucker. It was super nice to deal with someone who handles rules and enforcement tactfully. Now my son says he wants to be a park ranger 😂

Overall, this park was great but we would likely stay at a less busy park in the future.

Be prepared for lots of neighbors, children on bikes, and the sound of boats hitting the water early.

If having access to your car and a shower are your thing, this campground is perfect.

There are some big campsites, which make getting away for the weekend with a bunch a friends a breeze, and dogs are more than welcome.

Not so great for solitude, fishing, or calmness.

This is a lake campground so every spot is really the best. Bring your boat with all the toys you have! Nearby hikes are in the Mission Mountains.