This campsite is such a good find! It does take a car with some guts to get up the Mesa, (some of the road is paved, other parts not) but after you’re on top it isn’t terrible getting around. I’ve camped here a few times and it’s possible for it to be windy because you’re on a mesa surrounded by valleys. No amount of wind could ruin the view though! It’s beautiful here!! Absolutely recommend!
(No amenities)
After not getting a reservation to Going to the Sun Road for the first day of our trip, we decided to go to the East Side of Glacier for the day where no reservations are required. We did a little research before heading to the campground for the night. It historically doesn’t fill all the way up. You cannot reserve a spot online— it’s just first come, first serve. We pulled in around 7:00pm and there were still quite a few spots. (For reference.. this was a Friday night on the last week of a July— so during busy season.) $20/night. Bathrooms are available. The lake is BEAUTIFUL. I highly recommend watching the sunrise from the benches around the lake. A colder night because of the proximity to water but a beautiful site. Would absolutely recommend to everyone visiting Glacier!!
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.
This campsite was a really good find. The road to get in wasn’t bad for our low clearance vehicle. Other reviews on here said there are only three spots. We didn’t see all three because the first one was open and we took it. Large grassy area with a fire pit. Be prepared for a colder night because of your proximity to the water. The only negative thing about this campsite were the masses of mosquitoes and other bugs.