Big Meadow Lake Campground
This campground is equipped with tent/trailer sites, interpretive trails, boat launch, and a nice fishing dock. Some campsites are private and some with a lake view. This campground is good for wildlife viewing especially around the lake. A short paved walk out to a lookout viewing platform affords great views of the lake. Nearby is the Hess Homestead Cabin which is day use only, first come first serve.
More like this: first-come in Washington · tent only in Washington
Amenities & rules
| Equipment | Tents |
Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.
Season & status
| Status | Closed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date. |
| Season | Memorial Day Weekend to October 27 |
| Forest | Colville National Forest |
| Rules | Washington state fishing license required. Internal combustion motors prohibited. Quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Campfire in developed fire ring only. Fireworks are prohibited. Pets must be on leash. OHV use prohibited in the campground. Maximum length of stay: 14 days |
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 48.7296° N, 117.5635° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- PrescribedSl Rx - Lost Creek Stewardship
6 mi from the campground
- PrescribedNp Rx - High Noon Stewardship
11 mi from the campground
- PrescribedLpr Rx - Paulke
19 mi from the campground · 331 acres
- PrescribedD8 Rx Misc Pile Burn
32 mi from the campground · 1 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
Supplies & services
| Outdoor gear | Anacortes Telescope & Wild Bird ↗ | 20.3 mi |
| Dump station | Dump station ↗ | 34.4 mi |
| RV sales & service | Kootenay RV ↗ | 54.3 mi |
Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.
No site-by-site records, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.
Explore
Video
Big Meadow Family Campground - Townsend, Tennessee - Campground Review
Trails nearby
- under 0.1 miLake Shore Spur0.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 0.1 miLakeshore1.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 0.1 miMeadow Creek1.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 0.4 miHomestead0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 3.4 miThomas Mountain1.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.
Public land it sits in
This campground sits inside Colville National Forest.
- inColville National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 1,752,994 acres
- 14.4 miLittle Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge ↗National Wildlife Refuge · Fish and Wildlife Service · 40,908 acres
Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.
Other campgrounds nearby
On the National Register nearby
- Idaho and Wash. Northern RR BridgeStructure · Metaline Falls · 7.8 mi
- Metaline Falls SchoolBuilding · Metaline Falls · 12.5 mi
- Lewis P. Larson HouseBuilding · Metaline Falls · 12.6 mi
Guidebooks for Washington
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at Big Meadow Lake Campground?
No. Big Meadow Lake Campground is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.
Source: Forest Service
Is Big Meadow Lake Campground open right now?
Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026. Season Memorial Day Weekend to October 27.
Source: Forest Service status
Can I bring an RV to Big Meadow Lake Campground?
Big Meadow Lake Campground is listed for tents only.
Source: Forest Service
What if Big Meadow Lake Campground is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Edgewater Campground (7.4 mi), Gillette Campground (8.2 mi, partly first-come), and Noisy Creek (13.5 mi, partly first-come).
Source: Campgrounds nearby