Big Larch Campground

This is the only Seeley Lake campground that remains open after 9/5.

Space for maneuvering an RV is a bit tight, not a lot of length for longer rigs, but each site provides a nice little lawn and picnic table area.

This campground has been closed for the last two years so that work crews could cut down dead/dying trees. All they did was make a huge mess of the entire camp. This used to be a popular camp for its access to both the lake and the town, I'm guessing the state of the campsites will turn almost everyone away.
Most of the trees are cut down and left in haphazard piles throughout camp. Some sites are so littered with piles of branches and debris that the tables and fire rings are inaccessible. Grass and weeds are overgrown and make access difficult as well. Very little room for tents as most of the available ground is covered in branches.
I passed on this camp and opted for a cleaner, shadier Seeley area camp this time around.

Where do I start. Our family had 2 spots across from the hosts. They had 4 unleashed dogs that barked and ran into the road every time someone walked or biked by. One of them bit a kid while biking past and then the hosts lied about it when the mother confronted them about it! Sunday morning out houses were out of toilet paper!!! Not just one, but 3 of them! Plus the toilets were very gross. Other campgrounds we stay at, the hosts keep them very clean.
They had a potential camper stop by and ask late one evening if there were openings. They told him they haven’t been through the camp ground all day so they didn’t know. Am I wrong or should they be making the trips through checking for payment stubs and know a bit about if the campground is full?
We were there August 1-3, 3029. Do not camp anywhere near the “host” camp site!!!

I don't get why people post negative reviews of things they don't even know enough to know about.

Yes, this place was closed for two years. Yes, right now there is a ton of slash piles everywhere. They had to do this, this is how it works. They had a ton of beetle kill (as has much of the forests) and then they had a micro burst wind event a couple of years ago. Knocked hundreds of trees down. They went in and cut a lot of the trees down. They now have to wait for the slash piles to dry out. They can't just burn them or haul them away. Once they dry out, they will burn them and all will be well. In the meantime, it isn't very pretty to look at.

As for camping, because of the "ugly" campground looks, you can get a site on a Friday night. Obviously you cannot reserve a site here so it is first come first serve. Sites of decent size. I was able to park my 25 foot camper and have enough room to park my truck beside it. I have seen many people even fit 2-3 vehicles in their spot. All sites vary a little bit in their size and layout. Some picnic tables and fire rings are on the right side, some are behind the pad, Choose wisely, luckily as I mentioned there were a number of spots available everytime I have been up here. Sites can be a little weedy or have some tall grass in places, but honestly with the big pad and picnic/fire areas you didn't really even notice.

Again, any site that doesn't have people in it is open. Not sure why you would have to check with the host for this. The host could do a little better job of taking old tags down as not to confuse people but not a huge deal. Bathrooms were clean the couple of times I ventured in. Nice beach and water access to hang out at with a roped off area for kids to swim in. Has a boat ramp on the outer loop which can see quite a bit more traffic because of this. First camping loop is very shaded and by the second and third loop it opens up because of the trees that came down.

Overall, can't beat $10 a night, always has spaces, nice flat spots that easily fit bigger rigs, decent space between sites, paved, nice beach, and about 5 minutes from seeley lake.

Cons are a little ugly with slash piles right now, but those will go away in a year or two.

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The place are quiet and clean.

After speaking to the ranger station they explained at this time there is no fee to camp at big larch. After 5/27 there is 20.00 nightly fee. The park was a big quiet during the week but campers came and went during thurs-Sunday. During our stay there was no garbage service, dumping station or electricity. Purely boondocking. There is Seeley lake the town that is 5 mins away, in town there is a dump station with potable water for 5.00. We took advantage of this and there is a gas station and grocery store as well. Cell service was excellent we have Verizon and a booster. We consistently had 4 bars through our stay. The ranger and sheriff drove through every couple days and we did venture off and felt safe leaving our Rv at the park unattended. There is a sign that indicates sizes of all Rv spots which are all paved and has a fire ring as well. Bathrooms are through out the park but we did not use them. 5 min walk to the lake from pretty much any site.

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!

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!