McGinnis Creek Dispersed Camping
Flathead National Forest
Write a Review FS 803 Columbia Falls, MT 59912 406-758-5208 406-387-3800 Official WebsiteGPS: 48.5148, -114.1477
Overview of McGinnis Creek Dispersed Camping
Please follow Flathead National Forest dispersed camping guidelines.
This is bear country! Please follow bear safety and food storage requirements.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by wyatt on 6/29/2023
Longest RV Reported: 35 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Gypsies on 7/24/2019
Number of Sites 3
Pad Type dirt
Open Seasonally Yes
Elevation 3,772 ft / 1,149 m
Max Stay 16
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about McGinnis Creek Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 406-758-5208
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Reviews of McGinnis Creek Dispersed Camping 15 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 11 Users
Last reported 6/29/2023
Confirmed by 4 Users
Last reported 10/1/2021
Confirmed by 5 Users
Last reported 6/29/2023
“Our stay has been good so far. Gate still closed.”
Reviewed 6/29/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
Overall Rating
The road is a very good gravel road. As of June 28 th. The gate is still closed for some reason, about 2 miles in. This limits the places to camp to mostly side of the road pull offs. We are in a 32-foot travel trailer and found one of the few spots big enough for a rig this size. Hope they open the gates soon. Verizon 1 bar. Tmobile ... more
The road is a very good gravel road. As of June 28 th. The gate is still closed for some reason, about 2 miles in. This limits the places to camp to mostly side of the road pull offs. We are in a 32-foot travel trailer and found one of the few spots big enough for a rig this size. Hope they open the gates soon. Verizon 1 bar. Tmobile 2 bars. Hope this helps. Also, there is a good turnaround at the closed gate for those wanting to check for campsites.
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Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
wyatt would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice road, but not many spots open.”
Reviewed 6/27/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
Heads up. As of June 28, 2023. The gate is still closed just a few miles in. Most camp spots up to this point are only side of the road pull offs. Probably some better spots for bigger rigs once the gates are opened to access the entire road. Hope this helps. Verizon service is only one bar at this point and our T-mobile internet towe... more
Heads up. As of June 28, 2023. The gate is still closed just a few miles in. Most camp spots up to this point are only side of the road pull offs. Probably some better spots for bigger rigs once the gates are opened to access the entire road. Hope this helps. Verizon service is only one bar at this point and our T-mobile internet tower is getting 2 bars, which is enough to watch YouTube.
Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
wyatt would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Road Closed After Depuy Creek Connector”
Reviewed 6/7/2023
| RV Length: | 30' (Travel Trailer) |
|---|
Overall Rating
This would be a great spot if you're lucky enough to get the 1 or 2 decent ones. There may be more but the road is closed by a locked gate at the Dupuy Creek Connector intersection.
The abandoned trailer mentioned by other reviews for years is still taking up 1 of the 2 spots at the GPS coordinates.
The road is in good shapee
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wonderful Spot on the mountainside”
Reviewed 10/18/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | NA |
| RV Length: | 12' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
the GPS address will take you to the first dispersed camping spot that is where I stayed. There are two spots. One has a larger turnaround area but also has an abandoned camper. The person at the other spot said it had been there for years. The other spot has a beautiful view of the valley. Rock fire rings were at both sites. just 2... more
the GPS address will take you to the first dispersed camping spot that is where I stayed. There are two spots. One has a larger turnaround area but also has an abandoned camper. The person at the other spot said it had been there for years. The other spot has a beautiful view of the valley.
Rock fire rings were at both sites. just 20 miles to West Glacier and the Going to the Sun Road. Excellent Verizon coverage. Some traffic but not constant.
My shoes that I leave outside my camper door went missing in the night. Nothing else, just both my shoes.
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Verizon 4G
EnOne would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Spot at the Top If You Can Handle the 6.4 miles of dirt roads”
Reviewed 9/5/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | N/A |
| RV Length: | 28' (Toy Hauler Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
In this video we provide a comprehensive review of 3 of the free boondocking (dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 16 day stay limit. https://youtu.be/0llxG33OdoQ Free Camping Near Glacier National Park- Nor... more
In this video we provide a comprehensive review of 3 of the free boondocking (dispersed camping) sites near Glacier National Park and Columbia Falls, Montana. All locations are located in the Flathead National Forest and there is a 16 day stay limit.
https://youtu.be/0llxG33OdoQ
Free Camping Near Glacier National Park- North Fork Road, Canyon Creek and McGinnis Creek Dispersed
GPS Point for North Fork Road Dispersed Camping
48.499334, -114.131517
Natural Spring for drinking water etc.
48.447581, -114.165680
Conoco Station ($5 Dump and Water)
48.371583, -114.203917
Bonus Content GPS Info
Canyon Creek Dispersed 48.463612, -114.167320
McGinnis Creek Dispersed (start of road with North Fork Road Instersection)
48.52.3474, -114.128642
McGinnis Creek Large Boondocking Area from Video
48.531014, -114.157493
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Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Loads of places to park, great hiking too”
Reviewed 10/1/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
We didn't stay in the designated parking areas but there is plenty of space along the road to find a spot for the night. Really beautiful views the higher up the road you go. We stayed in different spots each night and both were great. Road is bumpy but manageable. I'd recommend hiking Standard Peak while in the area, the trailhead is ... more
We didn't stay in the designated parking areas but there is plenty of space along the road to find a spot for the night. Really beautiful views the higher up the road you go. We stayed in different spots each night and both were great. Road is bumpy but manageable. I'd recommend hiking Standard Peak while in the area, the trailhead is on this road, too.
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AT&T 4G
the nomads would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Very nice ”
Reviewed 9/17/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Reviewers are absolutely right! There is service once you drive a bit further down McGinnis road. We were really relying on staying somewhere with service and boondocking bc of work, and it worked out perfectly. We have t mobile. It’s beautiful and peaceful. Yes during the day ppl driving by but not too bad. Quiet at night. There are h... more
Reviewers are absolutely right! There is service once you drive a bit further down McGinnis road. We were really relying on staying somewhere with service and boondocking bc of work, and it worked out perfectly. We have t mobile. It’s beautiful and peaceful. Yes during the day ppl driving by but not too bad. Quiet at night. There are hunters out here as well. View is beautiful. Did see someone save their spot leaving their chairs and hammock for the 2 days but no one came back which I thought wasn’t fair bc it’s the best spot in the place.
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T-Mobile 4G
Monila would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Not A Lot Of Large Campsites But The Views Are Amazing & It's Near Glacier National Park”
Reviewed 8/5/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 14 |
| RV Length: | 24' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
The number of campsites that are big enough for an RV or travel trailer may be limited here but the amazing views are not. We were lucky enough to get one of the two sites the GPS coordinates lead to and the view was unbelievable. If you want to camp here and you have a big rig don’t worry if the first two campsites are taken bec... more
The number of campsites that are big enough for an RV or travel trailer may be limited here but the amazing views are not.
We were lucky enough to get one of the two sites the GPS coordinates lead to and the view was unbelievable.
If you want to camp here and you have a big rig don’t worry if the first two campsites are taken because there is another one about a mile further up the road and a great big one about 4 miles past that. They are also good places to turn your RV around.
Once you get to the huge campsite 5 miles up the road you should turn around if you have a big RV or trailer because the road gets narrow and ends in a small area where a tent or van could camp but not an RV.
A lot of people just parked their RVs or vans in the many pull-outs along the road, which works as well but just be ready for lots of dust from passing vehicles.
The first sites have good cell service, but it gets worse the further up the road you go.
There’s a popular hike (Standard Peak) near the end of McGinnis Creek Road, that’s why there’s a decent amount of traffic every day. It’s a 6 mile hike that I highly recommend if you get tired of the crowds in Glacier National Park.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
thecampingnerd would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pretty area but unsure”
Reviewed 7/24/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
We were very excited to camp here...arrived to the beautiful views and remote spot. We went up past the RV sites and stayed in a pullout. There were 2 fire rings there already. I would love to recommend this spot, but to any of my friends I would warn against staying here. Unsafe-incident in the middle of the night around 330AM when so... more
We were very excited to camp here...arrived to the beautiful views and remote spot. We went up past the RV sites and stayed in a pullout. There were 2 fire rings there already. I would love to recommend this spot, but to any of my friends I would warn against staying here. Unsafe-incident in the middle of the night around 330AM when someone tried opening the door of our vehicle (where we slept). It was locked. We checked our surroundings and drove away...couldn’t see anyone. Had to leave personal property behind due to our safety; when we returned in daylight to get it, it was gone. 0 out of 5 unfortunately :(
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Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet and great views”
Reviewed 8/16/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Did not camp in the original spot described because it was taken, but went up the road to 48.5215556°, -114.1525278°. There there's space for maybe up to a 20' vehicle, right next to the road. There're great views of the mountains and valley below. Good cellphone coverage. Like others said, there're delicious berries to be had in the s... more
Did not camp in the original spot described because it was taken, but went up the road to 48.5215556°, -114.1525278°. There there's space for maybe up to a 20' vehicle, right next to the road. There're great views of the mountains and valley below. Good cellphone coverage. Like others said, there're delicious berries to be had in the summer, huckleberries and raspberries.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
ssxxaa would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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2 reviews
“If the gates are closed, not worth it”
noted 6/23/2024
We attempted to camp here the weekend of 6/20/24 the gates are closed! The gps takes you to a spot where the abandoned camper is, as others have noted, but the other spot seems to be a long term camper. They had chickens in a small makeshift coop/run and plants.
There are a few pull offs on the side of the road but not great.
Gates going down to the creek and up to the trail are both closed. A local said the gates were open earlier in the season but they are closed to help with fire prevention. All the other spots with GPS listed here were closed off.
60 reviews
46 reviews
46 reviews
Amazing Views & Free Camping Near Glacier National Park
We stayed at McGinnis Creek, Columbia Falls, Montana in Late July 2020.Our Previous Stop: Canyon Ferry Lake, MontanaOur Next Stop: Idaho Campground Info Location: 48.5144, -114.1476 Cost: Free Campin...
63 reviews
McGinnis Creek: Boondocking Among the Scars of Glacier National Park's Summer of Fire
Aside from some solemn moments spent looking out over the scarred forest, we spent most of our time at the McGinnis Creek area working, cooking, and cleaning. Although these are not the most exciting...
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