Meadow Lake Campground

This campground deserves 10 stars out of 5. Incredible views, it’s clean and quiet, has plenty of water sites and pit toilets, has a good hiking trail, no mosquitoes, etc. We wished we could’ve stayed longer.

A bit of warning though. Officially, trailers over 24’ aren’t recommended. I’d say that depends on if you have a good tow vehicle, working trailer brakes, patience, and common sense. I pulled a 24’ standard weight camper up to the campground and back. I used 4wd low to maximize engine braking on the way down. Even with that, I had to be careful not to overheat the brakes. The steepness and length of the road is no joke. For safety sake, don’t go to this campground if you’re pushing the weight limits of your tow vehicle or aren’t knowledgeable in ways of conserving your brakes. A 24’ camper might be too much for some combinations.

Off the beaten path, through the mining ghost town of Gilmore and up 2,000 feet, on a gravel road, you will find US National Forest's, Meadow Lake Campground. 17 nice gravel sites, overlooking a glacial lake with stunning views. Camp sites offer picnic tables, fire pits, ice chest tables and very nice tent pads. Most are fairly level and several have lake views. Site #12 and the group site are reservable the rest are walk-up. Clean pit toilets and central water. Garbage is not available. Well maintained hiking trails with creeks, bridges, views, wildlife and wild flowers. Lake is stocked with cutthroat and rainbow trout. Lake is at 9100' so it can be cool and is an amazing escape from the summer heat. One of the most scenic NF campgrounds we've been to.