Camping In Washington-Big Meadow Lake campgrounds

When the weather finally gets warm here in Washington, my family and I can't wait to get out and go camping. We have found some amazing spots over our years and I think it's due to luck. We pull out our huge map and start searching. One day I came up with the idea of trying to do research on our chosen spot before we head out, but as I searched the Internet, I've found it difficult to find any pictures or detailed descriptions of campsites. We've never been disappointed after a 6-10 hour drive to any particular spot, but it would be nice to actually see what we're getting into before we make the long drive to the middle of nowhere land. In this Hub, I'm going to talk about Big Meadow Lake here in Washington in the Colville National forest.

Here in Washington, the western side of the state is covered in trees and stays moist like a rain forest. On the eastern side of the state it's very hot and very dry like a desert. So, this past summer, we decided to try another spot on the map in eastern Washington. We found the Colville National Forest. When I came across this forest, it looked like my cup of tea! It was still very warm and very dry, but it was still in a wooded forest. When I think of camping, I think of lots of trees. After a very long drive from the Seattle area, we finally arrived to this campground. We noticed that the campground was situated right next to the lake in the trees, but there were a few families already there and a pretty nosey campground host. We drove to the back of the campground to a very nice spot, but my husband noticed that across the lake there was what looked like a secret campsite. We decided to drive to the other side of the lake. We drove past our spot twice without realising it. In the first picture below you can see what looks like an opening or driveway through the trees..That is the entrance to our campground. My husband drove us into this area that looked like a turn around area, but as we got closer we saw that it opened up to a very private campsite. My husband backed our truck up and into this spot and used our truck to block us from view. This was an amazing campsite! It was surrounded by huge trees, had tons and tons of trails and a perfect path that led right to the lake from our site. Moose come to the huge meadow to graze. The area is great for wildlife viewing.

Our first night at this site was amazing, we spent the whole evening hiking and fishing. We didn't catch any fish that time, but I know there are rainbows, perch, bluegill, and bass in this lake. There was one trail that led all the way to the Hess homestead cabin. The cabin has been restored and is one of the originals from the early settlers in the area. This trail also connects to Big Meadow Trail. Along the trail, we came across a huge deer that stopped and then jumped across the trail directly in front of us. As we got closer to the cabin, we came across a wet meadow that had a few huge deer walking in the water. From our campsite to the cabin was about an hour hike roundtrip.

We took a canoe out on the water the next day. The lake has many lily pads and weeds. I don't think gas engines are allowed in this lake. We went all around the lake and we saw huge trout jumping.

The only downside of this campsite was the mosquitoes. They are vicious! I had 50 bites on both of my legs. I would bring lots and lots of Deet! But overall this is a beautiful and secluded dispersed campground. The main campground has 16 tent sites. It's a very rustic area that's not made for R.V's. I would highly recommend this campground for people who enjoy rustic camping!