Noteworthy Big Therriault Lake campground, Kootenai NF (MT)
During our research, we often hear, “This is the best campground in the system” or “Here is the best campground in the system.” After visiting some 2,000 developed campgrounds from the Forest Service inventory, we have learned what is one person’s treasure could be another’s dump. So, we smile politely and think “we’ll see.”
Frankly, the drive to Big Therriault Lake campground in the Kootenia National Forest (MT) was disappointing. The road was long, rough and dusty, degrading from two lanes to a single lane through long stretches of near desolate landscape. There was little of the lush woodlands the crowding the roadway we had found elsewhere in the Kootenai National Forest. The barren topography could have been the result of the scouring force of long-ago glaciers or perhaps from recent clear-cut logging practices. Whatever the cause, the miles and miles of desolation we encountered was making us doubt the high praise heaped on Big Therriault Lake campground.
Access road to campground – long and rock
Trees continued to be few and far between except on distance hillsides. Gradually, the road climbed and the sapphire blue sky became hidden by a thickening canopy of pine, spruce and fir trees. Soon the Canadian border was only a stone’s throw north of the roadway. At the Big Therriault Lake campground sign, we made a quick right hand-turn into the campground. And all our doubts immediately vanished.
Big Therriault Lake campground is tiny, with only ten campsites tucked into a thick stand of sub-alpine and Douglas firs. A hand pump provides delicious crispy cold drinking water. With no trash pick-up, the campground is strictly “pack it in/pack it out.” The campground’s single loop reaches up a hillside so everything is either up or down hill.
Adjacent to the campground is Big Therriault Lake; an alpine lake of crystal clear water. While none of the campsites have a clear view of the Lake, several do have access to a one-mile loop trail around the Lake. This hike might be one of the campground’s best features. Alternating between hugging the lakeshore, meandering across meadows and then through forest, this trail is a delightful way to explore the area’s geology.
View of Big Therriault Lake through towering conifers.
Alpine glaciers shaped much of the rugged scenery around Big Therriault Lake thousands of years ago. The results of those ancient, mountain carving, valley gouging glaciers can be seen in the boulders scattered here and there, in deep grooves caused by rock scraping against rock foundations found nearby, and marshy wetlands formed behind walls of deposited glacier debris called moraines. Along the trail’s one-mile length, hikers wind through forested areas of lush conifers, over a moraine formed by various size boulders, and through a marshy meadow filled with blooming wildflowers and shrubs and darting song birds.
View from a hike around Lake
The image of dark green pines silhouetted against the pastels of sunrise is memorable. But even more breathtaking than this image or even the sight of a zillion twinkling stars in a black velvet night sky is the view of Big Therriault Lake. Specifically, it is the view into the lake itself. Whether standing at the rocky shoreline or seated in a canoe on the lake’s mirror-smooth surface, Big Therriault Lake offers a most unusual sight. Looking down through the water the multi-colored rocks appear sharp and brightly lit. Dancing sunlight frames the stones’ rich colors so that jewel-like shades of ruby red, sapphire blue, grassy-green malachite, and tiger’s eye yellow shine like the stained glass window of an ancient cathedral.
As if there weren’t enough magnificent beauty right there at Big Therriault Lake campground, the Ten Lakes Scenic Area is located between the campground and the Canadian border. Composed of 15,700 acres, this Wilderness Study Area offers more of the same spectacular beauty found near the campground. Accessible via several foot or horse trails traversing the area, Ten Lake Scenic Area is a delightful extension of Big Therriault Lake campground’s natural beauty and wonder.
Of the many fabulous campgrounds in the Forest Service inventory, few can compare to the rustic beauty and magnificent splendor of Big Therriault Lake campground. The drive to the campground is long and dusty, so plan to stay for awhile and enjoy every minute.
Click on campground name for detailed description of Big Therriault Lake campground.
