West Tensleep Lake

Summary

West Tensleep Lake Campground is situated in the Bighorn National Forest, offering a variety of activities, such as hiking, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding and scenic driving. The campground provides facilities like single-family sites, picnic tables, campfire rings, vault toilets, and drinking water. The area is full of alpine lakes and the Cloud Peak Wilderness, and visitors can also explore nearby attractions like the High Park Lookout and Meadowlark Lake.

Overview

West Tensleep Lake Campground is located on West Tensleep Lake on the west side of scenic Cloud Peak Skyway, near the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area. The Bighorn National Forest offers a wide variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, scenic driving and a number of historic sites. The administering organization is Gallatin Canyon Campgrounds; e-mail: gccampgrounds13@gmail.com

Recreation

West Tensleep Lake covers 125 acres and is open to non-motorized watercraft only, making it a perfect location for canoeing and fishing. Anglers will find rainbow, brown and brook trout in the cool waters of the lake.

The popular West Tensleep Lake Trail begins just outside the campground. The trail leads into the Cloud Peak Wilderness, passing Lake Helen, Lake Marion and Misty Moon Lake before climbing to the summit of the 13,167 foot Cloud Peak, the highest peak in the Bighorn Range.

Off-road vehicle trails, scenic jeep roads, hiking and horseback riding trails and many fishing streams are available in the surrounding area.

Facilities

The campground offers single-family sites each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring with grill. Accessible vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided.

The nearest dump station is 17 miles away on Powder River Pass

Natural Features

The campground is situated on the southern shore of scenic West Tensleep Lake, in an area full of alpine lakes and creeks. A forest of lodgepole pine, Douglas fir and spruce trees covers the area.

Nearby Attractions

Meadowlark Lake is within a few miles of the campground. This small lake allows motorized craft at a no-wake speed.

The High Park Lookout is located just east of Meadowlark Lake. This old fire lookout was built by the CCC decades ago and is no longer active. A short hike leads to the lookout, where hikers are awarded panoramic views of the surrounding area.

Deer Haven Lodge and Meadowlark Lodge are nearby, offering dining, lodging, guided horseback riding and fishing and camping supplies.

Charges & Cancellations

Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This cancellation processing fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity).