South of Bigfork, along the east shore of Flathead Lake are Woods Bay, Yellow Bay and then Blue Bay. Blue Bay is on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The Blue Bay campground and day use area are owned and run by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The entrance and part of the day-use area are visible from the two-lane highway. Every time I’ve passed I’ve said that I should sometime stop and see what all is there.

The morning started at 42F with a forecast for mid-70’s…That's my idea - and faithful dog Karl's - of “warm enough to spend the afternoon in the cool house,” but cool enough for a morning jaunt to the beach. We headed to Blue Bay early morning while it was cool.

Beautiful! The camping area is no frills. There are a number of spots to “park” or pitch a tent along the lake. A few places with electric are located on a bluff slightly above. Grass, trees, the lake views and absolute cleanliness of the spots made it appealing despite the fact that the campground was nearly full.

After driving around the camping area, I parked and got Karl out for a bit of exploring of the day use area which includes a beautiful swimming area, boat launch and small marina.

Thanks to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for this nice amenity!

Paved Road

Approximately17 miles south of Bigfork on MT Highway 35

Boat launch facilities in the day use area.

Tribal fishing license required.