Santa is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Santa is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. Discover great camping spots near Santa, reviewed by campers like you.
$23 - $165 / night
Camp Coeur d’Alene is a destination campground with water access to Lake Coeur d’Alene. Wild and remote, yet only 15 minutes from the heart of Downtown Coeur d’Alene. Resident wildlife sets the scene with the lake and mountain for a backdrop. We have cabins, RV spaces, or tent spaces for your stay.
$30 - $40 / night
The Emerald Creek Garnet Area is CURRENTLY CLOSED see Emerald Creek Garnet Area for current conditions Emerald Creek Campground features 18 camp units, potable water, and vault toilets. a short distance from the campground. The Garnet Area is one of our most popular recreation sites where, for a small fee, one can dig for gem quality star garnets. Mosquitos can be prolific throughout the season, consider bringing bug repellent.
Beauty Creek Campground is located a half mile from Lake Coeur d'Alene along the peaceful Beauty Creek. Visitors enjoy breathtaking scenery and convenient access to miles of trails.
The trailhead for the Caribou Ridge National Recreation Trail starts at the campground. The 5-mile trail features a moderate climb with two outstanding overlooks of Lake Coeur d'Alene. Biking and hiking trails in the area include the 1.8-mile Beauty Creek Overlook and the 4.9-mile Mt. Coeur d'Alene Viewpoint. Anglers enjoy an abundance of northern pike, chinook salmon and bass in the nearby stream.
The campground is nestled in a narrow valley along Beauty Creek in northern Idaho. At an elevation of 2,100 feet, it is a sparsely wooded valley surrounded by heavily wooded hillsides. Beauty Creek sits in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, between the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Bitterroot Mountains to the east.
Lake Coeur d'Alene offers excellent boating, fishing and canoeing. Towns around the lake offer opportunities for para-sailing, ferry rides, paddle boating and sea plane rides.
$26 / night
This site features a boat ramp and toilets and provides access to fishing and boating on Medicine and Cave Lakes. There is an additional boat launch on Medimont Road 1/2 mile further west.
Take the opportunity to travel the lovely White Pine Scenic Byway, Idaho 6, north from the quaint town of Harvard, Idaho for just over 7 miles to visit this special site. Named after an enormous, 600 year old white pine that has since been cut down due to disease (but still resides in the campground!), this cozy and inviting campground has 14 developed sites, all resting in a lush forested setting. Many hiking trails are in the vicinity of the campground, including the National Recreation Trail 224A, the East Fork Meadows Creek Trail.
$30 - $35 / night
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: https://www.campendium.com/camping/boondocking-101/
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: https://www.campendium.com/camping/boondocking-101/
$23 - $165 / night
Camp Coeur d’Alene is a destination campground with water access to Lake Coeur d’Alene. Wild and remote, yet only 15 minutes from the heart of Downtown Coeur d’Alene. Resident wildlife sets the scene with the lake and mountain for a backdrop. We have cabins, RV spaces, or tent spaces for your stay.
$30 - $40 / night
The Emerald Creek Garnet Area is CURRENTLY CLOSED see Emerald Creek Garnet Area for current conditions Emerald Creek Campground features 18 camp units, potable water, and vault toilets. a short distance from the campground. The Garnet Area is one of our most popular recreation sites where, for a small fee, one can dig for gem quality star garnets. Mosquitos can be prolific throughout the season, consider bringing bug repellent.
Beauty Creek Campground is located a half mile from Lake Coeur d'Alene along the peaceful Beauty Creek. Visitors enjoy breathtaking scenery and convenient access to miles of trails.
The trailhead for the Caribou Ridge National Recreation Trail starts at the campground. The 5-mile trail features a moderate climb with two outstanding overlooks of Lake Coeur d'Alene. Biking and hiking trails in the area include the 1.8-mile Beauty Creek Overlook and the 4.9-mile Mt. Coeur d'Alene Viewpoint. Anglers enjoy an abundance of northern pike, chinook salmon and bass in the nearby stream.
The campground is nestled in a narrow valley along Beauty Creek in northern Idaho. At an elevation of 2,100 feet, it is a sparsely wooded valley surrounded by heavily wooded hillsides. Beauty Creek sits in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, between the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Bitterroot Mountains to the east.
Lake Coeur d'Alene offers excellent boating, fishing and canoeing. Towns around the lake offer opportunities for para-sailing, ferry rides, paddle boating and sea plane rides.
$26 / night
This site features a boat ramp and toilets and provides access to fishing and boating on Medicine and Cave Lakes. There is an additional boat launch on Medimont Road 1/2 mile further west.
Scout
Great place to rest after a long drive.
Check in at customer service stay up to 2 days.
Traveler
Great tent camping. Also, it's a great starting point to some really good dirt bike trails. Be prepared for no cell service. 0 amenities. it's just a place to pitch a tent and have a fire. And it cost nothing.
Ranger
This is primitive off grid camping. No services, no water, no tables, just a bathroom in a field with a few campsites around it near the creek. Great location to stay if you're doing the Hiawatha trail and want to camp in the area. The busses picking up hiawatha trail users go right by the campground multiple times a day in the summer.
Traveler
We were glad we read the reviews for directions & info about spots — like others mentioned, the best spot is a big grassy area amongst the trees (continue past the first circular parking area). However, the entire area has sportsman access, so we listened to gun shots most of the day… not exactly the peaceful nature vibe we were hoping for. Would likely come back, but pray it’s a day of no hunters
Traveler
No one is here on a beautiful October long weekend Saturday. I can see why. The reservoir level is way down! Just getting to the water is a challenge. Maybe this was nice years ago but it’s a good ways out from Orfino. Not worth the drive.
Guide
What a place! I saw no trash or broken glass, it was very clean. I got there after dark and left first thing in the morning, wish I had more time to explore. Sites only had a fire pit, I believe there are also pit toilets but I didn’t have time to check them out.
The road up is rough, potholes, it does get better about halfway up. Expect at least 30 minutes to get up after you hit the gravel, and that’s pushing it pretty hard.
TravelerStopped at the little restaurant and got a fantastic meal after being on the road all day then headed past all the massive houses to end up in such a gorgeous location. This is one of my favorite spots now!
Scout
Large site. Well managed. On the Spokane River.
Scout
The campground is overall a great bang for your buck. The price is great if you’re on a budget. They do not have sewer hookups but they have very nice bathroom facilities with showers. There’s also a laundry facility. The bathrooms and laundry have always been kept clean and maintained. The managers are also very helpful and kind which is a huge plus.
Guide
This was a great spot! The camp hosts, Dan and Steve, were very friendly. We loved how large the sites and overall area was, so we could back our rig in easily (40ft long x 13.5ft tall.) There were a lot of open sites, even during the holiday weekend, and even with people on either side, we didn’t feel like we were on top of anyone else. A really great central place to hang so we could check out the surrounding area.
As some others mentioned:
Scout
Found this great little riverside spot while checking out the paid campgrounds along St Joe River. Saw several similar sites that were already taken. This one has a small boat launch and several fire pits. Camping is prohibited from spring to mid July. Not the best spot for swimming due to the current in this section of the river but good enough to wade in and cool off anyway. We slept in a tent and loved the river sounds. There were some mosquitoes but with bugspray it was fine.
GuideWe were able to get our fifth wheel (40ft long, 13 1/2 ft tall) in and out easy! Lots of spaces and places to turn around. After crossing the bike path, take the first right onto the dirt road at the sportsmans access sign (parallel to the small paved parking lot.) Like another said, the best spot is past the first circular area. Keep going down the road and you’ll see a big shady area in the trees. (You can go further along to two more sites more suited for smaller pop-up campers, tents, or vans.) Close to the water so of course, there were some bugs: lots of bees and mosquitoes.
Scout
Take a night or two to visit this nearly unused campground. What a wonder. You are on the Ridgeline between two valleys with views of the horizons of 50 miles or more. To the east ot is very much like the views in the Smokey mountains. Not a lot of shade at this campground. Great for solar and Skylink. ATT and Verizon were 3 plus. Make certain the chores are done and the drinks are made before the light show begins at sundown. Vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Sites at this campground are reasonably flat and deep but not a lot of room for pop-ups.
Camping here is free.
My only criticism is the distance between signs on a very small road. A few more signs would be reassuring. For this campground, head generally south on Skyline Drive until you think you should be there, then go 2 more miles.
Central potable water by the privy.
ScoutThis is my 2nd time visiting and the quality has dramatically dropped. Maybe the difference was that I went in early fall 4 years ago and this time was late summer but YIKES.
There was broken glass EVERYWHERE. We cleaned up so much trash in our site and off the road. The pit toilet was completely out of toilet paper (which we anticipated). Despite being stage 1 fire restrictions, multiple people were having fires, one person's was still smoldering when I got up the next morning. Due to the number of people, ATVs, dirt bikes, nearby shooting range, etc it was just much more noisy in the busy season. I recommend going in the off season.
The road up to the lake is really rough and narrow but manageable with a proper vehicle.
The lake is gorgeous! I just wish people were more considerate.
FYI There is a moose that frequents the area so keep your trash in your car to avoid feeding the moose.
Traveler
Albert is a very kind, chill and accommodating host. My only regret is I couldn't stay long enough to listen to his guitar skills. A gost that with stum hos guitar for his guests? Thats a good enough reason to go see the place and what made me pick it out from all the others. His prices are very reasonable too. We won't rake you over the coals if you forget something. The place can be really busy on a hot Saturday and he runs it well shuttling people around. i loved that there were clean bathrooms and showers and a general store incase you forgot or ran out of something. I also enjoyed the cool old iron bridge and the peace and quiet of the place. It's no party zone where teenagers have keggars. I was there on a Friday and by 10pm it was quiet and peaceful then the next morning everyone showed up to have swim or float the river there and the water looked nice a shallow and slow perfect for small children and for kayakers it gets a little faster on the other side and fast enough to not have to worry too much about your kids drown but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't pay attention.
Scout
This location is currently closed because of the recent fire.
TravelerGood for a night or two. Spots are close together and parking is clear.
Ranger
Great one night spot on the river . Clean campground with nice flat spots. No Verizon. Wi fi works at entrance to campground. River is beautiful!
TravelerTook about an hour to get to our campsite, but was so worth it. Was a creek at the top of a mountain in the middle, I guess hence the name. Local had wondered how we found his special fishing spot. Was a place to swim, but we did not get in. Such a beautiful view and lots of nature to see.
Legend
Bell Bay Campground was a total gem for our recent camping trip with friends.
It is located almost an hour south of Coeur d'Alene on a very windy road with limited guard rails. There are also no facilities the entire way so make sure you have what you need before leaving CdA.
The views of the lake and surrounding mountains were stunning, even if it got a bit hot and dusty at times. We spent most of our days just chilling on floaties in the lake that we could access by a (pretty steep!) trail directly from our campsite. Previous user's photos showed a dock but there wasn't one in sight. The facilities were spot-on—clean vault toilet, water spigot with great pressure, and spacious campsites that gave us plenty of room to set up our 2 tents and hang out around the campfire. The campground has firewood for sale but my only warning is to check burn bans in the area ahead of time.
Guide
Needed to find a camp spot last minute on a Friday evening. Took our chances and drove out to Rainy Hill Campground. We found the last open spot in the rocky low area that was wide open. A few big rigs could pull in there but would be best for one group rather than many. Not the most beautiful spot but did have some nice surrounding trees. The other campgrounds were up on the hill and far enough away to still feel private but the area we parked was highly visible from the road and people looking down from the hill tops.
Some mosquito activity and the ground was pretty rugged that we opted to stay in the vehicle for the evening and move on the next morning.
TravelerJust stopped for one night but I enjoyed the rest. Pretty spot close to the lake, but the mosquitoes are abundant! I had my door opened for just a few minutes and had to kill like 20 before I could sleep.
Scout
Came in late and stayed with friends for a night, was able to get a tent site right next to them. Shower & bathrooms were clean, very safe and secure campground ♥️
Traveler
This is a great little private campground in the Wolf Lodge Bay, and their added free amenities made this campground a really fun alternative to the usual state park/national forest campsites I go to more often. The swimming pool was well kept, and we really enjoyed using the free canoes. They had a lot of decent looking free firewood, but we were camping during a fire ban and weren't able to use it. (This, of course, is no fault of the campground. But if we camp there again it will be nice to have free firewood!)
We originally booked tent site 3, which I cannot recommend as it had no shade or privacy, but the attendant was very kind and let us switch to a shadier site for free. I think this was tent site 4 or 5, which were much better. Tent site seven looked really nice as well and I would recommend that one. But if we go back we will definitely be booking the island tent site 201, it looked to be the best one of all.
Ranger
Small spots by Aquarius rapid. She’s a class III wave train and the sounds sent me to peaceful sleep. In high water some of the spots may be inaccessible, however there are other campgrounds nearby if it doesn’t work. Do not recommend large rigs in here, it would be hard to turn around if the campground is full, again better options up or down river.
Ranger
More of a primitive type of campground, although there are vault toilets. Plenty of spaces along the river; however there is a river take out that may be used to back trailers up to, so the flat spots across from it may not be ideal.
ScoutI tried to cancel a reservation. Last week, no one answered the phone. They didn't respond to email. And as of today, their phone is disconnected. Another source stated they were in bankruptcy (unconfirmed).
Camping near Santa, Idaho, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are plenty of options to explore.
Camping near Santa, Idaho, has something for everyone, from families to RVers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Santa, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, Santa, ID offers a wide range of camping options, with 153 campgrounds and RV parks near Santa, ID and 13 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Santa, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Santa, ID is Heyburn State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 23 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Santa, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 13 free dispersed camping spots near Santa, ID.
What parks are near Santa, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 18 parks near Santa, ID that allow camping, notably Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests and Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
