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.

Emerald Creek Campground

This is a pack in pack out camp site. You have to hike to emerald lake! There is no potable water, no outhouses, and no trashcans! Please preserve this places beauty and pick up after yourselves. It is absolutely beautiful the forest is very dense and filled with wolves, couple mountain lions, and a few bears. Please be mindful of that. To get to emerald lake you have to hike down a very steep incline. But it's worth it! The lake is so beautiful and clear you can watch a fish snag your line! 

Rustic camping 

This was the prettiest campground we stayed in during an extensive road trip through Idaho. It was only half occupied during the end of June, so we enjoyed privacy and numerous bird songs. Care and creativity were used when building the sites; ours had tent sites on 2 levels, and another had little stairs carved into the dirt. Our site was very large and had very stately evergreen trees and a trail heading out. Sites for RVs seemed nice, too. There were clean vault toilets and a pump for potable water...all for $6\. There's a nearby site (4 miles away) where garnets can be sluiced For at a Forest Service site. We didn't go there but maybe next time, as we are eager to return!

Gorgeous small campground 

Really beautiful campsites and very clean. There was only one other group at the site, but all the tent spots were well spaced apart. The creek was nice background noise. It is also lots of fun to go look for garnets in the creek! Idaho's state gem! The garnet area was closed when we went (erosion), but garnet sand was visible farther down the creek along the road.

Quiet camping

Campgrounds are good, nice fire pits and bathrooms. Mosquitos were bad. Pets welcome on leash. 