Peninsula Campground, near McCall, Idaho, is a fantastic spot for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors with a touch of comfort. This campground is spacious, with sites that are nicely spaced out, so you won’t feel like you’re camping on top of your neighbor. 

You’ll find plenty of amenities here, including clean bathrooms and free showers, which campers really appreciate after a long day of hiking or biking. Many visitors rave about the well-kept facilities and the friendly staff who keep everything running smoothly. One camper noted, “The couple maintaining the sites are meticulous!” 

The location is a big draw, with easy access to Payette Lake for swimming and water sports, plus hiking trails that lead you through stunning scenery. If you’re into biking, you’ll love the nearby trails, and don’t forget to check out the wild huckleberries in season—one of the best spots in the state to find them! 

While it can get busy, especially during peak season, the vibrant atmosphere and variety of activities make it a favorite among locals and visitors alike. Whether you’re here for a quick weekend or a longer stay, Peninsula Campground offers a great mix of relaxation and adventure.

Ponderosa State Park offers every kind of overnight experience imaginable with a variety of standard and serviced campsites, or cabins for small or large groups, amid a beyond-scenic mountain setting next to Payette Lake. There’s always more to explore! Learn more about all that Ponderosa State Park offers.

Beautiful Payette Lake surrounds the Peninsula Unit and is the shoreline of the North Beach Unit of the park, located in the heart of one of Idaho’s most popular year-round destinations. Hike and bike on your own or with a guide, listen to a park naturalist in the evening at the amphitheater or walk with them on one of the trails. Children can participate in the Junior Ranger Program in the summer months. Visitors can meander the North Fork of the Payette River in a canoe or kayak (rentals available), Nordic ski on groomed trails, snowshoe on designated trails, or simply sit on the front porch of a park cabin and enjoy the spectacular view.

Whether you enjoy cooking in a Dutch oven at a primitive camp site or an indoor stove in the comfort of a deluxe, lakeview cabin, Ponderosa State Park presents plentiful overnight experiences with a variety of standard and serviced campsites, or cabins.

Peninsula Campground — Ponderosa State Park

Looking for the best campgrounds near McCall, ID? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near McCall and user-submitted reviews.

McCall

The Best Camping Near McCall, Idaho

Ponderosa in McCall is a massive state park complex.  There are hundreds of trailer and tent camping sites.  The main campground to the right of the main gate is very busy but is very close to the day use beach.  the beach and day use area is great and the views of payette lake are worth it.  follow the roads or hiking trails up toward the north end of the lake and there are awesome cliffs to look over the entire area as well as some really good huckleberry picking, if you know where to go.

its a big place

Great camp site, the trees are absolutely beautiful! Only negative about this camp site is it is very large and there is not much privacy, however McCall is a very cute town, and a very beautiful area! Great for large RVS and for families

Ponderosa state park

The smell of the Ponderosa trees fills the entire Campground and I believe that the smell even keeps away mosquitoes. The campground has nice bathrooms but it always seem to be full it is in such a beautiful area that it makes sense why people are always in line to go camping there. If you were in or around the area I definitely suggest that you check out Ponderosa State Park

Ponderosa trees are just amazing 

We love going to McCall to Ponderosa. In the summer there is swimming, hiking, mountain biking and boating (if you have one) and in the winter there is cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the park. In the summer you can pick wild huckleberries if you time it just right. It is quiet and peaceful. 

Best Around for Families

This campground boasts lovely showers and bathrooms. All well and good if you like to be in a fishbowl. There is no privacy between camp spaces. The rangers do not enforce the quiet hour rule and you get woken up in the middle of the night by screaming kids. Not my idea of a fun camping experience. 

If You Like A Fish Bowl

Though it can be busy, there is plenty to do to get away from everyone.  The big pines are amazing, especially if you get up late at night when the meteor showers happen.  This site has full amenities.  

Big pines

The spots are a little close but we never were bothered by it. If we had dogs it may have been a little more of a nuisance. There is plenty to do here including hiking, biking and enjoying the lake. Bathrooms were clean and had showers. The tent spot we had included a pad which is always nice, campground and a fire ring. This may have been one of the best State Park spots we had on our western trip!!

Wonderful Campgrounds; Clean Bathrooms

We arrived late but could tell the campground is a little cramped. We had spot with natural dividers between spots. We had to book several months in advance to get a reservation. It was a little expensive for out of staters. 

Lovely crowded spots

expected this huge state park to be really busy but was pleasantly surprised how quiet it was. Showers were clean and had great pressure. Lots of trails all over to walk the dogs on.

Surprisingly Quiet

This camp ground is great if you want an outdoor experience, without losing all the amenities. The camp sites are close but not as close as some of the camping in the East. The park does have nice bathroom and shower facilities. The great thing about this campground is the proximity of the small mountain town, the beach, the programs put on by the rangers and all the trails to explore. My family goes here annually and have for years. It is really cool to drive up to osprey cliff overlook or hike up there and go through some cool marsh areas on the trail. The overlook is a great spot to see a good portion of the lake and get family pictures. This park is great to explore outdoors, not just hang around the camp.

Great to escape the city

I have stayed here on a few occasions. The tent sites are great and separate from the RVs. Bathrooms were super clean. It was in the fall, so there weren't a ton of other visitors. Definitely recommend!

Great location and beautiful views

Rates went up in 2018 :(

Ponderosa has 2 parts to it. Their main area located next to town is good if you have an rv or like a lot of people. It gets very crowded and can be noisy at night. But water access is pretty easy, along with biking &amp; hiking.

Their other area of tent camping is a little more quiet. Fcfs with 0 hook ups but is basic.

Good weekend get away 

A prime spot to camp in McCall. Plan ahead and book early. Great campsites with full hook ups and amenities. Much to do around McCall, yet this campground is good for resting and enjoying the outdoors. Great shade and lots of room to play. Beaches are within walking distance.

Book Early

This campground is amazing. There is so much to do here at park. There is hiking, fishing, swimming in the lake (its cold be prepared). In Late July you can pick Huckleberries in the Park. Bike riding is a way to get around. There are hot showers and flush toilets located at various areas throughout the park. It is also very close to town if you decide you don’t want to cook every night.

Paradise near town

This is probably one of the busiest campgrounds in Idaho. And for a reason. Access to trails and water is unbeatable. The grounds are gorgeous. And you can stay in the woods or toodle into town and get some coffee or ice cream.

If you pick your site well, you can have the convenience of a campground but feel a bit more secluded. We usually boondock but we'll come into civilization for this place.

Make sure you reserve 9 months in advance. This place fills up. We come every year and love it!

Great for car camping! 

The site of ponderosa state park is pretty backing up to the lake but the campgrounds are right on top of each other. Showers and toilets and fire rings are provided.

Expensive and crowded 

Great location in McCall. Close to trails and the lake. Beautiful drives right from the camp ground.

Camped here since I was a kid 

This is a great site for families-  either in a tent or in a camper. Great bike paths and access to amenities. The beach access is easy and beautiful. Campground is located in McCall- making it easy to go buy groceries or eat out. The breweries there are also great.

Great for families!

This is definitely a fun spot if you enjoy the family camping community feeling. Hiking trails are really nice and woodsy. The lake is easy to access, and McCall is just the coolest little mountain town. It is basically resort camping. It will take some advanced planning to book a spot.

Close to civilization 

Ponderosa is in beautiful McCall, Idaho. Close to downtown and the lake. Great hiking trails. Good park for a family. The campsites are right next to one another, so not much privacy there. Bathrooms are close by. If you don't mind be a little tight with campsites, would highly recommend.

Ponderosa

We love Ponderosa! Favorite place to camp.

Awesome experience 

There are a lot of people camping here. All of the sites are very close it can be a bit of inconvenience but I have had no real problem. It has very nice bathrooms and showers. It is very close to the lake. I drove to the north side of the lake so that I could bring my dog.  It is fairly priced. 

Very crowded 

Awesome hiking and mountain bike trails right from the camp area. Sites were super clean including bathrooms and showers. Hosts were very nice and polite. By far one of our favorite locations

Great sites

This area has bike trails, water activities, beaches along the lake, and more.  Three loops and a total of 113 sites would seem promising if you are looking for a site.  But it was nearly full (3 sites left) on a Monday!  Shower houses in each loop.  We however found it extremely crowded and chose to go on to somewhere less noisy.  We stopped at ice cream alley in McCall for the most delicious ice cream around.

Full of activities 

Electricity, showers and on line reservations- beautiful mountain lake and close to town if you want

Ponde pines all abound 

Good location, very close to the city of McCall. Very large and busy campground. Seems like the sites are very close together and none of them are waterfront. Lots of good bike trails. It was also very expensive. Over $100 for two nights in a double occupancy site with water and electric.

Pretty but crowded

PSP is a great place to stay or spend a day at. There is great lake access, hiking trails, and the Ponderosa's are superb! I like to go to PSP during the "off-season" to avoid the crowds. Heading out in the winter, there are great snowshoeing and Nordic skiing options.

Beautiful, but crowded!

Ponderosa State Park (PSP) receives more visitors than any other state park in Idaho. It is on a peninsula that juts into Payette Lake. In the summer you will find vast amounts of huckleberries, wonderful swimming, and many deer. Be sure to check out the hiking trails and visit the Lily Marsh, Meadow Marsh, and Osprey Point. In the winter, the park offers great snowshoe trails, and groomed trails for cross-country skiing and skate skiing. 

Very Nice Park

Location is very close to the beach and close to the city of McCall which has lots of fun things to do. Campsites are quite close to each other and you have to reserve quite a bit in advance if you want to book multiple sites close to each other. 

Awesome but lots of people

As noted before we love Ponderosa. The camp ground is clean with nice bathrooms as well as showers(showers not available currently due to Covid). Great for riding bikes, water sports, shaded camping and running into town for an ice cream cone if you like. Lots of wildlife around town.

Our favorite!

Nicely spaced camp sites with easy access to showers (closed during COVID) and bathrooms. Alpine loop was under renovation during our visit - construction noise woke us each day. 

Large Campground under the Ponderosa Pines

We were fortunate to snag a cancelation spot for 3 days.  We hiked, biked, SUP, enjoyed the 3  breweries in town.  One of my favorites was picking wild huckleberry that happened to be in season while we were there.  It's one of the best places to find them in the state.  The sites were not too close.  The showers in the new section were some of the best we have found.  It is one of our new favorites. We can't wait to go back.

A favorite of locals and visitors

Tent pads were clean and well leveled. Bathrooms were clean and showers were free. Water and power available. Great walking path around and down to the lake as well! Quick 10min ride into town for a nice lake side dinner. 

Great in Town Camping! 

The site (Aspen 7) was snug - our tent was 3 feet from the fire - but the campground is beautiful and the couple maintaining the sites are meticulous! They did regular rounds and practically had the sites cleaned and ready for the next visitor within minutes of checkout. The facilities are well kept and there is so much to do! I can see why the park is often completely booked.

Beautiful location 

Labor Day Camp

We loved it! We hadn't made reservations so only got to stay one night but plan on going back.
The campground is Huge and accommodates a lot of spaces but they are far enough apart to not feel at all crowded. Lots of activities, biking, lake, showers, laundry, full hookup. 

Photos of Peninsula Campground — Ponderosa State Park

Real photos from real campers