Sam Owen Campground, near Hope, Idaho, is a fantastic spot for families and friends looking to enjoy the great outdoors. Set against the stunning backdrop of Lake Pend Oreille, this campground offers a mix of wooded sites and lakeside views, making it a popular choice for those who love nature.

The campground features clean restrooms and convenient amenities like drinking water and firewood, which campers appreciate. Many visitors have highlighted the beautiful forested areas and the easy access to the lake for activities like paddleboarding and swimming. One happy camper noted, “Beautiful 😍,” capturing the essence of the scenery here.

With a variety of sites to choose from, some right on the water and others tucked away in the trees, there's something for everyone. The campground is known for its friendly deer population, which adds a unique touch to your stay. As one reviewer mentioned, “It is known for its huge friendly deer population!!” 

While the campground can get a bit crowded during peak season, the vibrant atmosphere and the chance to connect with nature make it a worthwhile destination. Whether you're here for a weekend or a longer retreat, Sam Owen Campground is a great place to unwind and enjoy the beauty of Idaho's outdoors.

## Overview

 Sam Owen Campground is nestled on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille in a densely wooded forest of pine and cedar. Popular activities include hiking, canoeing, swimming and boating in summer, and skiing in winter.
## Recreation

 A beach draws crowds of sunbathers and swimmers. Visitors also like to hike the half-mile, accessible Sam Owen Trail #4. The trail reaches a beautiful vista of Owens Bay, where hikers can rest on benches and take in the astonishing view.Anglers take pleasure in catching kamloops, Dolly Varden, northern pike, trout and catfish. A boat ramp and dock are located on-site. 
## Facilities

 Amenities include a picnic area, paved overflow parking areas and an amphitheater for educational programs. Campsites do not have electric hookups but a group picnic shelter has electricity and lights. Accessible flush toilets, drinking water and a dump station are provided.
## Natural Features

 Sam Owen Campground is situated on a peninsula on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, at an elevation of 2,000 feet. The lake spans 82,088 acres and has 125 miles of shoreline. The well-loved campground shares a peninsula with the Sam Owen Game Preserve, which provides plenty of opportunities to see wildlife up close. Deer are very easy to spot, and watching for unique birds is a rewarding activity. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The Pend Oreille Scenic Byway is well worth exploring.

Sam Owen Camnpground

Join the fun near Hope. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Hope campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Hope, ID. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.

Hope

The Best Camping Near Hope, Idaho

such a nice spot to camp. the lake is beautiful and trees are juuuust great.   the sites are well maintained and clean.  the men's bathroom has no door for the toilet.... going #2 out in the open is fantastic 😉.   also, maybe more dog owners could bring their yappy loud dogs and train them to all bark late at night.... oh wait nevermind, that already happened.  
regardless, beautiful place to camp.

Beautiful lake and great forests

Nice campground on Lake Pend Oreille.   The spots are somewhat private with some spots very close to the water.  There is a RV resort within walking distance on the beach that has a bar and restaurant.   The views of the lake and mountains were spectacular.  There is an RV dump that was $6 dollars to use.  The campground has an upper and lower loop.  Reservable and first come sites.

Sam Owen is a nice place to camp for a few days, or spend some time on the water. It is surprisingly quiet for a campsite, considering it's location! Pend Oreille is a beautiful lake and is a great place for boats, kayaks, and paddle boards! The campsites at Sam Owen have picnic tables and some have fire pits. There are dumpsters and water available as well. I have camped here mid-May and came for day visits during busier summer months and never felt that there were too many people or I needed a reservation. Sandpoint is a charming town and area. Joel's in Sandpoint has some of the best burritos in the Northwest. There is an excess of hiking and mountain biking in the area! Some good trails include Mickinnick and Sam Owen trail.

Quiet for a state park!

Really big campsite, but pretty quiet at the same time. There are multiple loops as you go down the road, so be sure to go down further to the other loops to find what you like. Very close to the lake and nicely wooded. It was very busy on the weekend during summer, so be sure to plan ahead. $23 per night at the time. 

Large and nice 

This is a nice place to go with the whole fam! It is known for it’s huge friendly deer population!! You will see them everywhere!! Which is fun for out-of-towners! People from the city who don’t get much wildlife action. 
Also, very amazing views of Lake pend Oreille and the mountains, which surround you. It is down a beautiful peninsula in Hope, Idaho. It has a nice restaurant with a nice outside deck to eat and watch the sunset! People are nice and friendly! Good place to swim! They have burn barrels at the beach by the water that anyone can use to sit and have a nice beachside bonfire! 
Oh!! And they have firewood you can go and get for free that the staff piles up under a little gazebo thing. ..
You can also get a burn barrel and they’ll bring one up to your campsite via golf cart, for free!!! 
Once a month every few weeks a truck comes around to empty anyone who may wants sewage and water buildup for a fee of $50.00..
They have an excellent shower room, but only two showers for each gender..
So all in all it’s pretty nice!! 

Fun for kids! Tame deer come right up to you!!

Stayed here for a few days back in June. Since I've been lucky enough to be able to work remotely, I just needed to find a campsite that had cell reception so I could tether my laptop, and this one does (at least on Verizon). 

It has a lot more to offer too though, as the lakeside location is pretty great. You can rent paddle boards and head out onto the water. Apparently this is one of the deepest lakes in the country. A local couple that gave us a ride on their boat told us they test submarines in this lake, or at least used to. I love random bits of interesting info like that.

All the standard amenities here, and then some. Restaurant / bar within walking distance. 

The only thing that got to be a bit much is how crowded it was. Yes, the campground is large (four different loops in total, if I remember correctly) but still, felt like a zoo sometimes.

Still, if you're looking for easy, don't mind paying and ideally making reservations ahead of time, and can sacrifice some privacy, this will do you very well.

Convenient, lots of amenities, a bit crowded.

They had just recently done overgrowth clearing for fire prevention and had only finished the large object cleanup. The ground in the campsite consisted mostly of burnt slash pile ash and branches that had yet to be cleared. Incredible views and right on the water

Incredible views, close to marina

Sam Owen did not disappoint! We had a huge, level spot (#56) at the end of the campground (not all sites are so level). A little tight to get into with a 40’ 5th wheel, but doable. The lake is just a very short walk away (great paddle boarding!) and though there is no cell service within the CG, there is on the far side of the swimming beach, next to the Beyond Hope resort (very crowded looking camping there!). 

A gem of a spot! 

Why this says the max rate is over $90... I don't know.  The max you can pay in this campground is $23 a night. Yes, you can rent the group picnic area for $75.00 but you can't camp there. I think the OP confused this with a private campground further out on the the peninsula where they do charge such high rates. We have camped there with our 35 foot travel trailer in a nice pull through. Four different loops. Many smaller sites that we can't use, but I recommend it.

Great family camping area on Lake Ponderay 

Very nice well kept campground on the east shore of lake Pend Oreille. We visited in 2021 September. A lot of trees have been cut down and cleared out from a giant wind storm last year. The storm crushed cars and campers. All cleared up and nice now. Most spots are still shaded and very close to the lake. The access roads are narrow and trailers over 30 ft can get in but very carefully in the skipping stone loop. If you want a pull through for easier entry/departure, try the dancing shadows loop. There's a dog beach with plenty of shoreline access. It was very smoky due to all the forest fires at the time.

Wooded lakeside gem

Absolutely 

Many spots to choose from. Some right on the water, many more back in the woods. Very clean and plentiful restrooms 

Very nice campground 

This is a typical state park that was designed many years ago and is now obsolete for modern RV's. Be very careful in choosing your site, the majority are not level and some are very steep, both up and down. Some spots are such that they don't align with the one-way street. That's fine if you have a Class B or C, but not a trailer. Hosts seem to be a little selective in who they enforce the dog leash rules on. A camper close to us never had their dog on a leash, and they were two sites away from the host. There's no hookups at all, although there are water spigots around the loops. Many dead and dying trees contributed to the huge amount of stink bugs.

Needs major upgrades 

Arranged for my girls to join us on the lake.  Boat launch, beautiful forested, campsite, clean bathrooms .  Some want showers.  Has a handy dump and water refill.  Great weekend!

Weekend togetherness 

Love it here. There are beautiful lakeside campsites with access to the lake. Unfortunately, those were all reserved when we stayed there. This place can get busy in the summertime, so you reserve early. So we stayed at a nice pull through campsite. All the sites are nice and private with lovely trees and open grassy space between them.  

There's a nice swimming area a short walk from our campsite, and Pend Oreille lake is beautiful clear, cool water for swimming.  

Bathrooms are not typical pit toilets, but had running water and flush toilets.  

The area is beautiful and well worth the trip to camp here.

Beautiful lake, great campsites

Stayed at site 80 in Scented Leafs section. Decent campground with mix of full sun/semi shaded sites. Campground was prob 50% full but many reserves signs starting Friday. Lake was excellent, warmer than expected. If you’re a cyclist, the ride up Trestle Creek then down Lightning Creek is excellent, top 1/3 of the climb still had lots of wildflowers and high alpine feel/views. 

Photos of Sam Owen Camnpground

Real photos from real campers