Lava Hot Springs East KOA, near Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, is a bustling campground that caters to a variety of campers, from tent enthusiasts to RV travelers. With a range of sites, including some with river views, it’s a popular choice for those looking to soak in the nearby hot springs and enjoy the great outdoors.

The campground is well-equipped with clean facilities, including bathrooms and showers, which visitors appreciate. Many have noted the friendly staff who are always ready to help, making check-in a breeze. As one camper mentioned, “The staff were friendly and accommodating,” which adds to the welcoming vibe of the place.

For those who enjoy activities, the KOA is just a short walk from the hot springs and downtown, where you can find local shops and eateries. The Portneuf River runs right through the campground, providing a scenic backdrop and opportunities for relaxation. While some campers have pointed out that road noise can be an issue, the overall experience is enhanced by the campground's amenities and proximity to attractions. 

Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a longer stay, Lava Hot Springs East KOA offers a mix of comfort and adventure that keeps campers coming back.

Lava Hot Springs East KOA is now a year round mini vacation destination.  We offer a variety of newly renovated RV patio sites, and deluxe cabins with gorgeous views of the river and countryside.  Enjoy clean shower facilities located at the office, and at the east bath house/laundromat.  The pavilion is a wonderful place for families to gather and eat.  Pavilion amenities: gas stovetop/oven, gas bbq, sink and seating for approximately 50 people. The pavilion does not have a refrigerator. The office staff will be happy to instruct guests for extra parking while renting the pavilion.
All of our RV and tent sites have fire pits, picnic tables, or tables and chairs.  If planning to fish on your vacation, be sure to reserve an RV site on the river. Map reference #2-16.  Fishing licenses are sold at the local Sunnyside Sinclair gas station on Hwy 30.
Downtown Lava Hot Springs is only a short walk away where guests will find the World Famous Natural Hot Springs, Olympic Swimming Complex and year round Indoor Aquatic Center with Kiddie Cove. See rates and hours on www.lavahotsprings.com
Floating the natural Portneuf River is a very popular adventure. Ask about tube rental discounts during your stay.
The RV and tent camping season is from April 1-October 31, weather pending. Please call 208-776-5295  or book online for lodging accommodations from November 1-March 30.

Lava Hot Springs East KOA

Lava Hot Springs, ID is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Lava Hot Springs campgrounds just for you. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.

Lava Hot Springs

The Best Camping Near Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

While the staff seemed great and the restrooms and shower facilities were awesome, if you camp in the upper section, be prepared to hear trains roll through right beside you all night long. Not to mention the constant freeway noise of semis driving by at all hours. Also if you are up in that section you are essentially paying $35 to pitch a tent in a parking lot. It looks nothing like the pictures. I would not recommend this site unless you really just need an awesome shower!

Loud Train and Freeway Noise All Night Long

Nice spot to camp by town with plenty to do!

Nice spot to camp!

The people, bathrooms, and showers are all awesome. There is some road noise but not more than you’d get anywhere else. LOTS of shade, right next to the river, pet friendly, and cabins are also able to be rented! Would definitely come here again.

Family fun

We had scouted T1 campsite at the KOA Holiday in Lava Hot Springs. This campground runs along the creek and is directly across from Mary’s Campground. Site T1 is for a family of 2 maybe 3 but it’s large enough for 2 medium size tents and 1 large one and our canopy. The site itself is surrounded by water and even has a small water fall that you could sit in as if it were a small hot tub size. This KOA is clean and friendly staff. They do have a store for some basic supplies and sell firewood. Not only are there tent sites but also have RV sites, cabins camp and large family size cabins. They have bathrooms/showers and a large playground for young kids. 
This KOA is within walking distance to Lava Hot Springs Main Street which has places to eat, hot pools, stores, ice cream place and more. Definitely would stay at this KOA again and again.

T1 Campsite is A Hidden Oasis

This is a packed area for campground and other lodging!  There are 3 other places to stay along the same road including this KOA.  It does have quite a large store if you are staying nearby and need to stock up on things.  There are sites with options for hookups and it appeared there were some small cabins for rent.  A small railroad style bridge also crossed the river to the south

A KOA right along the River!

We've stayed here a few times. Pretty close to the hilt pools. Close enough to the city for a nice walk. The campground is like most KOA's pretty close sites, but lots of amenities. Showers, fire rings, power, water, shop with all kinds of goodies and ice cream. Great shade in most spots, and it has a place for large gatherings. Horse shoe pits,  volleyball, and playground.

Great place if your here for the pools.

Good facilities.  River valley spots are the best.  There is a train that runs frequently during the day.

Nice shaded and walking distance to Town and Springs

Came for a weekend getaway. The park was very clean and beautiful with the fall colors. The camp hosts were great. The Portneuf River runs right through the campground. You are about a 5-10 minute walk from the main town including the hot pools. Those pools are super relaxing and I would recommend going first thing in the morning before it gets crowded. I was impressed with the campground itself. All the hookups worked perfectly. 


Great place to stay

This is a big KOA, right on the river, and really well taken care of. Super clean! Walking distance to downtown and the hot springs. Really nice staff. 

We stayed just one night here on our way home from a 6 week outing. This KOA has something for everyone and every type of campsite you could ever imagine. It is very busy! We had a patio site near the office, overlooking a weedy bit near the stream. While you couldn’t see the water from the patio, you could hear it and could enjoy gazing at the cliffs above it. Road noise and train noise was excessive (4 trains went through during the night and the train track is right on the other side of the highway which is right next to the park and carries a lot of semi truck traffic). 

Nice KOA

The facilities are nice and it’s very close to the hot springs. The only problem we experienced was the very loud road noise. The were up all night listening to Jake breaking from trucks zipping by. 

Nice campground but bad road noise 

I would stay here again if it wasn’t so expensive. The $20 fee per dog per night is the kicker for me. So four our 3 dogs at $20 per night added $120 to our 2 night stay, and they charge this even if you stay in a tent which I think is ridiculous. 

Nice but expensive 

Bathrooms and showers are very clean, some sites are widely space, but some are crammed together, otherwise, a typical KOA.  EXCEPT it is expensive and they add on extra fees for people, pets, and vehicles; never stayed at a KOA that does this.  Oh, the road noise is pretty bad also.

O.K.

The KOA is just off US-30, so easy to find. Our GPS and Waze did not have the exact address, but you can easily see the KOA sign coming in from the east. We were traveling with another couple and there were basically two marked check-in spaces. You have to pay attention to where you position your rig so you don't block office car parking. We had reserved a premium K-9 site and were assigned site 102 at check-in. Site 102 was 1 of 3 premium sites next to the office. The problem with site 102 was 1) there was a truck parked there with no owner in sight, 2) trees that would have scraped the top of our 5th wheel, and 3) a very difficult and tight back-in swing on this 90-degree site with our 40' rig. You need to be an expert backer, or very lucky, to clear the trees at the entrance of this site if you're in a larger rig. Sites 100 and 101 do not have these same obstacles and with the river view, are arguably the best sites in the park. We went back into the office to request a different site and were assigned a non K-9 premium back-in site, 200, in their new area. We would have enjoyed the original site as it does have a nice river view. Sites were under construction in the 200 area and each site is highlighted by 7-inch high and 6-inch wide cement curbs. Whoever designed much of this CG did not understand RVs. It was challenging to back into your site as there are also cement barriers to protect the sewer hookups off the curbs in front of sites on the adjacent pull-through sites. We almost tore off a snap pad getting too close to a curb as the curbs are not sloped to prevent this and based on the markings, a lot of tires have fallen victim to these curbs. Also, we had to be very careful going up and down our steps as you have the curb there as well. While we were getting into our site, a 45’ class A was trying to get into pull-through site 221 across from us. Just trying to make the turn onto this row, he ran his rear tires up on the curb around the shower/laundry facility. He still had his toad attached and had to disconnect it to avoid damaging his vehicle. Hopefully, the management of this park will mark that site for shorter rigs as he also had problems clearing the curbs when departing his site. Their free Wifi was decent. We got 3 bars on Verizon and no issues getting a shot to the north sky for Starlink as there are no mature trees in this new area. There are plenty of other CG options in the area, so we will not stay here again. The main positive of this CG is the staff. They were friendly and accommodating when we requested to change sites. They also credited us the diffrence in cost since we didn't get the K-9 site, without us asking for the credit.

Photos of Lava Hot Springs East KOA

Real photos from real campers