Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Albion, ID

We stayed at Oregon Trail Campground in Twin Falls, Idaho in September 2021. This park is a FHU pull-thru site and also has back-in sites. Our site was flat and level and a snap to set up our fifth wheel. The staff here was very nice and helpful with restaurant recommendations. The only negative for us was that we had to take our pets to the pet area, which was at the far corner of the park, and pets are not allowed to potty on any trees or shrubs. Signs were everywhere stating this. It was difficult to get our dogs quickly to the dog area, which is very small and swampy, when they really had to pee. Other than that we enjoyed our stay here and would definitely stay here again. If you would like to see videos on this park and others, please visit our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.

This beautiful state park is located right off of the freeway about 7 miles outside of American Falls, Idaho. There is a little bit of road noise at the park because of the proximity to the freeway but it wasn't a bother at all. The views of the river are beautiful and the sunset was amazing. There are a lot of trails to walk on here, and since the park is pet friendly our three big dogs walked the trails with us. There is a disc golf course, although we didn't try it out. The camp host was great. The bathrooms were clean, although only half of them are open in the off season. The only draw back we could see is that the spots aren't very spacious, so if you're new at parking your rig, or if you have a really large rig, it could be a tight fit. We were in a 33 ft TT and the pull through spot (17) was plenty long, but kind of narrow. Spot has 50 and 30 amp hook ups as well as water if you camp during the summer-no water in the off season.

The relationship between City of Rocks National Preserve and Castle Rocks State Park is still not clear to me as this campground appears on the National Park Service website, although it is an Idaho State Park. That said, the park rangers seem to work cooperatively. This campground is delightful. Located about a 7-mile drive/walk to the entrance of City of Rocks, Smoky Mountain Campground is situated above the valley providing a wonderful view from many sites including space #19 where I parked my campervan.  I believe the walking distance to the reserve could be shorter by taking any of the hiking trails from the campgrounds rather than going along the paved roads which first go away from the City of Rocks then back up again, making a big "U". 

During my one-night stay in February, water, showers and bathrooms in the campground were closed for the winter season. A very clean, pit toilet is located in the equestrian parking lot across from the campground entrance. The distance from the campsites to the bathroom will vary from quite close to about 1/4 mile max. And during the winter season, there won't be much competition for the spaces close to the bathroom, as I was the sole user during my time there. 

In addition to the breathtaking views, the sites offer privacy from 3 sides though all face the loop access road. There are picnic tables, fire rings and electrical power. I did not note if water was available as it would have been shut off in February in any event.  There is a dump station about 1 mile down the road toward the exit. I do not know if it is open in the winter.

Check-in during the off-season is accomplished by envelope collected at the entrance or directly to the ranger who came by in the morning to check-in. The rate was $27 per night. Definitely worth the money to stay in this tranquil campground so close to the magnificent City of Rocks.

We had planned to stay here 2 nights but stayed one more. The sites are great. Spread out with lots of grass. It's right on the river with a great paved walking trail through an arboretum. Our dogs loved it. We were here in October 2020 so bathrooms were closed due to COVID and because it was off season there was no park host do no wifi code. No other amenities (which is fine, we didn't need anything). The cost was very affordable with good Sam membership (24.30 per night). They had pull through sites in the middle and back in sites on the edges. Each side had utilities on opposite sides. We would definitely stay here again when passing through southern Idaho.

Smoky Mountain campground is very close to the entrance of City of Rocks NR and just slightly further is Castle Rocks SP, however, the grounds are managed by the state park. There are some RV/equestrian sites that have 30/50 amp power and water hookups. There is a dump station on the road to the grounds but it was closed for repairs when we visited. There are plenty of pit toilets around the area and the ones we used were quite clean. Spots are mostly back-in but pretty easy access. The camp hosts were very friendly and the camp reservation includes a parking pass for the State Park ($10 value). The RV sites are very private and nicely spread out with pine trees in between. Great views of City of Rocks. Plenty of biking and hiking trails around and TONS of climbing. The visitor center is about 2 miles away and a general store another half mile beyond that. There’s opportunity for gas and food on the way to the grounds (both Albion and Almo have options) but best to get what you need before you leave the major highway. Having hookups at a State Park with such awesome views was sweet and the grounds are very well maintained. Reservations seem hard to come by during the high season.