I spent the night here on a cross country road trip with just me and the dog. It was free which was awesome. It was deserted which was both great and unnerving for a single newbie camper. We woke up to snow and had a great dawn hike on the hike/bike trails. The campsites are well-loved/worn and some were under water/mud. Because it was both off-season/midweek, it didn't matter at all, as I could pick almost any site.
The beach and the sunset views over the water and mountains are amazing. It's smallish but you never feel like it's over crowded.
Big Elk Campground in Irwin, Idaho is a great location for anyone looking for seclusion, while still being close enough to a town if you forgot any supplies. The camp host was very friendly, and the camp sites were clean and well maintained.
I camped here during a Snake River float trip. Easy to get to launch quickly and close proximity to Alpine WY where you can pick up supplies. There are no amenities at the campground. It is just across the Idaho/Wyoming boarder and on the banks of the Palisades Reservoir. There are trees along the banks. Only fire pits available. No tables, bathrooms, nothing. So please practice good camping etiquette and pack out everything. Gets pretty
Our family stayed here in a tent trailer for 2 nights. Kids loved playing in the lake. I like the paved trail that goes around the lake for jogging and cycling.
This lake has a triathlon that happens every year in mid-July. I’ve done it 4 times. It’s just a great lake + campground.
Nice little place. Stay limit is 14 days. They have pull through electric sites, Several non-electric back in sites, and a few sites next to the Snake River. If you want to dump at the dump site, make sure you have your paper to prove you are or did stay at the park or they will charge you $5 to dump your black tank. They will also charge for filling fresh water if you don’t have your paid site stub.
Adequately spaced sites, next to a creek. Well maintained, nice hiking trails. $12/night. Allows dogs and has good cell service. Picnic tables and fire pits.
Near the town of Duboise, this campground is up in the Shoshone National Forest. The views of the mountains are beautiful. I was here in early June and there was still a lot of snow in the area as well as in the campground. This made it easier to pick a campsite as it was obvious which sites were water logged and which were dry. The best sites are#14-16, along the river. Even though it was early in the season, someone had come out and mown the grass for tents. I was very impressed by the fact that they had ATV parking on the outside edge of the campground and that there were signs stating ATVs were not allowed to be driven through the campground. The sites were large and private with nice separation between sites, each had steel picnic tables, prep tables, and fire rings. And, terrible as it is, I even had cell service here! While I did not check it out, there is a group campground less than a mile just down the road. I would definitely camp here again, although maybe try and hit it right between the disappearance of snow and the appearance of mosquitos.
In Swan Valley the name of the game is fly fishing. This small campground is also a fly fishing outfitter and shop. While l was just passing through and I am not a fisherwoman, it seemed to offer pretty good services if that is your thing. I pulled in after hours but fortunately the owner’s dog alerted her to my presence and she was willing to open the office to rent me a tent site for the evening. There are 3ish tent sites(one was being worked on), about a half dozen pull thru RV sites, and 3 or 4 cabins for rent. There is a central bathhouse with two full bathrooms in a trailer for everyone to share. The bathhouse rooms are electronically accessed with codes the host gives you on check in. They were really nice and clean, like bathrooms in a typical modern home, except that one had the water heater tank in it and both had space heaters on the floor to plug in(fire hazard??). The tent site I chose was at the back of the campground so I didn’t have much highway noise, and fell asleep to the sound of the nearby horses grazing. Next door on the other side is a municipal building that appears to be the home base for the sheriff. The view of the back of the office/fly shop is not very picturesque, with boats and atv’s and odds and ends laying about. There are nice trees providing shade, but there is no real privacy between sites, tents, or cabins. The grass was quite lush, so I am wondering when the sprinkler system comes on. This place works as a layover or for someone who will take advantage of the fly fishing services, but not much else.
This campground is a little bit of a drive to get to, but it is well maintained and has great hiking trails.
Spacious dispersed camping on the edge of the Palisades Reservoir, but no amenities so come prepared! The road is a bit narrow and rutted, but those confident in their driving skills will be fine. There are so many options here!
There is a dirt “boat ramp”, but due to the amount of driftwood I would not recommend anything with a trailer until that’s cleaned up. Further down the road is a proper ramp if you need it, but we put our kayaks and floats right in there.
On a hot July weekend, this was a very popular spot. Not for those looking for peace and quiet in the campsite, but if you get in the water you can peacefully float around for hours, unless you kept your cellphone on! This area has pretty good service.
Despite previous reviews, I did not see toilets. There’s a few fire pits, the large one is a communal one of sorts. Bring a backup solution if fire cooking was your meal prep plan. Mosquitoes were definitely present also.
Your basic sites with fire ring and picnic table, pit toilets, and dumpster. Only con is it’s close to the road so you can hear traffic going by but otherwise it’s a simple $10/night pull in site.
By the time we arrived here, I was feeling a bit like Goldilocks, but we had pretty much decided we would stay unless it was truly horrible, which it was not. There are two entrances to the park; if approaching from the south, go to the second entrance, which is the main entrance. Although it is close to the Snake River, I do not know what the appeal would be to stay more than one night which is what we were doing while en-route to Grand Teton NP. Primitive campground (no water) with 31 sites, no reservations but no problem on a Sunday night in July. Each driveway is gravel; site T27 could accommodate an RV much larger than our 17-foot van. Large metal picnic table situated on a concrete pad, a garbage can, and a fire pit completed the site. Some of the sites were close together with no privacy to separate them; fortunately, there were many vacant spots so this was not an issue. Lots of road noise but there were sites tucked further back that would likely be quieter. Pit toilets only and they were reasonable. Hand sanitizer dispensers were a good idea but every single one was empty. Overflowing dumpster, due likely to the holiday weekend (we were there on Sunday after the 4th). Grass and weeds were a bit overgrown in the sites but not too terrible. Lots of cottonwood trees that were shedding their “snow” all around; thankfully we don’t have allergies. Interesting (and antiquated) payment system. Cash or check only. If paying cash, you must fold each individual bill into a tiny rectangle and then push it through the slot with the metal pusher that was attached. Might be fun for a kid to do! The price of$10 was just about right for this place.
Never go there, the camp host is a hard ass with a gun. I go camping to enjoy the out doors and have never met a camp host who was not pleasent when speaking to me. This ass has some character flaws. Even when wrong he didn't back down, only go here if you want to get pushed around.
Let me preface this by saying that we have often found diamonds in the rough at county park campgrounds but are not finding this to be the case (at least so far) in Idaho. Situated on a lake, many of the “interior” sites are right on the lake, with direct lake access. The good news is that at 6 pm on a Sunday, the entrance booth was still staffed, although they could not tell us which sites were available. Instead, they told us to drive around and come back with several choices. There were several waterfront sites available and many of the ones across the street were vacant. This was our second attempt at finding a place to land for the night, but after taking a drive around, we decided to keep looking as this type of campground attracted more of the loud, partying, ATV driving type, which is not our crowd. However, in deference to those who prefer this type of campground, I am giving it three stars. 50 sites but only two pit toilets (plus a third by the beach). A few waterfront sites looked empty as were most of the sites on the other side of the road. Be forewarned that sites 39, 40, 43, 44, 47, and 48 back right up to Highway 20 so you will definitely hear road noise. If you like this type of campground, go for it; it was not our cup of tea!
This was our first attempt to find a place to land in the Idaho Falls Area. Located about 10 miles south of Idaho Falls, it is a relatively new 12-unit RV Park (although they list prices for tent sites). When we arrived, there were two open spots but no apparent host or staff on-site. Sites are close to each other in typical RV Park fashion. There were some nice shade trees but they really did not provide much privacy/ separation between sites. The office was closed and you needed a code to access the restroom which we could see no way of obtaining. There were only large RVs camped there even though there are supposedly tent sites (without a code to the bathroom and nowhere that I could see to pitch a tent, I don’t see tenters staying there). There was some road noise and a chain link fence surrounded the campground. Nothing scenic about it. We moved on.
We camped here between visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It's roughly 1 1/2 hrs from each, but we didn't want to deal with the first come, first serve business and were enjoying driving through the farmland.
The campground was awesome! We were the only tent campers there, which was sort of nice. We had a beautiful, grassy spot with a fire pit.
The restrooms were immaculate and the whole property was well maintained. The camp host was very friendly.
We saw a bull moose in the field on the property, but apparently that was a rare occurence.
Seven RV sites with full hookups ($32.50/nite), four tent spots, and three cabins. Each cabin has different facilities ranging from partial to full bath. Bath/shower house accessible with code. Small playground. Lots of shade trees. Janice was very friendly and helpful and said they fill up every night. Best to call to make a reservation.
Wish we had known more about this place when we were searching last night so hopefully my first impressions will help future travelers. Upon entering the driveway, we were greeted heartily by Jake, the owner, who was on his way out but invited us to speak with Glen, his manager. Sleepy J has five one bedroom and five two bedroom cabins and one fully accessible handicapped cabin. There is also one RV spot. RV spot has water and electric but no sewer and it should be noted is located near the dumpster, making the cabins likely a better choice! Although I did not see the inside of the cabins, the outsides looked immaculate. Rates range from $70-$200 and you can rent the entire place for meetings, weddings, etc. Great location traveling to/from the Tetons. Both Jake and Glen were very welcoming and I would definitely stay here when looking for a break from camping!
This place is nice and easy to get to. There is good trout fishing in the small creek or you can go chase the bruisers in the snake river a few miles away. It is dry camping so bring lots of water to keep hydrated.
Very nice and quaint campground. Smaller tent sites and large double tent or trailer sites. Right on the river, good for fishing. Very clean, even the pit toilet bathroom was clean. Nearby to hot springs, off roading/short hikes/mountain or dirt biking trails and areas. Only $5/night with your National Parks Pass. Dog friendly and awesome fire pits (clean and not warped racks for grilling) We will definitely be back.
$25 for full hookups, $20 to dry camp. gets very dark at night. Seems like it fills completely full on weekends, but is quiet in the week. 15-20 minutes from Idaho Falls, but you feel like you’re in the boonies.
Would come back again!
Not too far out of town. Has a park for the kids and plenty of space for longer rigs
We stopped here for the night. Easy access to Hwy but thats also the downfall because you can hear it. 10+ new sites & toilets. Bear proof boxes for tenters. Nice fire rings. $12 a night, $6 with senior pass. Pretty level sites.
Cramped sites, over priced. They have a pool and hot tub with hot showers that were great only because we went a week without one while going through Yellowstone. We did get to watch a great thunder storm roll over us that night.
They just added 10+ new sites and new toilets and we think we were the first to stay in this one. There were not very many people there on a Tuesday night. We have a senior pass so paid $6.00. I would have given it 5 stars but the only downfall was the highway was close enough we heard the traffic a lot but was also a plus because it was easy access.
They certainly have all the amenities including showers, a pool, hot tub and playground. It was nice having these amenities after several days without. However the sites did not have much space between them, and we saw several questionable and possibly drunk people walking through the rv park. Not a place I would go for a relaxing time camping.
Can camp in tents, cars, or hammocks. Lots of spots near the rivers throughout the dirt road. Pretty popular for fire pits in the spring and summer. Can float the river as well. Sometimes see the occasional moose or dear.