The best camping near
Boise National Forest, IDAHO

Hard to get in, great sunsets & views, in the path of wind when weather systems move through, can be noisy in the daytime.

We camped at Irish Point at Arrowhead's designated dispersed camping area. The road around the reservoir is pretty tight, though that doesn't discourage long trailers and toy haulers. We're pretty self-contained so didn't miss any usual camp ground amenities. Our neighbors were sparse and quiet and we enjoyed the peace of this area.

One of our luckiest experiences on scoring a walk up site. We just planned to take a peek at the campground and then move along as we never though we would get a spot in a popular reservation campground on a weekend in July! But as we were pulling up to the entrance of the campground the host was at the sign flipping it from Full to Vacancy…. say what??? A last minute cancellation, sad for someone, but good luck for us….. we scored a prime lakefront site! Our site was site#5 and I do not think it could have been much better. Solar charging was great in these lightly forested sites. Minimal bugs, which is a positive in my book. Water access to the shoreline was a little steep, but worth it for the private lakeside spot. No cell service! There was construction going on, and by 2019-2020 there will be several more sites at this campground, could make the shoreline and lake a little too busy in years to come? Glad we experienced it when we did!

This is a Forest Service first come first serve campground with only 6 sites, so snagging one could prove challenging. We had been in the area a couple days before, and we checked out the tags at sites and saw when people were planning to leave and several looked like they were coming open about the time we would return. We scored site#6 which we thought was the best one for us- with plenty of room and a nice trail down to the lakeside! At an elevation of 6537 ft., it can be a cooler escape during the heat of the summer. The water was close to the sites and provided an amazing place to kayak with the majestic mountains towering above. I can not wait to return here someday!

We stayed here for about 3 weeks in our motorhome while waiting to close on our new house. The price was very reasonable, the staff was very helpful and friendly, very nice and clean amenities.

My only complaint is that the spaces are pretty narrow. We had neighbors within 10 feet of us on both sides.

I would stay here again.

This is a pretty quiet place! It about an hour drive/17 miles from Cascade on a paved road. True to it's name, the lake and campsite are right on a summit! The lake is pretty small and a little muddy, but a fun dip nevertheless. It's about a 5 minute hike from the campsites. There are 3 campsites at the campground and they are all first come first serve! Dispersed camping is allowed in the area as well. Managed to find 2 empty spots here on Labor Day weekend, which was a real treat! The sites all have fire rings and picnic tables and share a vault toilet. The sites are well spaced and there little noise carries around the area. The campground is a little close the to highway (Warm Lake Rd) but traffic at night is pretty low, so the noise isn't bad. There is a wilderness airstrip not too far off, so some plane noise as well! Otherwise, a nice spot with some great views of the night sky.

Ranger review: Banner and Oak life straw water bottle at Edna creek campground Idaho. 

Campground review

These campgrounds are pretty nice. They had snow early on in the season and it was pretty chilly when we were there. It's not a bad drive from Boise ID as long as the roads aren’t icy. The bathroom was nice enough as you can see in the pictures, but it is just a pit. It is free at least in the off season no guarantees in season. There is a dumpster, but you can’t use it in the winter. The sites are nice and large enough for a medium size family there is a picnic table and a pole to hold a trash bag or a lantern which is very nice. The fire ring was nice but not very deep because of past fires. We had a nice little creek running right near our site. The campground was not very busy so we had no trouble getting a spot and if it had been full there were other places we could have gone with no trouble.

 Product review 

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. Today, I am testing the Life Straw Water Bottle as sold on Banner and Oak. Lifestraw Water Bottle at Banner and Oak. The water bottle is very nice looking. It does exactly as stated on the Banner and Oak site. You just fill the water bottle with flowing water. Screw the cap on and then drink the water through the straw. It does need a little more suction power to pull the water through the filter, which is noticeable but, not a big problem. Fair warning the water did taste different than tap water, but I think this is to be expected with any filter. One really cool thing about this water bottle is that for every bottle purchased they give clean water to a school child in Africa for a whole year. This is a huge bonus! This bottle is ideal for camping and hiking adventures. It is also, a good emergency essential.

Great bird life can be seen here all year round. There are ample fish in the water, which are also fun to spot. It can fill up pretty quickly, but is decently quiet during the mid-week, if you are able to make it. Saw two bald eagles during my last trip!

Nice being able to camp by the lake. Can be pretty crowded, but easier to find a spot out here than in McCall.

The campsite was fine, lots of trees down due to pine bark beetles. There was a picnic table on the site, no tent pads but level smooth ground. The hot springs weren't terribly far from the campground. The hot springs were shallow and could only fit about one person per pool but a wonderful place to soak for a few hours.  

There were hundreds of flies in the two vault toilets at the campground!!