Best Equestrian Camping near Boise National Forest

Spend 6 nights here while exploring Stanley, the sawtooths, and Boise National Forest. Big sites, beautiful lake, and very private. Really enjoyed our stay here.

This campsite was a little slice of heaven, I honestly contemplated reviewing it because it want to keep this gem hidden. We were originally booking in an equestrian site but we don't own horses the camp host left us a little sticky note (there is not cell service) on the fence when we arrived to let us know that our campsite had been moved. We drove down the dirt road a little more and went to our new site, as well pulled up we were greated with the best lake view and a massive campsite. There isn't that many amenities at this campsite, it's a pack in pack our but there is a dumpster and vault toilets one for every I'd say 8 or 9 sites. The views were the best part, the camp hosts were kind and frequently driving through to make sure we are ok. They do sell wood bundles for $5 which was great because we ran out of wood multiple time and driving to Stanley they wanted $13 a bundle. This is now our favorite campsite and we will for sure be back!

This campground is not run by the forest service but by a concessionaire, and you will use the iron ranger as there wasn’t a host when I was there. Super clean, all sites along the river side of the lollipop loop are identical with the exception of a couple double sites. There is a fence between you and the river, but not something you couldn’t just hop over to get to the water. Sites on the no river side were less desirable as they didn’t seem to be as large or have good spots for tents. There are a couple of trailheads right in camp which is cool, and there are dedicated spaces for equestrian camping. There didn’t seem to be many campers here, maybe because you have to know to cross the river on the bridge to get back in here. The campground looks fairly new, with very new looking picnic tables and a fairly new looking vault toilet.

This site was right along a river that was very beautiful but the campground was on higher ground so most people walked down to the entrance where you could get to the river or some people stood on the bridge to fish. Not all spots have trees, so be careful if you have pets. They did have three campsites for people with horses to camp. Not our cup of tea but if you are low maintenance or bring it all with you then this may be your pace. No other amenities. Right up the road from Stanley.

I got lucky with this campsite. Most of the campground was filled, but this site (#36) had a “see the host” sign on it. Turned out it was only available for that one night, which was perfect for me. Most of the sites had been reserved in advance and I happened to catch it on the one between night. I had amazing views of the glaciers in the Sawtooth Mountains across the lake. The campground is a series of loops, with the best sites in my loop where you have uninterrupted views of the glaciers and mountains. The trade off for the view is that you don’t have any trees on your site, so no shade and no hammock. But the tent pad was nice. The bathrooms are nice and clean, if a bit outdated. When you need a shower you do have to drive to the horse corrals to use the pay showers ($2 for 6 minutes, wait a full minute before getting in unless you like really cold water), but that is a small price to pay. Hiking in the park is amazing! And the only place you will have phone service is at the visitor’s center.

 Another nice first come first serve campground along the Salmon River. Cross the bridge off of Hwy 75 and keep driving down a dusty dirt road to the campground. There is also private property near here so stay to the main road. 

Most of the campsites sit above the Salmon River and just across the river is the highway so you will get some road noise. 

There were a couple of hike-to sites as well (#18 + 19), where you park your car in the designated area then take your stuff up from there. Toward the end of the loop is a horse camping area and staging area for ATVs. There are plenty of trails for various activities for this place: Hiking, Biking, Horseback riding, ATV use, and Fishing.

 There are pit toilets, picnic tables, fire pits, dumpster but no recycling, and hand pump water. Some sites are small but there is plenty of room near the end for bigger rigs. Parking at each site varies by levelness or size. 

There was only one other camper there. Shade/sun mix for all sites. 

Store food appropriately as there are no bear boxes and bears do come to this area. 

Zero cell reception ATT, Verizon, or TMobile.

This is a conveniently located campground near all the amenities of Idaho City.  Miles of forest for hiking, exploring and fishing.  Right off Highway 21, it's easy to find with ample space between campsites.  A great base camp for exploring the area.

One of my favorite campgrounds in all of Idaho. The road out to Deadwood is only open a few months of the year. While the road out can be a little rough, the campground is well worth it. The drive out is beautiful as well. Feels like you are in a different land. Four wheel drive is recommended. The campground itself is serene, with so much to do! The water from the reservoir is great for swimming,fishing and boating. There are trailheads that start right from within the campground. If you're lucky you might even hear a pack of wolves howling across the reservoir!

What a nice campground!  We had very low expectations staying at a campground that is almost always booked solid (we figured it would be crowded and loud) and is in one of the most popular parts of Idaho. However, the camping spots are large and are nicely spaced.  Even though almost every spot was taken, the campground was quiet and peaceful.  We prefer dry camping, so liked the spots not having hook-ups and drains. Paved roads made for fun riding of bikes, the flushing toilets in the clean bathrooms were a plus, the fresh drinking water was clean and tasted great, there were trash bins close by and our host "Wally" was so kind. With a short walk, you are on the North shore or Dog Beach and a little further is Redfish Lodge, beach and restaurants.  The food was so good and priced well, next time I will likely take less camping food and just eat at the lodge!  (Easy!)  The water in the lake is the cleanest you'll ever see....LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY PEOPLE!  Unfortunately, this campground is booked out almost the entire summer, so while we want to go back - it may have to wait until next year.

A trip into the Sawtooth mountains and a visit to Redfish Lake has been de rigeur for any visit to Grandma’s for as far back as I remember... beginning with a trip in ‘84 when my younger brother heeded the call of the wild spirits and disappeared into the forest for hours, only to be found munching happily on the assorted snack foods of a group of elk hunters he had surprised. This area still retains a wilderness experience despite numerous infrastructure improvements and new campground development. Of note, Redfish lake is within the 1416 square mile Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, the first Gold Tier site in the United States. The result is world class spectacular night sky astronomy unimpeded by light pollution, and makes this area a top pick to do some star gazing or meteor watching.

Fauna is abundant in the surrounding area. Deer, elk, bear, marten, moose, and pronghorn antelope all made appearances during my last rip to the area. Fishing at the beginning and end of season might net you Dolly Varden, Rainbow Trout, and Kokanee. The general store has some basic tackle, but the nearest gear and license is in Stanley.

The lodge, separately owned and seasonally operated under USFS special permit, has been in operation since 1929 and offers day rental bicycles of multiple types, horseback riding, boat/canoe/kayak/SUP rentals, a general store, a restaurant, and minimal WiFi and cell service, staying true to its roots wherever possible.

Pro tip: Enjoy the 17 1/2 mile lake loop hike, but if you’d like to split that distance or have other destinations in mind, the marina operates an on demand boat shuttle for hikers to the trailhead at the far end of the lake during daylight hours. No reservation is required, but you can call to schedule pickup.

Deadwood is deep in the mountains and the roads can be a bit rough. Wonderful place to kayak out and watch the osprey dive for dinner. There are some small islands that are worth exploring. Lost of shade and pretty secluded. Has outhouses in designated campgrounds. The beachfronts are gorgeous but was very smokey due to fires

Just 6 sites here (try and get #6, it’s really close to the river) on a traditional and ancient campsite that Native Americans used for a long time. The campground has the basics: picnic tables, fire pits, a vault toilet (in need of servicing), and dumpster. There is also a trail head right in camp as well as another trailhead on the other side of the Deadwood River. Across the road is a nice little interpreter site with info about the wildlife as well as river running info. You aren’t too far from several hot springs too.

Great but small NF campsite at the Deadwood trailhead. 6 sites with picnic tables and fire rings. Clean vault toilets.

We love Deadwood. It’s far enough that it’s not overly crowded. Most camp spots have sandy beach access and feel private. I like that I can reserve a spot so I know there’s room for my camper trailer.

Quick 1 night stay. Nice river access. Pretty quiet.

Found deep in the Boise Forest, this senic gem is perfect for a night or week stay. Every camp sight has a perfect view of the reservoir. You can bring your boat, fishing poll, and hiking boot, because there is plenty of fishing and trails! The sunsets are absolutely beath taking! But the most beautiful view is watching the storms rolling in, no I'm not some crazy thrill seeker. They are just stunning to watch come and there is no words to describe them! This places does offer clean water and outhouses. Most of the roads to get up there are dirt, please be advised scotts bluff is the more extreme road to get up there. If you have a camper trailer i would advise taking anyother route but Scotts. Please pack out whatever you pack in and leave this beautiful place gorgeous for the next camper!! Keep camping my camping freinds!

This campground was burned in the pioneer this summer (2016) and will need a few years to recover. When it does recover it's worth the trip. Rather quiet as people don't know about it really. There are 2 natural hotsprings near by that you can drive to without having to pay for the higher hotspring prices.

This is a first come first serve for tent camping, and we grabbed the last spot on this trip. However, it was within walking distance of the water for swimming and fishing.

Also VERY clean toilets!

Other than it was hot mid-day, it was beautiful, plus an amazing hiking trail is close too.

Family reunion just up the road from bull trout lake next to what we call "Frog Lake". Frog lake is up the road from Bulltrout on one of the smaller ponds. It was a little dry this year so the pond was at a lower level than normal. Still lots of trout in the pond and saw about an Osprey catch fish every morning.

We love camping in this campground.  The reason for only three stars is because of the extremely rude behavior of the"camp host". We will not be going back as long as she is still there. This is our third time camping there and we have never seen treated so poorly by a camp host.

I stayed one night, I took a cabin instead of a campsite because of the nearby fires. The area was very clean and well maintained. The pool was wonderful to soak in. I arrived there on a Sunday afternoon, there was A LOT of traffic going down the mountain as I was going up, obviously it had been quite crowded on the weekend! However, it was nice and quiet for the rest of my stay.

Nice area to camp. Sparse trees. Swimming in the creek as well as pool. If you’re needing cell reception it’s spotty at best. Camping spaces are clean.

Didn’t think we would find a spot for the weekend since we left so late. Drove up to silver creek expecting that if we couldn’t get in we would boondock on the other side of which boasts acres and acres of opportunity all around to boondock. However we were able to secure a spot. It can get a little busy (kids riding bikes, playing) and the campsites can be close together depending on what side you’re on, but it’s absolutely beautiful and very accommodating. We brought our side by side and drove the trails every day for hours all day! Had Picnics on the river rapids and soaked in the hot springs (you will drive by on your way to the grounds. Unfortunately the one at the campsite is closed and for sale. Be bear and wolf aware!