Searching for a tent campsite near Boise National Forest? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Boise National Forest, including sites, reviews, and tips. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Idaho tent camping excursion.
Redfish Inlet Trailhead
ALERT - The Swirly Canyon segment of the South Fork Payette River stretch offers opportunities for camping and fishing in a scenic mountain area. The BLM's South Fork Recreation Site is an undeveloped camping spot along the river.
Overview: Bald Mountain Campground is near Idaho City, Idaho. The Campground has 4 campsites in a secluded, forested area. A trail from campground goes east to the Middle Fork of the Boise River. A second trail goes from the Thorn Creek Butte Lookout south of the campground and follows Cottonwood Creek south.
Shafer Butte is located atop the scenic Boise Ridge Mountains, near Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Visitors enjoy hiking and biking on various trails in the surrounding area, and simply relaxing and taking in the area's beautiful views.
Popular activities in the area include hiking and mountain biking, the Mores Mountain Trail begins in the campground. This 2-mile interpretive nature trail is family friendly.
Shafer Butte offers scenic views of Deer Point, Mores Mountain and Shafer Butte summits, as well as the expansive valley below. The campground is situated among Douglas fir and aspen trees, which offer partial shade in most sites. Wildlife and summer wildflowers are abundant in the area.
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is close by and offers more hiking and biking trails, as well as other summer activities, check out this link for more information http://bogusbasin.org. The Ridge to River trail system is near by as well, check out this link for more information http://www.ridgetorivers.org
$10 - $75 / night
Overview: A stay at Cottonwood Campground enables guests to enjoy all the beauty and recreation offered around the Middle Fork Boise River and Arrowrock Reservoir. The tiny campground hosts 3 campsites. Weather is usually good from mid-May through late September and is easily accessible by car in good weather, although the road is sometimes rough and the drive can be seemingly long. Checking with the Mountain Ranger District (208-587-7961) on road conditions before heading out is recommended. Natural Features: The campground is situated just north of the reservoir along Cottonwood Creek. There is at a switchback of Forest Service (FS) roads 268 and 377. It is located less than a mile along FS road 377. Wildlife watchers may want to look for deer and elk. Waterfowl, eagles and osprey are attracted to the river. Recreation: Cottonwood Trail begins nearby, leading to Bald Mountain. Check the Idaho City Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for trails in the area that are open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers and off-road vehicles. Click here for an Idaho OHV safety message. Arrowrock Reservoir is a premier fishing destination in southwest Idaho. It offers excellent trout fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout. There are also good swimming holes. Big game hunting is a popular activity in season. The Middle Fork Boise River is just north of the campground and also offers great fishing.
Legend
Grandjean has several campsites, some on the river, some not. Some of the sites would accommodate smaller truck bed campers and maybe trailer campers. We tent camp and needed the 4-wheel drive to get to the end of the road. I didn't see any RV sites, there might be one or two around but its unlikely that there would be hookups of any kind. There might be a restroom off the main road on the way toward Grandjean but there were none close to any of the campsites around us. I would describe this as remote car camping. Established tent sites and fire pits, beautiful scenery, privacy and not a lot of extras. The Sawtooth Lodge is up the road and does offer RV space, tent camping and cabins. I am speaking of the rustic camping sites between Highway 21 and the Sawtooth Lodge.
Ranger
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.
Traveler
A membership RV camp 23 miles north of Mountain Home, Idaho. An oasis of trees in the middle of sage brush on the middle of nowhere. Located just inside Boise National Forest. The pool was closed but I'm sure it would have been very nice. If we lived in a nearby city like Boise I would buy a reasonably priced membership without batting an I. We reserved thru our RPI membership. $10 a night for us. I'm in love with Fort Running Bear.
Legend
This is a small tent camping campground right off Highway 55 and across the highway from the Payette River. Lots of shade trees. No amenities.
Scout
Great campground..set for RVS .but you can tent camp as well. Water hookups...no electric. They do have companion sites..a place for two trailers...
Legend
Ten Mile is a clean camp ground in a nice wooded area just off highway 21. The sites are large with good space between them for decent privacy. A good spot to tent camp, camper camp or bring smaller RVs.
Scout
It has been a long time since I have been there. Not a lot of amminites then. Best scenery and lots of tent sites away from crowds. Will go back again.
Legend
I love this campground. It’s back in the woods, on a creek. Perfect for tent camping. Campers and smaller RVs could also find spots. There is good privacy from the abundance of trees in the campground. This is one of my favorite spots off of Highway 21.
Legend
This is a small camp ground right off Highway 55 and across the Highway from the Payette river. Lots of shade trees. Not a lot of room for larger campers or RVs, mostly geared toward tent camping. I did not get cell service here.
Legend
This is one of the few overnight camp spots on the reservoir. It’s not always super clean. The garbage cans fill up quickly and sometimes over flow. Great day access for boats. Not a lot of shade for tent camping, so it can get warm in the summer.
Guide
It’s located right on highway 21, a few miles south of Stanley. Very small. Description says 5 camping sites but I only saw 3. There is a running creek a few feet away from the tent sites. Very quiet.
TravelerThis 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.
Legend
This is not my ideal place to camp. No where to tent camp but there is camper and RV camping in what I would describe as "parking lot style". That said, if your goal is accessing the water, the boat ramp is right across the dam and this is a glorious place for boating.
Scout
Sunny Gulch is close to the Sawtooths for great hiking, next to the river if you want to cool off or fish and there were plenty of options. The tent sites are groomed pretty well, and they had the cleanest pit toilet I think I’ve ever seen.
Traveler
This campground is really easy to find. A little before Lowman, right off the road. Average amenities for tent camping. (Only park on the paved road) The camp host is really kind and helpful. There are hot springs right across the street with a beautiful soaking pool and river side view. Good breakfast in Lowman and amazing hot springs in the area!
Legend
This is one of the smaller campgrounds on the reservoir. This campground does not have a restroom, most of the others near by do. Great access to the water but not really great for hiking. This campground is best for campers or small RV's, you could tent camp her but it would not be my first choice in places to go.
Scout
I came here during the summer of 2020 with my family. We had a great time. It was relaxing and beautiful to be outside. The sunsets were nice it was clean and quiet during the duration of our stay. The campsites themselves can be a little cramped and we were tent camping. Other than that, it was great with easy access to the water.
Traveler
Great places to hike, kayak, swim, or go boating. After 6pm motorized boats are not allowed on the water. It has cabins as well as tent sites. Not very secluded, to many people for my liking so if you dont want neighbors try another place. It does haave a little store which is nice.
Legend
This campground is bigger than many on the reservoir. There is enough room for groups if you get there early. Like most of the campgrounds on this road, you have a hill on one side and the reservoir on the other. This campground is good for campers and some RV's but not so good for tent camping. Camping here means you are looking for water access, which is great, at this site.
Traveler
I passed this place on Labor Day weekend and decided to stay. They officially don’t have tent sites but had some grassy area where I could pitch my tent anyway. That did mean there were no picnic tables or fire rings for me but the RV sites did have them.
The bathroom/showers were small but clean.
The bar/restaurant serves good food and the staff and locals were very friendly and offered all kinds of suggestions for my trip
Legend
Edna Creek campground is off of Highway 21 and is a little farther off the main road that some of other near by campgrounds. It is a little more private and quiet. I like this campground because it is more geared toward tent camping. There is limited space for larger RVs. There are no RV type amenities. Just vault toilets, picnic tables and campfire rings. I believe there is also a water pump. Lots of access to hiking around here which is a plus for me!
Legend
This RV Camping Site is AWESOME! They do allow tent camping and have cabins. They have full hookups for RV's as well. There is a lower rate for "back-ins" to the Boise River Greenbelt. They also have a higher rate for Pull Through Sites for RVs. There is so much to do in the area. Biking, hiking, walking along the Boise River. There is also some great fishing on the Boise River. This location is centered for city goers, snow skiers, white water rafters and anglers. We visited some nice restaurants within a short drive of the campgrounds. We rode our bikes along the trails, upstream and downstream. The campgrounds also rent bikes for those that don't have their own :-) You will not be disappointed with this campground if you want to get to know Boise, Idaho.
Traveler
We spend two days this July. Staff was friendly and informative. Don’t forget a mask if your going during Covid times. (Office requires it). Facilities are clean and nice. The small pool was great for the kiddos. We tent camped and where lucky to get the pick of the spots. The tent area has two covered areas with power. While we where there they’re where about. 7 tents with probably room for about 4 more. The group fire pit is also large and nice. One family in our group brought their RV and had a nice spot and hooks up where all working. We are considered locals so we didn’t make the trek the Anderson reservoir since we know all about it but if your not local make the short drive to enjoy some boating or swimming. The put put course want not available since it was getting worked on but was getting a overhaul so next time should be great. They have a community building but it was closed due to CoVid19. All in all it was a great weekend and spot.
Guide
This is a fantastic campsite. The host is super friendly and helpful without being intrusive. It’s on a bluff over a creek and there are hot springs a mere 1/4 mi away. Epic! There were several campsites that over looked the creek (which was easy to hike down to). We had an epic sunrise hot spring experience. We were on site 22 on the RV side which was great because there was more space between sites. There a vault toilet on the tent site and a water pump. We wished we could have stayed longer. Recreation.gov listed a bunch of their sites as first come, first serve which the host informed me they are not. Either way he found us an open spot but with such a nice location I don’t know if that happens often. 10/10 would stay again
Traveler
This campground is the only no reservation campground accessible by car on Redfish Lake. It’s great if you are looking to score a campsite without a reservation. It’s a great location on the lake, beautiful view of the sawtooth range and a short walk to the beach. The campsites have flat tent sites, concrete pads for the picnic tables and fire rings and most have trees for some shade. The only down side is the boat and jet ski noise during the day. If you are looking to get away from everything you may want to look at some of the nearby river campgrounds. The bathrooms and campsites were very very clean and the camp hosts were very friendly. If you are looking for a good hike take the ferry from the lodge to the far side of the lake!
Guide
If you've ever gone up to Stanley and don't believe in having to reserve a campsite on line (it's against my religion) this is your spot. About 20 minutes away from the "hussle and bustle" of tiny mountain town, Stanley, Blind Creek is situated in the Yankee fork of the Salmon River. If you're looking for amenities, don't come here--there's a out toilet, but that's it, no water or trash service. But with the river running right by camp you can easily filter your own water and there's a large dumpster at the Sunbeam pullout right before turning off the highway. Blind Creek only has 5 spots but I've never not been able to camp there, and at $5 a night you can afford to drive a little further to get into the Sawtooths or make the drive over to Challis. Beat for tent camping, though they do have two good sights you could back a trailer into, just do us all a favor, if you're going to run your generator, camp somewhere else. Keep this place quiet!
Guide
Alturas Lake Inlet campground is tucked into the lovely, shady forest around it. We saw plenty of birds, chipmunks and tiny wildflowers were all over our site in early July. The lake is a short walk but some campers drove over just to make it easier to tote their chairs and water gear. Bring layers - it can is cool in the evenings and at night (40s F) even in July but warm in the day, especially if you are out by the lake. We tent camped at site 17 and although it was near one of the many vault toilets, smaller trash dumpsters, and water spigots, our site was bigger and we set up a decent distance from it. Most sites seemed to have a good distance between each other and enough privacy courtesy of trees and various plant life. We didn’t have any issues, but there plenty of signs reminding campers to be bear aware. (We are pretty careful to keep our food, cooking supplies, toiletries and whatnot in our car when not in use anyway). We did not have cell service (Verizon) and it was a bit of a drive before we got it again. Overall, it’s a beautiful retreat well suited to escaping the heat of summer if you have a tent or small trailer/pull behind.
Boise National Forest in Idaho offers a fantastic escape for tent campers, with a variety of campgrounds that provide access to stunning natural beauty and outdoor activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Boise National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Boise National Forest is Boise National Forest Whoop-em-up Equestrian Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Boise National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 78 tent camping locations near Boise National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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