Best Equestrian Camping near Bruneau, ID

A little bit misleading in the description. There are some established camp spots and then there is some “dispersed” camping. In reality the dispersed camping is more like established camping on BLM land.
It can be a little bit confusing when you arrive but you take a right turn away from the welcome sign. You’ll travel by a boat launch on your left and some construction type equipment on your right as you travel down a dirt road. The mile or so is the established camping in Idaho Power property. It’ll be on your left as your drive. About 2ish miles in you’ll see a beat up sign marking the beginning of BLM land. After that there are turnouts for the “dispersed” camping. There are permanent fire pits and even some pit toilets so not exactly dispersed in the overland sense, but more like camping in the 80’s if you are old enough to remember that.
You won’t need a 4WD rig. A front wheel drive sedan can do this drive, but the road is bumpy. It was dry when I went to maybe if it’s muddy it would be more treacherous.
All in not a terrible camping spot. You’re right on the river and the bugs are too.
Remember, kids, only trash leaves trash and don’t be the weirdos “out in nature” with your Bluetooth speaker blaring music.

Bruneau Dunes State Park is a hidden gem in Idaho just 20 min off I-84 in Idaho not far from Boise. There is a small field of sand dunes in the park and the largest dune is the largest active dune structure in NorthAmerica. A couple of lakes and ponds are also found at the base of the dunes. There are 3 campgrounds in the park, one is an equestrian one. Only the outhouses are open in the winter and water and showers are turned off in winter but electrical hook ups are still available. Great views of the sand dunes from the campgrounds as well. Marginal cell reception with Verizon. Signal too weak for AT&T.

My first time in Idaho and talk about diversity and beauty. Bruneau Dunes is just another example of the variety of experiences to be had within this state! Windy, sunny and sandy best describes the whole park. The sand was a little toasty so I kept the dogs mostly in the shade. Sliding down the dunes is pretty cool. The pond/lake was low and mucky when we were there and I don’t know if fishing would be an option. The campground is adequate and well maintained. The picnic shelters help some with the sun and wind. Bring good anchors for anything you want to set up. The staff was nice and informative. Definitely worth a look see just cause it’s cool.

Senior discount,  Dark Skies, Observatory, Tallest Dune in N.A., definitely worth a night or two.  

Our son was stationed at Mountain Home AFB and deployed in the Iraqi war, Enduring Freedom.   We did not have the chance to visit as a result.  While in Idaho, we swung by the base and then headed to Bruneau Dunes SP at his recommendation.  It was not what we expected.   I won’t lie.   It’s a desert folks … well, more accurate,  high plains.  But what a cool place.  The sites are basic & not a lot of shade to be found.  But the bathhouse is emaculate.    Great showers to wash off the sand from climbing the dunes.  Even if you aren’t staying at the campground,  you can shower for $3.  If you are interested in astronomy or astronomy photography,  this is a great place.   The observatory wasn’t open the day we were there.  I didn’t get meet the host, but heard great things. The dump station is large.  AT&T service, spotty.

While the sites themselves leave much to be desired, Bruneau is awesome. The camp hosts have been there for 7 years and are super friendly and helpful. The restrooms are in tip-top shape and there are several features that made this an awesome spot for our family-a dog park within walking distance, open grassy space for playing whiffle ball, etc and the ability to ride bikes to the Dunes-about 1 mile from the Broken Wheel site. It does get super windy though. And although we have only been in the fall and spring, I have heard you really cannot walk on the sand in the summer-too hot! Overall, we love it.

Its pretty close to the snake river, and at the trailhead of a non vehicle trail. Its after Celebration Park on Victory Ln, you drive around the park and it turns into a dirt road. BLM or County land I think. Not many folks here. Smells like horse droppings. Pretty rough terrain getting to the end. There was a sign about a mile back that said “3 day camping limit”. You can get to the water, but its a slippery and steep trip. Its beautiful otherwise. There are big critters out here sniffing and jumping onto my camper, making my dog go crazy. Free camping, dispersed, no fresh water, no fires allowed. Hikers going to the trail will walk past your site if you park on the road turnouts... so dont shower outside... lessons learned.

While the dunes at Bruneau make for some fun sledding, my favorite part is the star gazing program offered by the park staff during the summer. A new telescope facility is being completed and will be open by June of 2023. We weren't able to use it, but we were able to look at smaller telescopes the staff had out. They also used lasers to point out constellations in the sky. When the weather is clear, the stars are just amazing! 

For camping, I recommend the Broken Wheel loop. A lot of the sites have a shelter over the picnic table, and they are also spaced out more than the Eagle Cove loops. Most of the sites have water and 30 amp or 50 amp service. The park has its own dump stattion you can use on the way out.

The campground is not why you go here. The sites are very basic, sandy, close together however, if you like sightseeing and exploring this place is unique and interesting. The sand dune is huge and weird to see in the middle of this farmland. Not another one for hundreds of miles. That, and the stars at night are really mind blowing. 

We visited in the winter. the campground was all but empty, maybe 4 campers all weekend. The forecast was for 28 degrees Saturday night and my thermometer read 8 degrees in the morning. The RV did fine and didn't freeze up.  Whether you come here in winter or summer, be prepared!  Bring everything you'll need including water, food, warm and/or cool clothing depending on season. It's out there a ways!  The little town of Bruneau (10 minutes away) is not too far away, but they don't have much in the way of supplies or groceries. Mountain Home has everything - about 30 minutes away.

This is an interesting and fun place for a day or two. Wouldn't stay longer than that. The $30 we paid for a full hookup trailer site was a bit on the high side in my opinion, but everything is going up, so it's somewhat a common price.