Best Tent Camping near Caldwell, ID

The Slocum Creek campground is near the Owyhee Reservoir at the end of Leslie Gulch. It is a free campsite, fire rings with shelters (!) and tables. There are two drop toilets but no water or trash service. Closest gas is in Jordan Valley. The boat ramp to the reservoir is a half mile down the hill. The reservoir is very still and great for SUP and kayaking as well. The area is accessed by a good dirt road, but since it is in a gulch, a small amount of water could make this area tricky to drive to/from, so be sure to watch the weather. There are other camping spots in the Owyhee, but this is the most accessible with the best maintained road. Fires were allowed in late June, but I suspect there is a fire ban throughout July/August/September. 

First come first served. Websites mentioned that it almost never fills up except maybe during fishing season, but we arrived on a Friday in June and the campground did run out of spots by early evening. There are dispersed spots nearby, but then you would need to plan to bring a portable toilet and your own shelter. The sun was sweltering, even in June. 

There is great hiking (requires some scrambling) in the smaller gulches off Leslie Gulch with incredible views of the rock formations. Juniper Gulch is a moderate, somewhat shaded, and stunningly beautiful hike nearby. 

Rattlesnakes, ticks, and scorpions live in this area. 

There is one larger group site, but it gets the last of the evening sun and the first of the morning sun. 

These lands are fragile, so please take care of them: pack out your garbage, stay on trails, only ride dirt bikes and four wheelers on the roads.

Celebration Park is the perfect campground for basic boondocking (with bathrooms). It is remote and wild with non-stop views from every site and many outdoor activities nearby. At the entrance to the campground, there is a visitors center, many picnic tables, fire rings, an interpretive walk, and access to the riverfront. This is where the bathrooms are containing a single sink, electrical outlet and two toilets. No showers are available. The bathroom was exceptionally clean when I stayed there. The park adjoins BLM land. There are no hookups for power, water or sewer. Potable water is accessed from the bathrooms and spigots near the entrance. The camping area goes on for at least 1/4 mile along the river and more sites are away from the water. 

Some reviewers mention the bugs. Yes there were swarming gnats when I visited in February, not unbearable, but worth noting if that bothers you. Also note the wind coming down the gorge creates some showy sandstorms. (See video) Hey, it's the outdoors.

The county park is located on the Snake River Gorge about 25 miles from the nearest town. It is located on the northern fridge of the Morley Birds of Prey Sanctuary. You will awaken to the sound of the ducks and geese and can watch hawks and ravens soar on the winds rushing through the gorge. This is not the best place for watching the raptors, as I learned on staying there. Swan Falls south about 15 miles is for wildlife viewing, nevertheless, there was plenty to see and I spent two nights there. 

A walk up away from the river takes you to a large lake and you can also cross the historic rail bridge to the other bank of the river and climb to the top of the gorge. Excellent place for stargazing, but avoid the sites closest to the visitor center where the lights interfere with prevent perfect darkness.

Just south of Kuna, Swan Falls is a nice quiet place for tent or RV camping. RV should be smaller than 27'. We have a 27' Travel Trailer pulled with an extended long bed Chevy Silverado. We were able to get into the last or furthest campsite up stream. north of the dam. We were able to launch our kayaks for fishing and paddling for a couple of days. It is dry camping with no hookups. No reservations, so it's on a first come first serve basis. Our site had a fire pit but no picnic table. Fishing was awesome. I caught quite a few smallies, but they were on the smaller side. Still fun to catch. There were a few smaller sites for tent camping along the river. There are a few more sites below the dam as well. All dry camping. The drive down from the top is pretty steep. Ensure your vehicle is powerful enough to pull your rig back up the grade ;-)

We arrived for our weekend mid-afternoon on Friday. Parked our trailer in our designated spot in the middle of the grassy area near the horseshoe pits. After unloading, setting up and taking a walk around the park (down to the river, dock, beach area, etc) it became obvious that this was not the place we expected it to be based on other reviews!

We decided to give it some time and benefit of the doubt. Made dinner and ate outside (weather was perfect). During dinner we were treated to the drunken, LOUD ramblings of other campers - complete with foul language at the highest volume possible! Permanent residents at the back of the park left a lot to be desired. Messy camp sites.

There are no hiking trails or places to explore. If you don't have a camp spot right on the water, fishing access is horrible - only super shallow, reed-filled openings. Certainly not what we expected from a riverfront park with great reviews. The fishing dock is a joke, the water near and around the dock is a filthy, grime filled, trash collecting mess!

Tried to get our child to bed before 10pm but was virtually impossible with the level of noise coming from the group area (which was across the park, mind you), not to mention music streaming loudly from several other campers all around. 10pm quiet hour does not seem to matter to the hosts who did nothing to help those of us who expect rules to be followed.

By first thing in the morning, we had found another camp site to flee to and we couldn't get out of there fast enough!

Never again will we be back. Never again.