Best Tent Camping near Challis, ID

Recent Tent Reviews in Challis

272 Reviews of 63 Challis Campgrounds

• 

  Fred S.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 1, 2024

  Casino Creek Campground

  Access to excellent trails

  Camped in site #15 on Sept 27, 2024. Paid $10 with senior pass. Nothing remarkable about the campground itself, but the trails leading out of the campground are really good. There is access to the Salmon River at the end of the campground road for bank/fly fishing; caught a nice rainbow trout. Sites along the river appear larger than those backing up to the hill. The river side sites are open sky, good for solar recharging and Starlink. The sites across the road have partial shade. There were a few pull-thrus; otherwise, back-ins. Campground is popular for OHV enthusiasts and hikers. Most sites are close to the dusty campground road. Vault toilet was not quite clean, although it was at the end of the summer season. There is a hand water pump. Site 15 is a small, almost level site with a pea gravel surface; it appeared to have a tent pad at the rear. This site has a table and metal fire ring. There is road noise from highway 75 across the river. It was very busy here during our stay, probably because forest service campgrounds west of Stanley were closed due to wildfires. There were a lot of drive-bys on the campground road. Nearby travel trailers with large noisy families kind of ruined the ambiance of this small campground; did not respect quiet hours. Campground probably okay for an overnight stay, fly fishing on the Salmon River or for accessing the trailheads. Overall, I did not enjoy camping here. I did, however, enjoyed hiking and fishing here. I am not likely to camp here again.

• U

  UT801

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Watts Bridge Campground

  Okay site on Salmon River--HOT in July

  Simple campground along Salmon River--beautiful setting, with maybe 5 spaces, not all of which are marked well but do have picnic tables to indicate. Also a vault toilet at loop campground. Buggy, even with river flowing and slight wind. Free, which is nice. Can hear US93 traffic, but not bad considering neighbor ran generator which drowned out some noise.

• b

  brandon W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Decker Flats Dispersed

  Nice place close to great trailheads

  I enjoyed my 2 night stay here. I pitched a tent however it was quite windy due to it being an open area so just stake your tent down well. I had a spot right beside the salmon river and was able to access this campsite via my Honda Accord vehicle.

• 

  Marley F.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 10, 2024

  Iron Creek Campground

  Peaceful

  My husband and I came to this spot with our 28ft trailer, luckily we were able to squeeze in. Lots of spots to choose from too. The campsites were clean and very peaceful place to camp for a few nights.

• b

  brandon W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 5, 2024

  Decker Flats Dispersed

  Very nice stay close to the Sawtooth mountains

  This was a great stay. I found a place to pitch a tent right beside the river. There seemed to be plenty of spots some vacant at times. It was close to Highway 75 but did get some traffic noise but the river drowned most of it out. Would stay here again!

• M

  Michael

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Shoup Bridge Campground — Salmon Field Office (Blm)

  Nice overnight

  Site 5, probably the best. Clean, cheap, safe, right on the river. 5 miles from downtown.Sure,it’s close to the road, but it’s not that bad. I probably wouldn’t make it a 5 day vacation site,but I’m sure people do. I’d stay here again

• 

  Ben H.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 4, 2024

  Deadman Hole

  Simple

  Stayed here for two nights. The first night I have the whole area to myself. The second night there was two other campers. Doesn't seem to be super popular or high in demand. So finding a spot shouldn't be a problem. There was about six or more parking/camping areas. No Wi-Fi or Verizon signal. There is a toilet available. Access to the river as well.

• 

  Jessie C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 24, 2024

  Iron Creek Campground

  Absolutely Beautiful!

  We stayed at this campground initially because it was right at the trailhead for the hike to Goat Lake. We got there around 5 and there were still plenty of sites available. It was pretty buggy, but it’s right next to a creek, so that’s what you expect. It was quiet and the sound of the creek made it easy to sleep after a long day.

• 

  Scott B.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 13, 2024

  Elk Bend RV Park

  Great stop

  Stoped for an overnight on our way to glacier. Clean and nice park.

• 

  Angie R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 12, 2024

  Century 2 Campground & RV Park

  Amazing Management Nice Location

  The management is absolutely incredible! This place is perfect. Access to river to look at great! Renamed to Andreas on the River.

  The management helped us get in and made sure we were good. Super 5 stars! Great location near River for rafting. (30 min drive)

  The other visitors are a little opinionated and like to share their opinions on your RV.

  Super loved it all day! Stay there!

  Dog park area is not fenced in. Nice place for them to do business.

• 

  Maddie P.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 30, 2024

  Nip and Tuck Rd - Dispersed Camping

  Less busy than other camping areas

  Got to Stanley area around 6pm on a Friday. Drove to Stanley Lake and Iron Creek but everything was full. Decided to drive down Rd 653 then to Rd 633 to see if there was anything open and found a good spot about 2 miles in from hwy 21. I passed quite a few people but spots are pretty far apart and the only people I could see from my campsite were all the way across the valley. Only animals I saw were some antelope, ground squirrels, and cows. Pretty wildflowers all around too. It was a good place to stop for the night!

• e

  emily F.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 28, 2024

  Pettit Lake Campground

  Fantastic location - super full

  We drove in on a late Thursday night, June 27th, to find the entire campground packed, and even struggled to find a dispersed camping site nearby. It's a great spot, but for it being a Thursday night, expected to find a bit more available.

• 

  Todd W.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 12, 2024

  Nip and Tuck Rd - Dispersed Camping

  Best campsite in the Sawtooths

  If you get one of the site overlooking the sawtooths count yourself lucky

• 

  Adrian J.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 5, 2024

  Petit Lake Dispersed Camping

  Alone on a stream,

  There are many sites up until the dead-end about 1.5 miles from the pay campground.  I camped up on the stream.  Great boondocking was here for a week. The road is in great shape. A couple of big rocks here and there.  Plenty of places to do a 3-point turnaround with any rig.

  No cell coverage.  Got ok starlink between trees.

• A

  Andrew T.

  Guide

  

  May. 13, 2024

  Petit Lake Dispersed Camping

  Beautiful Area

  This area just up the road from the campground offers lots of dispersed camping.  There are many established sites, some with fire rings, any car can make it.

  Visited August 17-18, 2023 (adding reviews for past camp sites before I knew of the dyrt)

• S

  Sonya

  Traveler

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Watts Bridge Campground

  Overnight with dogs

  Pulled over mid day to spend the afternoon and night. We took the second to last spot on the river side. Arrived at noon on a Tuesday, departed at 8am next day and were the only campers. Very easy river access from site, but water is moving quickly. We walked to the other side of the bridge and let our dogs jump in where the water was calmer. Overall really clean and well maintained space. The only thing that will prevent us from coming back is the cottonwood tree droppings. They’re everywhere and very sticky, so if you have long haired dogs, it’s a nightmare to get them out.

• K

  Kristi R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 2, 2023

  Stanley Lake Campground

  Lovely view of the Sawtooths

  Nice view of the lake. Quiet time of year to visit.

• C

  Chad L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 27, 2023

  Murdock Creek Dispersed

  Quiet spot near Ketchum

  This is a fee based campground with a host that offers a first come first serve camping experience. We got in late in the day and were happy to find a spot. The ground was a bit limited for tent camping but we ended with a great location near moving water. The sound of water created a very serene environment for rest. The real treat came when we saw the beauty of the night sky unencumbered by city lights; the Milky Way was on full display.

• 

  Greg B.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 15, 2023

  Challis Hot Springs

  What a GORGEOUS place!!

  After riding ID75, it was time to find camp. Sure there are a bazillion to choose from along the highway, but I wanted to soak in the highly reviewed waters. I was NOT disappointed!!! Beautiful lawn, one of the freshest hot springs I’ve visited, and great campers. Side not: this place was recently purchased/handed over to the Idaho State Parks system.

• 

  Zach P.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 14, 2023

  Flat Rock Campground

  Nice campground

  Nice clean campground. Only issue you did have some road noise since it’s right on the road. Picked up starlink service but no Verizon signal. Campground was pretty quiet not busy at all.

• 

  Courtney G.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2023

  Nip and Tuck Rd - Dispersed Camping

  Love this spot!

  Took advice from the other review and entered through the east from hwy21. Found my spot about 2.5- 3 miles in. This was the only one I saw at about 7pm on a Wednesday. Had entertainment from cows in the distance!

• 

  ShayLee C.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 10, 2023

  Meadow Lake Campground

  Amazing views!

  It’s a long uphill drive on a narrow road to get there but it’s worth it! Each camp site is nice with plenty of space, fire pit and tent site. We took our chances on a Wednesday night in mid August and got lucky. Two sites were still open. With the drive and location we were surprised how many people were there but it was still very quiet and peaceful. The lake is beautiful and would be fun to kayak or paddle board on. We did some hiking up the trails to look over the campsite and the lake but did not take the full trail. Bathrooms were very clean and well stocked.

• 

  Molly Y.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 9, 2023

  Mountain Village Resort

  Crowded Camping in the Heart of Small Mountain Town

  We stayed at the campsites at Mountain Village Resort after backpacking the Alice-Toxaway Loop. The staff was amazing but the campsites are not individual/numbered you just find a spot on the grass. There were multiple weddings happening and it was very loud (yelling, music) until about 1:30 am. The hot spring tub was a highlight and the views were amazing! The resort bar had delicious food and the bakery in town was amazing. I would have rated this site higher if it wasn’t so loud. It also would have been nice to have fire pits.

• t

  tom P.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 7, 2023

  Big Lost River Dispersed

  Surprisingly easy access. Clean and ADA accessible

  I selected this campground after missing out on a nearby first come first serve that was fully booked. I am just thrilled with the campsites and cleanliness of the pit toilets and nearby stream and fishing.

• J

  Jeremiah C.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 7, 2023

  Decker Flats Dispersed

  Great experience !

  Beautiful and quiet area along a creek and against the forest.

• A

  Allison M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 24, 2023

  Williams Lake Campground

  Just what I was looking for!!

  This camp site was great. We visited the lake that was maybe 5 minutes away from the sites and swam out to a little island to cliff jump! It was a beautiful and well kept site. I would definitely recommend taking a reliable car because the road is a little difficult to the sites, but worth it.

• T

  Tina E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 18, 2023

  Pettit Lake Campground

  The Best Experience at a Campground

  I arrived July 3rd, the first of a group of 8 ladies from Salt Lake City, UT. Driving up to the campground I was in awe by the views of the mountains, the streams, rivers, lakes, and campground.

  As soon as I drove into the campground the host, Kelly greeted me with a huge smile and willingness to find me the perfect spot for me and the ladies.

  Never in all of my camping experiences have I ever had a host that is not only 100% invested in his grounds but as well as his guests. I watched him closely. He knew all of the names throughout the campground. He would stop and visit multiple times to check on us. We connected and he is a friend for life now.

  He kept his campground spotless. When I got there my spot was beautifully raked. It was amazing. He is amazing.

  If you have the choice between any lakes in this area, you need to choose this one!!

  Thank you Kelly for making our trip so amazing and memorable! You are the best!!! You truly are an awesome guy!