Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Downey? It's easy to find Downey campgrounds for horse camping with The Dyrt. These scenic and easy-to-reach Downey campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Malad Summit Guard Station is located 14 miles north of Malad, Idaho on Malad Pass just off I-15. The rustic one-room cabin is in a forested setting in narrow Mill Creek Drainage, and offers a secluded retreat on fenced acreage surrounded by scenic high country views. The original guard station was established in 1908, but was replaced by the existing cabin in 1934. The cabin is accessible by car when there is no snow. Guests should be prepared in snowy conditions to ski, snowshoe or snowmobile half a mile from the plowed road to reach the cabin. The guard station offers many amenities for a comfortable stay, but fewer conveniences are available in winter.
The surrounding area offers a variety of recreational activities. Trails are provided for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and off-road vehicles (Idaho OHV safety message).Anglers can fish for small brook trout in Mill Creek. Hunting for game and game birds is another popular pastime.
The surrounding area offers a variety of recreational activities. Trails are provided for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and off-road vehicles (Idaho OHV safety message).Anglers can fish for small brook trout in Mill Creek. Hunting for game and game birds is another popular pastime.
The rustic single-room cabin is tucked into a deciduous and conifer forest at an elevation of around 6,000 feet. Mill Creek meanders through the site. The front porch invites guests to sit and enjoy views of the forest and possible wildlife sightings. Black bears, wolves, elk, moose, mule deer, bison, grizzly bears, mountain lions and pronghorn are some of the species native to the area (bear safety tips).
For facility specific information, please call (208) 236-7500.
$60 / night
This site is adjacent to the Hawkins Reservoir that has opportunities for fishing and boating. Campground rules and regulations are posted at the site. There are no dumpsters on site, visitors must pack in and out their trash. Campsites: 10 developed sites--- At this time, there is not a reservation system in place for the campsites. Campsites are on a first come first serve basis. There are no fees associated with this site. This site is equipped with 2 vault toilets, 2 parking lots, picnic tables, boat ramp & dock and shelters. Access to BLM and Forest Service OHV trails exist.
Famous for its brilliant Caribbean-aqua blue waters, Bear Lake Utah camping is an otherworldly oasis nestled between the Utah and Idaho border. Vast and extensive soft sand beaches attract visitors from all over the world, who come to fish, boat, camp, and recreate in the outdoors.
Aside from lake itself, off-roading and exploring the mountain trails are another popular activity. There’s a number rental locations nearby which can lend out their OHV (Off-Highway-Vehicles) to traverse the area’s various geographic oddities for a reasonable rate.
Speaking of the geography, Bear Lake State park is extremely organized and easy to navigate. In fact, there are three districts of the park meant for different types of recreation. First is the State Marina, located on the west side of Bear Lake. North end of Garden City, one mile north of the US 89 and SR 30 Junction. Second, is Rendezvous Beach, on the southwest curve of Bear Lake. Roughly 2 miles NW from Laketown on SR-30 from the CIsco Road and SR 30 Junction.
And finally, The Park’s Eastside Areas- Eastside of Bear Lake, including First Point, South Eden, Cisco Beach, Rainbow Cove, and North Eden. Distances vary from four miles to 13 miles on Cisco Road from Laketown and the Cisco Road SR 30 Intersection.
$25 - $45 / night
Big Springs Campground is nestled along the banks of Pebble Creek at an elevation of 6,500 feet, just 16 miles from Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Visitors enjoy fishing and exploring local trails.
Pebble Creek offers cutthroat and rainbow trout fishing. Big Springs Nature Trail begins in the site, offering an easy path along the creek. The multi-use Boundary Trail, for hiking, biking, horseback and off-road vehicle riding, begins in the campground and accesses several additional local trails.
A Douglas fir forest towers over Loop A, offering partial shade. Loop B is situated among a grove of aspens which provide limited shade. Sagebrush, grasses and summer wildflowers dot the landscape.
Lava Hot Springs is close enough for an exciting day trip. A natural hot springs soaking pool, Olympic-sized swimming pool, water slides and diving platforms provide fun for all ages. Two 9-hole disc golf courses are linked around the pool complex. Tubing on the Portneuf River is also a very popular activity. Tube rentals are available at many locations in town.
For facility specific information, please call (208) 236-7500.
$20 / night
Paris Springs Campground is situated in scenic Paris Canyon, about five miles from Paris, Idaho. It is about 20 miles from Bear Lake, at an elevation of 6,600 feet. The campground gives Bear Lake visitors the opportunity to camp in a quiet area with lush vegetation.
Paris Creek runs alongside the campground, after bubbling up from Paris Spring, which can be accessed from a 300-yard trail within the site. Campers enjoy hiking and fishing along the creek.
A mixed conifer and aspen forest covers the campground and much of Paris Canyon. Plentiful shade can be found throughout most of the campground. Summer wildflowers dot the landscape.
The Highline Trail, part of the National Trail System, can be accessed nearby. It is the premier trail of the Montpelier Ranger District, stretching 55 miles along the backbone of the Bear River Range. The trail is enjoyed by hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, motorcyclists and off-road vehicle enthusiasts from around the world. Paris Ice Cave is also not far from the campground. Self-guided tours of the cave offer a look into an unusual cavern filled with ice year-round. The cave is not developed but a footpath leads through it. Beautiful Bear Lake State Park is about 20 miles away, with boating, water skiing, fishing and swimming. Bear Lake's Raspberry Days festival occurs annually the first weekend in August, with a parade, fireworks, craft booths and a rodeo.
$100 / night
This BLM managed site located along the Blackfoot River that has opportunities for fishing, camping, and non-motorized boating. Campground rules and regulations are posted at the site. There are no dumpsters on site, visitors must pack in and out their trash. Campsites: 4 semi-developed sites--- At this time, there is not a reservation system in place for the campsites. Campsites are on a first come first serve basis. This site is equipped with vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, horse shoe pit, and an undeveloped put-in/take-out for floaters. There are no fees associated with this site.
Campground rules and regulations are posted at the site. There are no dumpsters on site, visitors must pack in and out their trash. Campsites: 6 semi-developed sites--- At this time, there is not a reservation system in place for the campsites. Campsites are on a first come first serve basis. This site is equipped with a parking lot, picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilet, horseshoe pits, and boat ramp/docks accessing the Snake River below American Falls Reservoir Dam at the site. There are no fees associated with this site.
Scout
Tons of land, tons of campsites.. but most are "occupied" by empty trailers with no other vehicles or people around. There's empty cars parked on top of fire pits, no tents or any sort of life nearby. Felt strange.
This road is rough and very bumpy. Didn't feel comfortable "taking over" a campsite with things already parked there. Wouldn't recommend coming here.
GuideEnded up driving this road up to Idaho to find a bigger spot and some solitude. Took the dirt road for about 30 minutes and got the most perfect spot. Nobody was near us and the view was amazing. We went at the beginning of June, it was a bit chilly some mornings and at night, so come prepared.
GuideThis is a nice quiet place. Near city limits where there is places to buy groceries, gas, or go out to a restaurant. They have about 20 spots with electrical outlets. It would be good to call and ask if you can stay, where it is a fairgrounds.
TravelerLots of spaces here. Big pull-in spots for camper rigs. And some small side pull outs for sedans who don’t mind walk-in tent spots.
Traveler
We are camping across America in a tent with our young toddler and 2 dogs. This place was great, clean, well kept, nice flush toilets with soap and working sinks. the pool was fantastic although entry to the pool is not included in your camping fee so be prepared to pay extra to get in the pool but totally worth it. Sites were close together with little privacy but flat. We had no shade at our spot but some of the other sites had more shade. Should have been more aware of that when we were looking at the map to pick our camping location.
We did see a coyote at the edge of the campground but our Great Pyrenees told him to keep moving.
We had so much fun here with our toddler and will definitely be staying when we come back through in the future.
Traveler
Neither RV dumps has water to help flush tank. Generally speaking going downhill from what it was a few years ago. Horses everywhere and they do not stay in riding areas. Loose youngsters on ATVs screaming around the park everywhere. Sad to see such a great resource abused and go to waste.
GuideAbsolutely beautiful location off highway 89. A popular place especially for ohv-ers. Lots of places to park but most of them seemed to be “claimed” (tents or trailers with no vehicles) for the upcoming weekend. That is the only reason for the loss of one star. We were there on a Thursday night just for and one night stop-and-go, so any of those claimed spots we could have used had they not been there.
There is a creek that flows back and forth around the area, we had that for our soundtrack as we slept.
At about mile 2 from the turn-off, there is a cattle guard and clear signs that the road is public but the land is not. It is possible that there is another cattle guard further up and more dispersed passed it as we saw more rvs head up and not turn around and come back, but we did not investigate that.
Well worth the trip in the search for a spot though. It was an amazing stay.
ScoutI have grown up camping in the Franklin Basin area. It is the perfect location for anyone looking for places to hike or ride. There are many different places to visit throughout the area such as the "Plane Crash" site, Beaver Creek, old logging trails, and more. If your looking for a place to just get out in the dirt and relax, this is the place.
GuideWe arrived the Wednesday after Labor Day. We were given a full hookup spot in a giant field area all to ourselves! Our spot backed up to a small running creek filled with fish. The field had corn hole and horse shoe games set up. We enjoyed the hot spring fed pool. Again, we were the only ones there. The pool is huge! We also enjoyed a great burger cooked at the grill in the office. Staff was friendly and helpful.
Guide
Location is out about 7 miles out of town but has beach access which is great for families with kids.
It gets really windy from one moment to the next.
The water is absolutely beautiful! Can’t wait to come back again.
Don’t use address provided on their website. It’ll take you to Marina.
GuideReally beautiful spot. Pretty good campground.
Traveler
It has a big camp site, big enough to fit a big family. Enough parking for all vehicles. Would totally recommend coming here.
LegendThe address we put into our GPS took us to the Marina so we drove further along the lake to Rendezvous Beach area where we checked in at the gate house with no problems. We then proceeded to the Birch campground(CG) FHU site 55, which was a pull through. The CG map shows there are 4 CGs(Willow, Birch, Cottonwood,& Big Creek). Big Creek is the oldest with a lot more shade trees than the other listed CGs. The CGs run in sequence along the south end of the lake. The sites are well spaced with a nice little covered patio with the picnic table. The beach is about 100 yards away and we had a sliver of lake view. We were surprised that dogs are not allowed on the park beaches. There was a fire ban that included charcoal grills(propane okay). We had great water pressure, used 15’ sewer hose, and received about 30 OTA channels. We had a clear shot to the southern sky, but didn’t need/use our satellite. We got 4 bars on Verizon. We where not sure what to expect when we decided to come to Bear Lake SP but we sure were not expecting it to be dog restrictive. Dogs are not allowed by the lake/beach or in day use areas so we were limited to walking them around the campground. We also were not expecting a tourist trap, sunning beach, and crowded with families during the week(Mon- Thur) late in August. There were plenty of CG workers but they did not keep up with the trash laying about. Our fire pit, which we couldn’t use, had trash in it to include a pair of kids underwear. We did enjoy going to Montpelier and visiting the Oregon/California Trail Center and Butch Cassidy Museum. One and done for us.
Guide
We stayed in the campsite overlooking the lake and accross the road. There are about 7 campsites all with metal pole building type shelters and picnic tables. Each site also provides a fire ring.
One of the downsides to the campground is the proximity to the road. There was a number of loud vehicles and loud locals that kept us awake. We were staying in a tent, but if you are staying in an RV this might not be a problem.
It was a good site for the price.
The lake was down and unavailable for fishing. It might be better early spring or summer.
GuideEasy to get in and out of. Beautiful location and great host’s. The pool is old but very refreshing. You feel isolated but you’re close to town.
GuideNice camping areas. Close to great fishing. River sites. Bring bug spray
GuideVery clean very friendly. Shaded and close to swimming pool
Scout
TravelerI booked Indian Springs last minute because nearby campgrounds with reviews were full. But Indian Springs deserves a review! Spacious, full facilities. Lots of open area, with room for games and kids. Vintage hot spring swimming pool on site. Friendly staff. Convenient freeway access. Pleasant setting.
TravelerThis campground isn’t much, but it is perfect for anyone needing to find a place fast and free to either tent camp or sleep in their car. It also has water access so boaters are able to unload their boats here. There are bathrooms and it is fairly quiet at night.
RangerWe stayed here in mid August and could not have had better weather. You are pretty exposed here, so don’t expect to park in shade. though there are shaded picnic tables and the water was so fresh!
I have never been in a more blue lake, think Lake Tahoe CA blue...
Camping was $10 a night and there were a ton of sites.
The beach itself was pretty rocky, but it’s a very short walk from the campsite.
Fire rings and the shaded picnic table made this and easy place to work! We love out of our van and rely ok Verizon service. Which was roughly 2-3 bars of LTE.
Dogs are allowed here, so our two dogs were able to swim.
Bathrooms were nice and clean! Vaulted toilets, but man were they clean...
You are 25 minutes from a town if you need supplies or a raspberry milkshake.
Worth the trip/stop if you want to hang by a clear blue lake and enjoy a starlit night.
Scout
Great place to camp right by the river. Good fishing and my kids loved floating the river. Need to bring canopy or have awning for shade.
Guide
We wanted to try this out with our 28' bumper pull. Luckily it was not a busy weekend, we had to move sites to one that would accommodate. Hard to maneuver in the campground as well as getting up the narrow road. Perfect site for tents. Tons of shade and trees. There's a really cool spring and waterfall just a short hike up the road. We will be coming back with our friends.
GuideI love all of the fish we caught out of there
Scout
This campground is a little bit of a drive to get to, but it is well maintained and has great hiking trails.
TravelerWe loved our stay at Paris Springs. The campground was in great shape, the drive up to our site was amazingly beautiful, and the campground hosts were very attentive and thoughtful. We misplaced our tent stakes and they offered some of theirs that they had. It was a windy night so we were very grateful. There’s a short 5 minute hike right by campground #4 that leads to an cool waterfall. It was a great way to start the morning.
The only issues that we had was that the water running to each campsite wasn’t drinkable so it was shut off. They discounted our nightly price in half which was nice though. Also, the water that runs along the side of the campground was high right now so some of the campgrounds were under water or muddy. That was only on 2 out of the 12 camp sites.
Other than that it was a great location, beautiful scenery, close to hikes, and not far from Bear Lake. We will definitely be coming back. Highly recommend camping there!
TravelerBathrooms and developed campsites with plenty of trees and a creek running through it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Downey, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Downey, ID is Malad Summit Guard Station with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Downey, ID?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 equestrian camping locations near Downey, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.
