Best Tent Camping near Elk City, ID

We were riding the Idaho BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) and needed a place to camp near Pierce.  There aren't many options that are accessible for our Support Truck but found Deyo Reservoir as a welcome spot.   The West sites are very open and close to each other and are what you see first.  I kinda stumbled down to the East Campground which is more for Truck/Tent camping and is wooded and cooler (it was 95 degrees when we rode in).  Typical for Idaho the sites were nicely spaced, well maintained (it is hosted) and the Vault Toilet was very clean.

So, I’m not sure why “resort” is in the title, this certainly not a resort in the traditional sense. But, this is a great place to stop if headed up the Lochsa River and has something for everyone.

The “resort” has riverfront cabins, double occupancy motel rooms, A frame cabins, RV spots with hookups and a large tent camping area for motorcyclists, bicyclists and hikers. The mix of campers makes thing interesting. Add to this that the river raft guides take out at this location and this is a busy and fun place to spend a night. It has been very busy every time I have stopped, often full of RV’s with families spending a long weekend.

There is a small market, restaurant and bar, and an outdoor pool and hot tub. The market is well stocked with most of what you might have forgot to pack. They sell firewood as well. The bar offers typical burgers and bar fare and was lively enough even in peak Covid. This is Idaho after all, Covid seems like an afterthought in most of central and North Idaho.

The resort is located along a sweeping bend of the Lochsa river, which the highway follows on the opposite side. With the proximity of the highway, the RV’s in the campground, the cabins, etc, this is not a tranquil wilderness campground. It is however a great spot to spend the night while passing through.

I was on a motorcycle and there were probably 8-10 other riders tent camping. Several fires were going and folks were friendly and outgoing. There was no cell service for AT&T, but the market and bar had WiFi that you could access by sitting outside the front door.

I’ve stayed here 3 times and it will always be on my list when passing through this part of Idaho.

This little gem of a campground is worth the effort to find. We drove past the sites along the road to find this one. It was right off the road. You will see the sign and the pit toilet. The sites are accross the road and behind the building. There are only two tent sites that are available. You can probably find more spaces for more than two tents.

Parking is available close to the sites but you will have to carry gear to the site. Worth it!

Bear Creek Pass Campground is semi-official dispersed camping at Bear Creek Pass, the location of two trail heads. I surveyed the site during a hike but did not stay over night. 

There are two trail heads, about 1/2 mile apart. Between is a turn off for the“campground” which is little more than a pull out and a turn around. I didn’t see tent sites off the road. A little further on is a large parking area with vault toilet. A little beyond that a small parking area near the second trail head. Between these two is the one place that did look like a camp site. There was one fire ring and vegetation had been pressed down. 

There are facilities for horses: several hitching posts and a loading ramp. These don’t look like they have been used for a while. We did see signs that horses were up here recently but the area is little impacted by horse use. 

The area is in open pine forest with meadows. There is a stream flowing near by. 

I would certainly sleep in my vehicle over night here or set up a tent. You can overnight here before starting on a hike from one of the trail heads. However, this site has little to recommend itself as a destination for an extended stay or overflow if nearby Schumaker is full.

Only 2 slots available seasonally for overnighters with 3 available for boaters, It is up against the highway with minimal sheltering from the road noise but the river is noisier, not a complaint. Site 3 is the best for overnighters with rv's or tents, site 2 is the other overnight spot but up against the hwy. The campground is sheltered with tall fir, cedar and decidiuous growth. It is not a boatramp site but rough access to the river for rafts and kayaks. There is a his/her pit toilet and his/her changing areas. Each site appears to have a good fire pit with cooking grate.

This place has huge spaces that will fit your 40 ft RV or just a small tent river access and much more

36 miles from Grangeville, and its got some elevation and it can get cold at night if in a tent. But the days are gorgeous there are alot of ORVs during the weekend but during the week its quiet. We found a place off the road next to a creek and away from the road. It was amazing.

Camped here over 4th of July weekend. Beautiful, quiet area, camps spots are spacious and well distanced. Dogs allowed, bathrooms were nice and clean, easy access to the river. For how popular it was, it was a nice quiet stay. Easy to reserve a camp spot. We easily fit 4 tents and 3 vehicles in the area. Plenty of space for 3 dogs as well. Firewood was easily found, campfire ring was already there.

The past negative reviews sound more like an angry family to me. I pulled in (camping alone my first time) and had a warm welcoming. Once I got my tent set up I decided I wanted to set up sleeping in my car and my current spot didn’t allow vehicles. I waited around to see if it was filling up for the night and then asked if how much it would be to pull into an RV spot to sleep in the car. She let me switch free of charge! She was amazing.

There aren’t too many campgrounds between Orofino and Kooskia, Idaho except for a few RV parks. We finally found a beautiful campground off highway 12 or the scenic Lolo Highway. It was small but had quite a few open sites so we snagged one close to the river and bathroom. The highway noise was noticeable but not bad at night. Our picnic table had a view of the Clearwater river (yes, it is very clear and has salmon.). There were steps down to the rocky shore of the river. We net a couple from elsewhere in Udaho who always choose this campground.

I attended my buddies 30th birthday and it was a really nice place to hang out.

The terrain is complex and exciting to explore with canyons and great viewing points.

There were a lot of people out fishing so I imagine it’s good for a fishing getaway but we did not fish.

My favorite part of this campsite is that is can easily fit many tents without being so close that your friends snoring is overly bothersome (but still could be heard).

I’m not sure if you can hunt out in this area but I did spot a baby dear and got a zoomed in photo before it got spooked.

We spent 2 nights here in late April so we nearly had the place to ourselves. Bill & Pam are very nice folks. Very laid back, helpful, and accommodating. We had a crew of 7 tents and 3 vehicles. We pretty much took over the Gazebo which had lighting, a big central fire pit, and lots of camp chairs.

The flush toilets each had a shower and there were several coin op washers and dryers.

The biggest surpprise was the WiFI was very good. Strong signal throughout the small RV / camping area. We essentially had only extended service with our Verizon cell service. One of the crew had AT&T with the same.

Great little campsite.  There are actually two campgrounds across the road from each other.  The newer one is a wide open area while the older one is not conducive to larger 5th wheels.  

I camped at the older one with my little 1960 Rolls Royal camper.  Fun trails all around to explore and I've heard you can pan in the creek.  

It is reported the 2022 fire pretty well wiped out the area so camper beware...

Visited here beginning of September 2017. Here terrible Forrest fires right now so visibility was awful and there really wasn't much to do. The vault toilet was far from he actual camp sites. Definitely I beautiful place but with the smoke it was actually pretty awful. I can imagine with no smoke would have been a lot nicer. In the morning we didn't even cook breakfast just left asap.