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Best Tent Camping near Elk River, ID

305 Reviews
CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Tent campgrounds around Elk River, Idaho provide primitive sites scattered in the Clearwater National Forest region. Campbell's Pond Access Area offers free tent sites with gravel roads, pit toilets, and a boat launch for small watercraft. Mini Camp sites along the Big Eddy Trail provide more secluded backcountry tent camping options accessible via boat or hiking trails.

Most tent sites feature basic amenities including fire rings and picnic tables, but limited services otherwise. Campbell's Pond sites have packed soil surfaces making them suitable for most tent setups, while the Mini Camp locations require more careful site selection. Vault toilets are available at most established campgrounds, though campers should bring their own toilet paper as supplies are unreliable. Several tent camping areas prohibit alcohol, while others have no restrictions. Pets are allowed at most sites including Campbell's Pond and the Mini Camp locations along Dworshak Reservoir.

Tent campers seeking solitude will find excellent options along the Big Eddy Trail, where several Mini Camp sites provide privacy and water access. One camper noted that Mini Camp 4.7 offers "trees providing wind coverage" and "excellent fishing off any of the sides you are surrounded by." Backpackers should prepare for challenging terrain, especially when carrying heavy packs to the more remote sites. The trail from Big Eddy Recreation Area starts with a "fairly vertical" section before leveling out through fern-covered forest floor. Tent sites at higher elevations typically feature evergreen needle ground cover that provides comfortable tent padding without rock clearing required. Campbell's Pond offers more accessible tent camping with "well cared for" sites according to visitor reviews, though the camping area is relatively small.

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Best Tent Sites Near Elk River, Idaho (49)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Elk River, ID

6 Photos of 49 Elk River Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Elk River, ID

305 Reviews of 49 Elk River Campgrounds

  • Nicole B.
    Jul. 5, 2023

    Hawleys Landing Campground — Heyburn State Park

    Great Campground but loud maintenance

    We stayed at Chatcolet campground for two nights in late June. The campground is really nice with lovely hosts and clean flushable toilets. We booked site 128 and didn’t realise it was a tent only site with a short walk from where you park to the picnic table, fire ring and tent pad. We have a rooftop tent so we parked and set up our tent and then just carried our chairs, food and wood down to the picnic table. Privacy on these sites isn’t the best, I would recommend booking this site along with 129 as a group site to give yourself good privacy.

    Overall this campground was great, the toilets were clean, they are porcelain, flushing toilets inside a hut. There was drinking water and some nice walks to the lake, if you have bicycles there is a really nice cycle that you can do. The reason for rating this 3 out of 5 is that there was very noisy and intrusive maintenance going on from 7am to 5pm in the sites next to us which was very disruptive. No warning had been given about maintenance in the campground, notice was only given regarding roadworks leading into the campground.

  • Katherine B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 11, 2024

    Isabella Landing Camp

    Simple but pretty

    More of a primitive type of campground, although there are vault toilets. Plenty of spaces along the river; however there is a river take out that may be used to back trailers up to, so the flat spots across from it may not be ideal.

  • Devon C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 5, 2025

    Shadowy St. Joe Campground — Idaho Panhandle National Forests

    Great Campground

    The Shadowy St. Joe Campground is a great place to stay. It has 14 sites total. With one taken by the camp hosts, all are paved, with space for 2 vehicles each, have fire pits, and a picnic bench, and electricity. 7 sites to reserve ahead of time on the meadow side that has grass and is spacious. There are 6 first come first serve sites, 2 on the meadow side, and 4 along the river. If looking to reserve a site, the numbers start with #1 closest to the entrance on the meadow side and grow larger in counter clockwise fashion. There is a day use area you can also reserve, with charcoal grills, and multiple picnic benches. There are several vault toilets and all are kept very clean by the 2 wonderful park hosts. There is a boat launch area for day use, with a small fee, but if camping there is no extra charge. There is 2 docks and if staying multiple days you can leave your boat on the dock overnight. It is supposed to be a no wake zone, but the signs have warn down, so we lost a bumper to our boat from crashing into the dock, from passing boat wakes. There is a couple of potable water stations available, with small hose spouts, but no water hookups at the sites. The sites are electric with 50amp, 30amp, and 110 plugs available. No sewer hookup at the sites, but there is a dump station at the fairgrounds in the town of St. Maries about 10 miles away. Phone service is spotty, texting easier and lots of dropped calls, but we like to unplug when camping. Dogs are allowed with no limits, just to stay on leashes at all times. The Lazy St. Joe River is boat passable up to St. Joe City, and all the way to Lake Coeur d'Alene if you want to adventure for a full day in the boat. Great for fishing too. Make sure to have Idaho invasive species tag for the boat if you are from out of state. The Sheriff and Park Rangers patrol daily and check. St. Maries has 2 grocery stores, and sports shop where you can get supplies, and fishing licenses. The town also has great shops, a swimming pool, parks, restaurants, and ATM/banks. This is a great little gem in the Gem State.

  • Rachel A.
    Jul. 6, 2020

    Mini camp 5.0

    Absolutely lovely

    Views are spectacular. Little wind coverage during the day though it’s very private with quite a distance off the Big Eddy trail to get down to the waterside spot. Vaulted toilet, fire ring and a picnic table make for some comfy accommodations. Marker on trail (approximately 5 1/4mi hiking north from Bid Eddy or 3 7/8mi hiking south from Freeman Creek)

  • Shaun W.
    Aug. 18, 2017

    Weitas Creek Campground

    Needs a Titdy up.

    it is free witch is amazing thank you. But it would like a tidy up. Only 2 of the sites are in my opinion any good one ones to the left and right of the bridge. I dear not go in the vault toilets. Great location for fishing access. Did get little busy before dark and not many trees so you had dust going threw your camp but it was free.

  • Judy T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 2, 2023

    Iron Mountain Campground — Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park

    Free camping with 2 state view

    We drove in from the Washington side on a narrow unimproved road but only met one vehicle. Our views were into undulating hills of the Palouse farming region of Washington. We camped at the first campground in this Idaho state park close to the Washington border called Iron Mountain. There were two sites with a vault toilet. We chose site number two but both were very spacious. The road was right by our site but only one vehicle drove by, a dirt bike. It was so quiet there. You could see into both the forested hills of Idaho and the Palouse of Washington.

  • Rachel A.
    Jul. 6, 2020

    Mini Camp 3.5

    Sweet little spot

    This is an easy 1mi hike from Big Eddy Recreation area on the Big Eddy trail. Ok, correction, challenging out of the gate with a fairly vertical start but levels out quickly and you’re suddenly submerged in the trees and lush ferns. This spot has a long walkway out from the main trail offering tons of privacy. Great shallow ramp for a boat and easy access the a dip is the res or to get your water to filter. Fire ring, picnic table and vault toilets make for a comfortable stay. The closest site to this is another 3ish miles north. Waters are spectacular shades of blue and the trees in the sunset are hard to beat!

  • brett I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 29, 2024

    Redtail Campground — Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park

    A hidden gem

    Take a night or two to visit this nearly unused campground. What a wonder. You are on the Ridgeline between two valleys with views of the horizons of 50 miles or more. To the east ot is very much like the views in the Smokey mountains. Not a lot of shade at this campground. Great for solar and Skylink. ATT and Verizon were 3 plus. Make certain the chores are done and the drinks are made before the light show begins at sundown. Vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Sites at this campground are reasonably flat and deep but not a lot of room for pop-ups.

    Camping here is free.

    My only criticism is the distance between signs on a very small road. A few more signs would be reassuring. For this campground, head generally south on Skyline Drive until you think you should be there, then go 2 more miles.

    Central potable water by the privy.

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 8, 2024

    Deyo Reservoir

    Small but beautiful lake campground

    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.

Guide to Elk River

Tent camping opportunities around Elk River, Idaho concentrate in the Clearwater National Forest within North Central Idaho. The region sits at elevations between 1,800 and 3,000 feet, creating moderate summer temperatures ideal for tent camping. Several primitive campgrounds connect to the Dworshak Reservoir, a 53-mile long body of water created by damming the North Fork of the Clearwater River.

What to do

Fishing from docks or shorelines: Campbells Pond Access Area features three fishing docks plus shoreline access around the entire pond perimeter. According to Christopher R., it's "a great spot to camp" with good trout fishing and a "newer boat launch for small type boats only."

Day hiking from basecamp: The Big Eddy Marina & Lodge trail system connects to multiple mini camps. "The first half mile is difficult but then the trail levels out and is easy for many miles," notes Megan K. "This was my favorite trip this year so far, as it was a good challenge with very rewarding views."

Educational visits: The Dworshak National Fish Hatchery makes an interesting side trip from area campgrounds. Megan K. reports, "The fish hatchery is a really fun educational stop. It's suitable for all ages. If you go at the right time of the year they have hands on activities for the whole family."

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Mini Camp 3.5 features excellent site separation according to Rachel A.: "This spot has a long walkway out from the main trail offering tons of privacy. Great shallow ramp for a boat and easy access the a dip is the res or to get your water to filter."

Water access for swimming: While not beach-like, many sites offer water entry points. Megan K. notes about Big Eddy, "It is possible to get to the water (if you have a hydration filter pack), but it's not a beach like shore. I did swim, and the water gets very deep very quickly off the first two campsites."

Elevated views: Mini Camp 4.8 sits higher than surrounding sites for better visibility. "Perched a bit higher than the sites around it you'll find some wonderful views and privacy to set up your tent at the tree edge," explains Rachel A., adding it has "a nice long ramp to the water and plenty of space" making it "ideal for a larger group."

What you should know

Trail difficulty ratings: The Big Eddy trail system presents challenges for backpackers. Rachel A. warns about Mini camp 4.7: "Don't let the short distance fool you, this hike will test you, especially with a heavy pack, but SO worth it!"

Limited facilities: Most sites feature only basic amenities. Cody B. describes Campbells Pond as having "tent sites are well cared for. Pit toilets are clean. It is quiet and pretty, but kind of a small area."

Road conditions: Access roads to some sites require careful driving. Christopher R. notes about Merrys Bay that there's a "Steep road leading down to camp but very beautiful place for a picnic."

Tips for camping with families

Accessibility considerations: Some sites accommodate campers with mobility needs. Megan K. says about Partridge Creek Campground: "Sometimes it's hard to find sites where you can have a person in a wheelchair move around okay. These sites are good for that according to my cousin who has camped with our family in this area."

ATV recreation options: Families with ATVs will find designated riding areas at select campgrounds. Christopher R. mentions Campbells Pond "has many spaced out sites and ATV trails for riding."

Close-to-home alternatives: EC Rettig Campground works well for shorter trips. Christopher R. describes it as a "great place to camp if your not looking to go all the way out to the northfork of the Clearwater river but close enough to make a short drive there as well."

Tips from RVers

Tent-only designation: Most campgrounds near Elk River accommodate tents only due to limited access and rugged terrain. The Mini Camp sites along Dworshak Reservoir can only be reached by boat or hiking trails, preventing RV access entirely.

Surface conditions: Tent campers should note varying ground surfaces. Regarding Partridge Creek, Megan K. mentions "a lot of gravel on the roads" but that her "family's site had a lot of packed soil making most of the traveling simple as we only stayed on the site for one night to watch the stars."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Elk River, ID?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Elk River, ID is Partridge Creek Campground with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

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TheDyrt.com has all 49 tent camping locations near Elk River, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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