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Northeast of the Elk Creek Reservoir, located in Elk River, Idaho, the Partridge Creek Campground offers 13 developed campsites, the new 3.5 mile Patridge Creek ATV Trail, and an opportunity to drive our scenic Elk River Backcountry Byway!
Take the opportunity to travel the lovely White Pine Scenic Byway, Idaho 6, north from the quaint town of Harvard, Idaho for just over 7 miles to visit this special site. Named after an enormous, 600 year old white pine that has since been cut down due to disease (but still resides in the campground!), this cozy and inviting campground has 14 developed sites, all resting in a lush forested setting. Many hiking trails are in the vicinity of the campground, including the National Recreation Trail 224A, the East Fork Meadows Creek Trail.
$10 / night
$10 / night
$10 / night
$10 / night
Located in the southern portion of the Mallard Larkins Roadless Area, this alpine trailhead offers dispersed camping and a rustic hiking/stock trail (Trail 240) which connects to many other trails in the area, making it a great place for day hikers as well as for those seeking a longer, more strenuous backpacking/stock packing trip.
Ranger
This is primitive off grid camping. No services, no water, no tables, just a bathroom in a field with a few campsites around it near the creek. Great location to stay if you're doing the Hiawatha trail and want to camp in the area. The busses picking up hiawatha trail users go right by the campground multiple times a day in the summer.
Traveler
No one is here on a beautiful October long weekend Saturday. I can see why. The reservoir level is way down! Just getting to the water is a challenge. Maybe this was nice years ago but it’s a good ways out from Orfino. Not worth the drive.
Guide
What a place! I saw no trash or broken glass, it was very clean. I got there after dark and left first thing in the morning, wish I had more time to explore. Sites only had a fire pit, I believe there are also pit toilets but I didn’t have time to check them out.
The road up is rough, potholes, it does get better about halfway up. Expect at least 30 minutes to get up after you hit the gravel, and that’s pushing it pretty hard.
Guide
This is a cute campground with great hosts. Most folks come in to bike the trail. Verizon is not great and our Starlink had some blockages, but that’s what you get with lots of trees.
ScoutThis is my 2nd time visiting and the quality has dramatically dropped. Maybe the difference was that I went in early fall 4 years ago and this time was late summer but YIKES.
There was broken glass EVERYWHERE. We cleaned up so much trash in our site and off the road. The pit toilet was completely out of toilet paper (which we anticipated). Despite being stage 1 fire restrictions, multiple people were having fires, one person's was still smoldering when I got up the next morning. Due to the number of people, ATVs, dirt bikes, nearby shooting range, etc it was just much more noisy in the busy season. I recommend going in the off season.
The road up to the lake is really rough and narrow but manageable with a proper vehicle.
The lake is gorgeous! I just wish people were more considerate.
FYI There is a moose that frequents the area so keep your trash in your car to avoid feeding the moose.
Scout
This location is currently closed because of the recent fire.
Traveler
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.
TravelerTook about an hour to get to our campsite, but was so worth it. Was a creek at the top of a mountain in the middle, I guess hence the name. Local had wondered how we found his special fishing spot. Was a place to swim, but we did not get in. Such a beautiful view and lots of nature to see.
Scout
All paved parking spots and easy to access! Only downside is having to walk the dogs across the parking lot to go to the bathroom in the grass, but it’s nice to have the grass! Dog poo bags and trash cans available.
Ranger
Small spots by Aquarius rapid. She’s a class III wave train and the sounds sent me to peaceful sleep. In high water some of the spots may be inaccessible, however there are other campgrounds nearby if it doesn’t work. Do not recommend large rigs in here, it would be hard to turn around if the campground is full, again better options up or down river.
Ranger
Nice campground along the North Fork of the Clearwater. There are stairs by one of the vault toilets to walk down to the water but be careful, it is cold and fast! Several riverside spots including one group site as well as shady groves. Water was shut off when we were there June 2024; unknown when it will be back on.
Ranger
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.
ScoutI didn't stay the night, and I'm not a gambler, but I did stop in just to have a look. This was the first casino I have ever been to that didn't gag me with cigarette smoke the minute I walked in the door.
Traveler
The management is incompetent. Catherine Thagard is claims policies that are not written and informs customers upon arrival. They threaten you, their male management is racist and aggressive. They bend their "rules" and policies dependent on "who" you are. Most importantly, they treat their employees horribly. Only stay here if you want to fund a racist, masaginistic company that abuses their staff
Guide
Lost Moose Campground is a hidden gem tucked 8 miles off of I-90. This campground was clean and well-maintained, and the owners were extremely pleasant and friendly. There are 14 RV sites with water and electric, 6 pull-through sites, and 8 back-in sites. There are 4 tent sites along the Latour Creek if that is more your style. There is a small gift/ general store on site with goodies for everyone.
After turning off I-90 at Cataldo, ID, it is a two-mile paved drive followed by a 6-mile gravel and dirt road to the campground. The gravel and dirt road was well maintained with only a few potholes to avoid. As long as you do not mind getting your rig a little dirty, this campground is well worth the trip.
Guide
Level pull through sites. A little close together if full. Water and Electric. Staff friendly and helpful. Only bathroom open was a bit of a walk. Bathrooms were a rustic motif, clean, Hot showers.
Scout
Tried to find Porters Camp. It us not in the Pines subdivision as on the map. According to locals, it is owned by Potlatch and not available to the public. It was a logging camp.
Traveler
Campground right on the river and surrounded by businesses but no noise issues.
Pull through site was paved and level. You do need a water pressure regulator. Office does suggest the route to take for easier pull in. Some of the long term campers have multiple cars and large add-ons, so was tricky getting out.
Showers were nice and plenty of room. Sign on indoor pool stated it was closed.
Check in was easy, they do offer food items for sale but the beverage coolers were pretty sparse.
Scout
Clean campground and decent space between neighbors. Didn’t use any of the facilities. No sewer hookups. Would visit again. Lake was low and lots of geese so messes everywhere.
Scout
I cannot say enough good things about this place! It was very beautiful and clean! It was also very quiet! You are right next to a highway, but you can barely hear it. Robin and Dennis are extremely nice! They will go out of their way to make sure you are happy and safe! They offer so many games and extra amenities that you won’t find at other camp grounds. WiFi was strong, we watched football all day on Saturday! The baked goods are a must! They also sell farm fresh eggs!! We will definitely be back!
RangerNice place to camp on the river. Has a small beach area you can relax at. Starlink wouldn’t work great with the trees here.
RangerSeveral spots right on the river. Nice quiet across the bridge so a little ways away from the road. Several spots to camp and accessible to bigger campers.
Scout
I was so happy to find this place when looking for a place to stay overnight with my horse. The facility has a perimeter gate as well as gates to each pasture (2). The fencing was nice metal panels between sturdy posts. There was Hotwire strung on the inside of the pasture in places to keep horses off the Arbor Vitae trees. Grass was mowed short and my horse could see another horse all night. He had a big water trough to drink from. The hosts checked on him and sent me updates through the evening while I was in town. I recommended them to others I met on my ride through the Lolo area. I was very impressed and happy with the experience.
Traveler
So many chipmunks, dog friendly, well organized. Fairly cheap and good for families.
Guide
We picked this campground for its access to the Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes. The campground is small and peaceful, at least mid week. Lovely views of the lake through the trees. The toilets are flush, but look like outhouses from the outside. A pleasant surprise when you get in.
TravelerWe 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.
Traveler
Great into the woods with paved back in spots. Very nice and clean.
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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