Best Tent Camping near Hayden Lake, ID

Recent Tent Reviews in Hayden Lake

689 Reviews of 28 Hayden Lake Campgrounds

• 

  Dealspeed

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 27, 2024

  Breakwater Campground

  Very primitive

  Great tent camping. Also, it's a great starting point to some really good dirt bike trails. Be prepared for no cell service. 0 amenities. it's just a place to pitch a tent and have a fire. And it cost nothing.

• J

  Jessica S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 18, 2024

  Spokane KOA Journey

  not great but there aren’t many options in the area

  After camping on BLM lands & staying at smaller campgrounds, we were excited to stay at a KOA. It was a good price & the grounds were decent; we stayed in the fall & the changing trees everywhere were beautiful. The amenities on the other hand… The laundry room floor looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a LONG time & half of the washing machines were out of order. The showers weren’t aesthetically in great shape & the drains clearly needed to be cleaned as I was quickly standing in inches of water (picture taken). Then there’s the topic of the trains… The person who checked us in at the front specifically told us we were in a quiet spot in the back.. yes we were away from other campers but the heart attack from the blaring horn at 2:30am was rough. Then we were woken up at 6am by RVs coming in/ out. All that being said, we will be finding another option for the rest of our trip. I always hate leaving bad reviews, but hopefully sharing our experience is helpful to others.

  EDIT: Wrote this review before we went into Spokane (we’re here to visit family who goes to GU) & after searching for hours, realized this is probably the best option in the area, so I’m humbled to say we did in fact have to come back for another night but are staying in a spot further away from the train

• J

  Jessica S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 18, 2024

  Bull Run Access Dispersed

  great spot except the hunters

  We were glad we read the reviews for directions & info about spots — like others mentioned, the best spot is a big grassy area amongst the trees (continue past the first circular parking area). However, the entire area has sportsman access, so we listened to gun shots most of the day… not exactly the peaceful nature vibe we were hoping for. Would likely come back, but pray it’s a day of no hunters

• J

  Jason S.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 15, 2024

  Whiskey Rock Bay Campground

  Breathtaking views from this lovely campground

  This lakeside campground is a true hidden getaway, perfect for anyone looking to escape the crowds. The lake itself is stunning—clear, beautiful water. However, be aware that there’s a steep drop-off down to the lake, which might make getting to the water a little tricky depdning on which campsite you get. The road to get there is long and rough, I wouldn't recommend bringing a standard camping trailer, and you probably wouldn't want to take a car. But the remoteness is what makes this spot so amazing.  It’s incredibly peaceful, and when we visited, there was only one other camper around, so it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. If you’re looking for a quiet, off-the-beaten-path campground with amazing lake views and don’t mind a bit of a drive, this spot is worth the effort. Just make sure your vehicle can handle the rough road.

• J

  Jason S.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 15, 2024

  Sam Owen Camnpground

  Beautiful lake, great campsites

  Love it here. There are beautiful lakeside campsites with access to the lake. Unfortunately, those were all reserved when we stayed there. This place can get busy in the summertime, so you reserve early. So we stayed at a nice pull through campsite. All the sites are nice and private with lovely trees and open grassy space between them.

  There's a nice swimming area a short walk from our campsite, and Pend Oreille lake is beautiful clear, cool water for swimming.

  Bathrooms are not typical pit toilets, but had running water and flush toilets.

  The area is beautiful and well worth the trip to camp here.

• J

  Jason S.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 15, 2024

  Round Lake State Park Campground

  Beautiful lake, pleasant surroundings, road noise

  I recently spent a few days at this campground, and overall, it was a pleasant experience. The highlight of the trip was definitely the beautiful lake, which provided a serene backdrop for the entire stay. The surroundings are peaceful abd there is a lovely trail around the lake and an extensive set of trails heading up into the mountain behind the lake as well as a trail to a pond with a dam which is quite peaceful.

  The swimming area is nice with kind of sandy beach, but there is a bit of seaweed in the swimming area. There are also two docks perfect for fishing. I had a great time casting off from them and even caught a couple of crappies and trout which was a nice bonus. However, one downside was some road noise, which occasionally disrupted the peaceful atmosphere, especially in the evenings. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was noticeable enough to mention. Additionally, the campground and swim area can get very busy during peak summer weekends. If you're looking for a quieter experience, it might be best to visit during the off-season or on weekdays. All in all, the campground is a solid choice for anyone looking to enjoy nature, fish, or swim in a beautiful lake. Just be prepared for a little road noise and crowds if you visit during popular times.

• 

  Manisha S.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 15, 2024

  Clear Lake Recreation Area

  Well-maintained

  Clear Lake Recreation Area is amazing! The scenery is beautiful, and there are plenty of activities for everyone.

• 

  Samuel H.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Lake Elsie Campground

  Beautiful!

  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.

• 

  Steve G.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 20, 2024

  Bull Run Access Dispersed

  Calm Breeze and Amazing Sunset!

  Stopped at the little restaurant and got a fantastic meal after being on the road all day then headed past all the massive houses to end up in such a gorgeous location. This is one of my favorite spots now!

• 

  Karl H.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 13, 2024

  Blackwell Island RV Park

  On The Water

  Large site. Well managed. On the Spokane River.

• 

  Wendy S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 9, 2024

  Hawleys Landing Campground — Heyburn State Park

  Nice Campgeound

  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.

• 

  Kaitlin K.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Kootenai County Fairgrounds RV Park

  Large and Lovely

  This was a great spot! The camp hosts, Dan and Steve, were very friendly. We loved how large the sites and overall area was, so we could back our rig in easily (40ft long x 13.5ft tall.) There were a lot of open sites, even during the holiday weekend, and even with people on either side, we didn’t feel like we were on top of anyone else. A really great central place to hang so we could check out the surrounding area.

  • Had fast, reliable wifi!
  • Great service for Verizon!
  • Complimentary showers

  As some others mentioned:

  • there wasn’t shade, which made evenings outside pretty hot— but the grass was very lush (and a good place to rest.)
  • there was also some road noise from the dump station and road that runs parallel
• 

  Kaitlin K.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 30, 2024

  Bull Run Access Dispersed

  Buggy but Beautiful

  We were able to get our fifth wheel (40ft long, 13 1/2 ft tall) in and out easy! Lots of spaces and places to turn around. After crossing the bike path, take the first right onto the dirt road at the sportsmans access sign (parallel to the small paved parking lot.) Like another said, the best spot is past the first circular area. Keep going down the road and you’ll see a big shady area in the trees. (You can go further along to two more sites more suited for smaller pop-up campers, tents, or vans.) Close to the water so of course, there were some bugs: lots of bees and mosquitoes.

• M

  Mike M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 15, 2024

  Son Mountain Ranch, Athol Idaho

  Prefect spot!

  Stayed here with my wife and children while we were visiting Silverwood. This location was perfect and less than 5 minutes from the park entrance. I would definitely stay here again.

• 

  Diadra G.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  Lake Elsie Campground

  Disappointed - people ruined this hidden gem

  This 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.

• 

  Clayton H.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 11, 2024

  Albert's Landing

  You'll love this place unless there's something wrong with you.

  Albert is a very kind, chill and accommodating host. My only regret is I couldn't stay long enough to listen to his guitar skills. A gost that with stum hos guitar for his guests? Thats a good enough reason to go see the place and what made me pick it out from all the others. His prices are very reasonable too. We won't rake you over the coals if you forget something. The place can be really busy on a hot Saturday and he runs it well shuttling people around. i loved that there were clean bathrooms and showers and a general store incase you forgot or ran out of something. I also enjoyed the cool old iron bridge and the peace and quiet of the place. It's no party zone where teenagers have keggars. I was there on a Friday and by 10pm it was quiet and peaceful then the next morning everyone showed up to have swim or float the river there and the water looked nice a shallow and slow perfect for small children and for kayakers it gets a little faster on the other side and fast enough to not have to worry too much about your kids drown but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't pay attention.

• 

  Anthony R.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 9, 2024

  Dragoon Creek Campground

  Nice but busy

  Pretty nice and quiet place just north of town. I stayed here 2 out of the 3 nights we're allowed to stay in a 30 day period. The Campground Hosts are nice people. The campground is very nicely setup and clean.

  The weekend can get pretty busy during the summer, first come fist served bases. Will stay again in the future if need be. 🤠

  It's $11.50 for a day pass or $40 for the season.

• 

  Marisa S.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 7, 2024

  Ravenwood RV Resort

  Best Rv park near Silverwood

  This place is an absolute gem! All sites now have full hook-ups with water, power and sewer and every site has both 30/50amp. No showers but who needs that when you have full hook-ups. They have a beautiful pool, basketball court, volleyball area and small playground. They even have a shuttle to Silverwood! One the most beautifully kept RV parks we've ever stayed in with spacious sites with grassy area and picnic table at each site. Highly recommend 👌

• J

  Jen M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Bowl and Pitcher Campground — Riverside State Park

  Not much to do...

  Well, it was a beautiful area , with great scenery but if you have kids under 10 yrs old there is absolutely nothing for them to do. I mean NOTHING. We won't go back. We never saw a single staff member or volunteer in 3 days.

• S

  Savannah W.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 3, 2024

  Cedar Village Motel & RV

  Homey

  It is peaceful, not very busy. Nice trees around. Owners seem a little haphazard, nice people but it’s maybe a little bit janky here. If it wasn’t so expensive I’d stay awhile.

• P

  Paul F.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 30, 2024

  Mirror Lake

  Secluded location

  It is a private secluded location but over priced for tent camping. It made for a nice base camp. The dogs were allowed to be off leash which was real nice. They do not allow pit bulls or Rottweilers but ironic that the camp hosts have a Rottweiler. It was not crowded. The nice hike to the summit to view both lakes was worth going up. Other than the $30/night for tent camping it was okay. Had it been $15 a night I would have given the site a 5 star.

• 

  Aaron B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2024

  Dragoon Creek Campground

  Infested with bees

  This campground has way, way too many bees. They are a nuisance can't relax without having to worry about a bee flying in your face. Worst campground in this state for bees. Never going to this campground again.

• 

  Freddie Faith M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 19, 2024

  Bald Knob Campground — Mount Spokane State Park

  Lovely campground with some less desirable campsites.

  Considering that Mt. Spokane is Washington's largest state park, it is a little odd that they have so few campsites (eight of them, if I'm remembering correctly), but I certainly don't mind a small campground. For the number, the campsites could be more spread apart, however.

  Mt. Spokane is such a wonderful state park though that even my few complaints about the campground is easily overlooked. The trails, views, flora, and wildlife is spectacular here and I'd gladly sleep in the parking lot if that was my only camping option.

  I went camping here in early July when Spokane had a heat wave of over 100 degrees temperature everyday, and on Mt. Spokane the temperatures were a good 10 - 15 degrees cooler. With a breeze and lots of drinking water it was well tolerable.

  I booked the last available campsite at the campground for our trip as it was last minute, it was definitely the worst of the campsites but it still was not that bad. I'd stay at that same site (site #2, btw) if it was the only one available again. It had a single tree (so no hammock setup for us) which did little to offer any shade, and it was right at the entrance of the campground. It did only have a neighbor on one side though which is nice.

  If I went again, ideally I would get campsite 4 or 6. They are both much better than campsite 2 and, in my opinion, the best two campsites at the campground.

• 

  Saraj B.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  Bell Bay Campground

  Total Gem

  Bell Bay Campground was a total gem for our recent camping trip with friends. 

  It is located almost an hour south of Coeur d'Alene on a very windy road with limited guard rails. There are also no facilities the entire way so make sure you have what you need before leaving CdA. 

  The views of the lake and surrounding mountains were stunning, even if it got a bit hot and dusty at times. We spent most of our days just chilling on floaties in the lake that we could access by a (pretty steep!) trail directly from our campsite. Previous user's photos showed a dock but there wasn't one in sight. The facilities were spot-on—clean vault toilet, water spigot with great pressure, and spacious campsites that gave us plenty of room to set up our 2 tents and hang out around the campfire. The campground has firewood for sale but my only warning is to check burn bans in the area ahead of time.

• 

  Shane T.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2024

  Sedlmayer's Resort & Campground

  Lovely quiet campground.

  This quiet campground is a nice place to stay. Small and peaceful
  We only stayed the one night on a Monday, so the restaurant and bar were closed. The sites are a little close together, but we are used to big private sites in the provincial campgrounds in Canada. The wifi was available, but only close to the restaurant.

  Full hookups are available for most sites. There is a private beach that was nice for swimming. Staff is friendly and helpful.

• 

  Day F.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Albeni Cove

  Campsite

  Beautiful area nice camping spot good amount of shade coverage keeps us cool during the summer clean bathrooms and the camp hosts are super nice.

• 

  Joshua C.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Rainy Hill Campground

  Nice FREE spot in a pinch

  Needed to find a camp spot last minute on a Friday evening. Took our chances and drove out to Rainy Hill Campground. We found the last open spot in the rocky low area that was wide open. A few big rigs could pull in there but would be best for one group rather than many. Not the most beautiful spot but did have some nice surrounding trees. The other campgrounds were up on the hill and far enough away to still feel private but the area we parked was highly visible from the road and people looking down from the hill tops.

  Some mosquito activity and the ground was pretty rugged that we opted to stay in the vehicle for the evening and move on the next morning.