If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Horseshoe Bend, look no further. Finding a place to camp in Idaho with your tent has never been easier. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Shafer Butte is located atop the scenic Boise Ridge Mountains, near Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Visitors enjoy hiking and biking on various trails in the surrounding area, and simply relaxing and taking in the area's beautiful views.
Popular activities in the area include hiking and mountain biking, the Mores Mountain Trail begins in the campground. This 2-mile interpretive nature trail is family friendly.
Shafer Butte offers scenic views of Deer Point, Mores Mountain and Shafer Butte summits, as well as the expansive valley below. The campground is situated among Douglas fir and aspen trees, which offer partial shade in most sites. Wildlife and summer wildflowers are abundant in the area.
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is close by and offers more hiking and biking trails, as well as other summer activities, check out this link for more information http://bogusbasin.org. The Ridge to River trail system is near by as well, check out this link for more information http://www.ridgetorivers.org
$10 - $75 / night
ALERT - The Swirly Canyon segment of the South Fork Payette River stretch offers opportunities for camping and fishing in a scenic mountain area. The BLM's South Fork Recreation Site is an undeveloped camping spot along the river.
$28 - $43 / night
Overview: A stay at Cottonwood Campground enables guests to enjoy all the beauty and recreation offered around the Middle Fork Boise River and Arrowrock Reservoir. The tiny campground hosts 3 campsites. Weather is usually good from mid-May through late September and is easily accessible by car in good weather, although the road is sometimes rough and the drive can be seemingly long. Checking with the Mountain Ranger District (208-587-7961) on road conditions before heading out is recommended. Natural Features: The campground is situated just north of the reservoir along Cottonwood Creek. There is at a switchback of Forest Service (FS) roads 268 and 377. It is located less than a mile along FS road 377. Wildlife watchers may want to look for deer and elk. Waterfowl, eagles and osprey are attracted to the river. Recreation: Cottonwood Trail begins nearby, leading to Bald Mountain. Check the Idaho City Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for trails in the area that are open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers and off-road vehicles. Click here for an Idaho OHV safety message. Arrowrock Reservoir is a premier fishing destination in southwest Idaho. It offers excellent trout fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout. There are also good swimming holes. Big game hunting is a popular activity in season. The Middle Fork Boise River is just north of the campground and also offers great fishing.
Overview: Bald Mountain Campground is near Idaho City, Idaho. The Campground has 4 campsites in a secluded, forested area. A trail from campground goes east to the Middle Fork of the Boise River. A second trail goes from the Thorn Creek Butte Lookout south of the campground and follows Cottonwood Creek south.
Traveler
Good site for rv camping but if you're tent camping there are probably better options depending on what you're looking for. The tent sites are super close together and there is alot of highway noise. If you're looking for a quick site with amenities this is good though. It has shade and thats a huge plus.
Traveler
I am a tent camper and rolled in late at night. There is a registration box and nice tent campgrounds with picnic tables and flat tent sites. It is also very quiet and not to far out of town.
Legend
This is a small tent camping campground right off Highway 55 and across the highway from the Payette River. Lots of shade trees. No amenities.
Scout
Great campground..set for RVS .but you can tent camp as well. Water hookups...no electric. They do have companion sites..a place for two trailers...
Legend
Ten Mile is a clean camp ground in a nice wooded area just off highway 21. The sites are large with good space between them for decent privacy. A good spot to tent camp, camper camp or bring smaller RVs.
Legend
This is a small camp ground right off Highway 55 and across the Highway from the Payette river. Lots of shade trees. Not a lot of room for larger campers or RVs, mostly geared toward tent camping. I did not get cell service here.
Legend
I love this campground. It’s back in the woods, on a creek. Perfect for tent camping. Campers and smaller RVs could also find spots. There is good privacy from the abundance of trees in the campground. This is one of my favorite spots off of Highway 21.
Legend
This is one of the few overnight camp spots on the reservoir. It’s not always super clean. The garbage cans fill up quickly and sometimes over flow. Great day access for boats. Not a lot of shade for tent camping, so it can get warm in the summer.
Traveler
This campground is really easy to find. A little before Lowman, right off the road. Average amenities for tent camping. (Only park on the paved road) The camp host is really kind and helpful. There are hot springs right across the street with a beautiful soaking pool and river side view. Good breakfast in Lowman and amazing hot springs in the area!
Scout
I came here during the summer of 2020 with my family. We had a great time. It was relaxing and beautiful to be outside. The sunsets were nice it was clean and quiet during the duration of our stay. The campsites themselves can be a little cramped and we were tent camping. Other than that, it was great with easy access to the water.
Traveler
The drive here is gorgeous! rolling hills, rich farm land, grape vines 20ft high. At sunset it was magical.
GuideClean facilities.. , need a code to use them, Roads are dusty, if people would drive slow it would e nicer, Busy place, this is a flat rate place. No discounts but same price depending on length or stay, back i to river view spot, fishing if your up to it, have tent sites by the lake, staff is nice, very busy.. they have grass that is more grass than weeds..
Legend
Edna Creek campground is off of Highway 21 and is a little farther off the main road that some of other near by campgrounds. It is a little more private and quiet. I like this campground because it is more geared toward tent camping. There is limited space for larger RVs. There are no RV type amenities. Just vault toilets, picnic tables and campfire rings. I believe there is also a water pump. Lots of access to hiking around here which is a plus for me!
ScoutBest little Campgound in the area! Sits right on the Snake River, large grassy area with lots of shade, Cabins, tent sites, limited full hookups, electric, covered picnic tables, small boat dock, 2 horseshoe pits excellent catfishing, supplied fire rings (you can buy wood there), they just added a TeePee! The host, Turk, and his wife, Meghan, are absolutely, by far the best camp hosts we've ever dealt with. Dogs are allowed. BEST SUNSETS EVER!
Legend
This RV Camping Site is AWESOME! They do allow tent camping and have cabins. They have full hookups for RV's as well. There is a lower rate for "back-ins" to the Boise River Greenbelt. They also have a higher rate for Pull Through Sites for RVs. There is so much to do in the area. Biking, hiking, walking along the Boise River. There is also some great fishing on the Boise River. This location is centered for city goers, snow skiers, white water rafters and anglers. We visited some nice restaurants within a short drive of the campgrounds. We rode our bikes along the trails, upstream and downstream. The campgrounds also rent bikes for those that don't have their own :-) You will not be disappointed with this campground if you want to get to know Boise, Idaho.
GuideApprox, 10-12 Grassy Tent sites, with shady trees, on a small 6 acre lake with entertaining ducks that do not beg for food. Lol. Lots of RV sites with full hook ups, including, 105 long term users. The showers and toilets were clean with lots of hot water. Laundry room with 6 washers and 6 dryers. A little road noise from l-84. 2 miles from shopping and fuel. Friendly staff. Surprisingly good, as this was our first “private” campground we’ve ever stayed at. $27.00, including tax, per day.
Guide
Sites are next to the river and have amazing views of the surrounding terrain.
Trash cans are located at each designated site as well as a level area to set up.
There is cell reception in case you are interested but the wifi was poor.
The fire pits are locked during fire season.
Unfortunately, my site was a victim of irresponsible campers who left trash and urinated near the tent site. Obviously not the campground’s fault but something to be aware of.
$5 fee with dropbox. 3 night max (within 30 day period.)
Traveler
We tent camped here in July 2018. Sugarloaf is off by itself at the end of the lake, so it’s a little more laid back there. Our group simply set our in the morning and camped out on the beach with our gear. we had paddle boards, a canoe, and a floatie and spent the entire day out there. there was some nice sand for the kids to build with. We also went fishing in a different spot and watched the most beautiful sunset. The birds we saw here wwre absolutely amazing. we saw multiple ospreys, pelicans, and mountain bludbirds. I would go back to camp here any time.
Scout
I have lived here full-time for over 3 years. It is beautiful, quiet, calm, and very safe for children and families. The rates are some of the cheapest around the country, and there is a group site for picnicking with a fire pit. There are tent sites with fire pits as well as RV spots and truck campers are always welcome as well. 24/7 free showers, and laundry @1.25. there is a phone number to call if you get in after business hours or you can just fill out a sheet and find a spot for the night and hook up. Owners are very laid back, and welcoming. We all rely on the old school honor system around here.
Legend
Just south of Kuna, Swan Falls is a nice quiet place for tent or RV camping. RV should be smaller than 27'. We have a 27' Travel Trailer pulled with an extended long bed Chevy Silverado. We were able to get into the last or furthest campsite up stream. north of the dam. We were able to launch our kayaks for fishing and paddling for a couple of days. It is dry camping with no hookups. No reservations, so it's on a first come first serve basis. Our site had a fire pit but no picnic table. Fishing was awesome. I caught quite a few smallies, but they were on the smaller side. Still fun to catch. There were a few smaller sites for tent camping along the river. There are a few more sites below the dam as well. All dry camping. The drive down from the top is pretty steep. Ensure your vehicle is powerful enough to pull your rig back up the grade ;-)
TravelerThis summer we tried Rivers Edge Rv Park for the first time and had a great experience. On our drive up to Pacific Northwest in early August we did tent camping here and in late September we tried the cabins along the river. Wonderful quiet location, good hosts and amazing sunsets on the Snake River. If you stay in the cabins, just a note that this is a place where you need to bring your own bedding and kitchen items, however there is a hot plate and sink, plus a microwave. The ladder steps up to the bedroom was an adventure in itself😛 No bathrooms in the cabin, but there is a community bathroom and shower. One star off because the bathroom really does need to be updated. Shower was a bit grungy. But for everything great about this place, I know we will be back!
Guide
This is a fantastic campsite. The host is super friendly and helpful without being intrusive. It’s on a bluff over a creek and there are hot springs a mere 1/4 mi away. Epic! There were several campsites that over looked the creek (which was easy to hike down to). We had an epic sunrise hot spring experience. We were on site 22 on the RV side which was great because there was more space between sites. There a vault toilet on the tent site and a water pump. We wished we could have stayed longer. Recreation.gov listed a bunch of their sites as first come, first serve which the host informed me they are not. Either way he found us an open spot but with such a nice location I don’t know if that happens often. 10/10 would stay again
Legend
This is a beautiful area which is in a great spot off the beaten track. If coming from the Boise area (from the south) you can get there easily by two ways. Either through Horseshoe bend, or through Emmett. Both are nice scenic drives.
The campground is a mile or two off the highway. It is not subject to traffic noise or other noise sources so it is a peaceful location. Plenty of trees and shade. It's pretty much in the countryside without a lot of development around it. The small towns of Sweet and Ola are within easy touring range. There's not a lot to see, but very historic and interesting.
When we visited we liked all of the above however we were really dissapointed to see that a lot of the campers were permanent residents or semi permanent. This was apparent from talking to a number of the people in the park. There were a lot of extra personal belongings, equipment and vehicles. According to the bureau of reclamation website stays are supposed to be limited to 14 days, but this is clearly not being enforced. There is a campground host, but they seem to be totally OK with the "residents".
ScoutVery clean well manicured campground next to the little salmon river 9 miles south of Riggins Idaho in Pollack, ID.
We have stayed here two times on our way to Grangeville and the owners are helpful and the store is well stocked with supplies and local Idaho wines. sites are gravel with nicely maintained grass between. Sites have water and electric with a central dump station near the park exit. Cools at night and the sound of the river next to the park makes for a good nights sleep. Tents are permitted in individual sites. Will stay here again.
Guide
Small campsite with well-spaced sites. Pretty good Verizon signal. Close to the road but not noisy. Close to Idaho City, which has awesome little spots. Shady, no morning sun. The real treasure is the nearby hot springs resort, The Springs at Idaho City. This is not a big kiddie swimming pool, rather it is a lovely, serene spot and by far one of the nicest in Idaho. They even serve IPA poolside!
Scout
Less than an hour from downtown Boise. Beautiful, scenic views, off the main road so it's mostly quiet. Tent only, but nicely maintained tent pads, fire rings and picnic tables. Perfect place to teach young ones the joy of camping; campground is open, mostly flat and easy to keep your eyes the tykes. One of the most enjoyable drives, ever.
Traveler
my family and i spent 3 1/2 days at the Big Eddy. the sites are first come first serve. the one we got was right in the middle, next to the bathroom, easy walk to the river. sites are a decent size for tent or rv, just not so much for both. there were hosts that came around a couple times to make sure everything was set up as per rules and bathroom was taken care of. very nice people and informative of other sites in the area. the cost was $15/night, which is reasonable. the only issue i had was tight area for a tent and then parking of my vehicle by my tent trailer.
Tent camping near Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying a variety of outdoor activities. With several well-reviewed campgrounds in the area, you'll find the perfect spot to set up your tent and unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Horseshoe Bend, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Horseshoe Bend, ID is Shafer Butte with a 4.3-star rating from 4 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 32 tent camping locations near Horseshoe Bend, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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