Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Kaniksu National Forest? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Kaniksu National Forest. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Kaniksu National Forest campsites are perfect for tent campers.
CLOSED FOR 2024
Green Bay Campground features 11 designated sites with picnic tables and fire rings, vault toilets, and a swimming beach.
Photo of the rock outcropping from which Maiden Rock picnic area gets its' name.Maiden Rock Picnic Ground is accessible by boat only. It features 4 picnic units, fire rings, a vault toilet, and a swimming beach.
Surrounded by clear waters of Priest Lake, the 25 sites on Bartoo Island provide the ideal getaway for people looking for a rugged, but highly rewarding, camping experience on the peaceful shores of Priest Lake. There are 24 single sites on the island as well as one group site known as Sunrise Group Site. This group site has been renumbered from site #001 to site #23 for groups of 10-30 individuals. All sites are only reachable by boat.
Visitors enjoy all types of boating from kayaking to canoeing to power boating up the 3.5-mile thoroughfare, which leads to the Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area. The upper lake cannot be access by car, so water is an excellent navigation option. Fantastic birding and wildlife viewing is available, as well as Huckleberry picking from mid-july to early fall, when the sweet berries can be found in abundance throughout the forests of Northern Idaho. Swimming is a popular summer pastime and with beach access not far from the campground, visitors won't have any problem cooling off during warmer months. Anglers will be excited to know that the waters of Priest Lake are home to record-breaking Mackinaw trout as well as Dolly Varden, Cutthroat and Kokanee.
Priest Lake spans 25,000-acres of incredible beauty, fed primarily by the waters of the Priest River. Named after the historical presence of Jesuit priests who settled in the lake area in the mid 19th century, Priest Lake is today a major tourist attraction, drawing water sports enthusiasts, photographers and birders alike. The group campground is located on the east side of Bartoo Island at an elevation of 2,400 feet. Bartoo, spanning 219 acres, is one of nine islands on Priest Lake. Summers at the lake are typically sunny and warm and wildlife in the area includes bears, deer and moose.
Hike the Lakeshore or Beach Trails that traverse along the west shore of Priest Lake. The Beach trail extends between Outlet Bay Campground and the Kalispell Bay Boat Launch. The Lakeshore Trail runs for 8 miles along the northwest shores of Priest Lake. In winter, ice fishing, shoe shoeing and snowmobiling on nearby trails entertain visitors.
$15 / night
Surrounded by clear waters of Priest Lake, the 52 sites on Kalispell Island provide the ideal getaway for people looking for a rugged, but highly rewarding, camping experience on the peaceful shores of Priest Lake. There are 51 single sites on the island as well as one group site known as Three Pines Group Site. This Group Site is located on the southeast side of the island and has been renumbered from Site #001 to site #29 for groups of 10-30 individuals. All sites are only reachable by boat.A popular activity among visitors is to kayak, canoe, or power boat up a 3.5-mile thoroughfare, which leads to the Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area. The upper lake - just like Kalispell Island - cannot be access by car, so water is an excellent navigation option.
Priest Lake is less than an hour from the Canadian Border, nestled deep below the crest of the Selkirk Mountains. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern Idaho and the mile-high mountains, this 25,000-acre lake offers clear, blue waters reaching depths of 300 feet. Fantastic wildlife viewing is available on the 2.5-mile loop trail that encircles Kalispell Island, offering phenomenal lake views and bird watching opportunities. The waters of Priest Lake offer anglers access to record-breaking Mackinaw trout, Dolly Varden, Cutthroat and Kokanee.
Kalispell Island is one of seven islands scattered throughout Priest Lake. Kalispell is the largest of these islands, spanning 264 acres, and is shaped like a tooth. Priest Lake, at a 2,400 foot elevation, is one of the top three largest lakes in Idaho. To the north, the lake connects to the Upper Priest Lake, divided by a narrow channel, which can be passed through by boat.
Hike the Lakeshore or Beach Trails that traverse along the west shore of Priest Lake. The Beach trail extends between Outlet Bay Campground and the Kalispell Bay Boat Launch. The Lakeshore Trail runs for 8 miles along the northwest shores of Priest Lake. In winter, ice fishing, shoe shoeing and snowmobiling on nearby trails entertain visitors.
$15 / night
TravelerTent camped on RV spot. All spots have a leveled sand square for tents. Trees offered shade. No privacy due to layout. Tent spots appear to offer more privacy. However, be warned that the access road for tent sites is steep and bumpy. Pit toilets with no other amenities. Camp host is friendly enough. Camp is so close to the day use area. Perfect to go swim or paddle board.
Ranger
The Gilmore Loop Campground is one of a handful of campgrounds in Farragut State Park. It is a large campground boasting 91 rv/tent sites. There are several ADA sites as well as the most amenities I have ever seen in a campground. Even tho you could spend days exploring and playing in Farragut State Park, there are quite a few things to do outside of the park also.
Some amenities for this campground include:
RV/Tent Camping - (Some are ADA)
Onsite Tables/Fire Pits/Water/Electricity on all and Sewer on some
Nice and Clean Flush Restrooms and Showers
Firewood for sale onsite by the hosts and a well stocked General Store/Visitor Center in park
Payphones and extra Parking
Dump stations for RVs
Extensive Day Use Facilities - (Including 3 professional disc golf courses and a large Lake for a $5 fee)
Boat launch/Swimming/Fishing
Museum and Historical Sites
Loads of Hiking/Biking/Horse Trails
Some amenities close to this campground include:
Bayview - (A small lake town about 5 min to the East)
Silverwood Theme Park - (About a 10 min drive to the West)
Coeur'd Alene and Sandpoint - (Both 33 min drives to the South and North respectively)
The negatives for Gilmore are all subjective. I personally prefer a much more secluded campground, I can see this place being packed during the on-season. The sites are closer than I like, tho I have seen much closer sites elsewhere. The tent pads are gravel filled squares, I Like the feel of the ground under me while camping and these will necessitate a mat/airbed. Overall I love this place as a day use, and see myself camping here soon.
Guide
A nice campsite close to Spokane and Idaho. Friendly staff and clean. I really like this spot, but the noise from the trains is loud. Be sure to bring earplugs if you are tent camping.
GuideStayed for only 1 night in a tent camping spot. All spots were occupied, lots of kids running around and screaming. Showers were great and clean. They do have structures for weather which was nice to consider it started to rain. Also there’s construction going on next to the fence for tent camping... not fun
Traveler
We’ve stayed here a couple times now. It is a nice place. It is a little run down though. The car, tent camping is great. You have your own plot under trees. If you tent camp is the rest of the camp ground you will need a pad under your tent. I ground is pretty course gravel with up to 1.25” sharp stones. Firewood is free though.
TravelerThis is a great little private campground in the Wolf Lodge Bay, and their added free amenities made this campground a really fun alternative to the usual state park/national forest campsites I go to more often. The swimming pool was well kept, and we really enjoyed using the free canoes. They had a lot of decent looking free firewood, but we were camping during a fire ban and weren't able to use it. (This, of course, is no fault of the campground. But if we camp there again it will be nice to have free firewood!)
We originally booked tent site 3, which I cannot recommend as it had no shade or privacy, but the attendant was very kind and let us switch to a shadier site for free. I think this was tent site 4 or 5, which were much better. Tent site seven looked really nice as well and I would recommend that one. But if we go back we will definitely be booking the island tent site 201, it looked to be the best one of all.
Scout
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.
Scout
I worked at Priest Lake State Park as a residential biologist for the summer of 2016. It was an amazing experience! I had access to parts of the park not allowed to campers. The staff are all very friendly and nice to work with. The hand- scooped homemade ice cream is worth it alone! Kayaking up the thoroughfare to the upper lake is a great workout with some amazing and beautiful scenery and animals along the way. You will see lots of moose, and sometimes black bears. If you take the short hike to Moose lake, there is excellent rainbow trout fishing, and gorgeous scenery as well. Hunt lake trail is a beautiful trail to hike, but not for beginners. Priest Lake itself is a little chilly when first getting in to swim, but is very refreshing in the mountain heat. There are many good places to pick huckleberries all over the area! The campgrounds at the Indian Creek unit, which is where the headquarters and store are located, are very clean. There are plenty of RV and tent camping sites and 5 cabins available to rent. All cabins sleep different numbers of people, ranging from 5 to 9, the moose cabin being the largest and nicest. The cabins have no bathrooms or kitchens but boast fire rings and are right across from communal park bathrooms and showers. The lion head unit on the upper lake is about 12 miles up the road from Indian Creek turning into gravel about 8 miles up right before moose lake. It has a few smaller camper sites and many tent sites available. There is a maintenance shed along with a small ranger booth which also serves as a small store with ice and other foods and small supplies. There are first aid kits and radios available at all campground ranger booths. Priest lake has amazing fishing for rainbow trout, Mackinaw (lake trout), smallmouth bass, and Pike minnow (as the main species). The nearest town, Coolin, UD, is about 12 miles down the road. It is a small town with a store, a diner and a bar/ restaurant. The diner and restaurant have decent staple foods for what they have to offer. The store is fairly small but generally has most of the foods and supplies needed for restocking your camping food or obtaining the odds and ends you may have forgotten or overlooked at home. All around it is a beautiful place to visit with friendly staff and locals and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking an unforgettable family camping experience.
Guide
Was looking for a tent site close to Coeur d‘Alene and found this park. The tent sites are on a grassy area by the creek. Unfortunately, ground is very uneven and the interstate with heavy truck traffic is right next to it. Felt like the traffic was going through my tent. Park is packed with RVs and families and there is no privacy whatsoever. Otherwise very well taken care off with little shop and nice clean restrooms/showers.
TravelerFriendly staff, free canoes to take out on the lake, clean restrooms and kitchen area, nice relatively private tent camping spot.
Traveler
Location and tent sites are Nice. Bathroom is fine and they also sell ice.
Traveler
Tent camping at Whitetail campground has plenty of site room and good privacy. Camp hosts did an excellent job of keeping the campground clean. Restroom facilities and showers well kept and clean.
Traveler
This campground stretches along a tributary of the CdA river, and there is great tent camping and fly fishing. Downside is that there is limited vehicle access to most spots.
TravelerGreat 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.
Traveler
We stayed one night in our tent, while traveling west. There are a number of short walk-in tent sites. Water and outhouse were nearby. Occasionally, we could hear traffic on the road.
Guide
The tent sites are private and not too close together. Very nice campground host and clean restrooms. We spent the night in the upper section and it was peaceful and quiet.
Scout
Came in late and stayed with friends for a night, was able to get a tent site right next to them. Shower & bathrooms were clean, very safe and secure campground ♥️
ScoutKM and RPI rv resort, they do have a couple of designated tent sites, and 2 members-only cabins. Clubhouse is pretty much shut down, I guess you could say it has “long covid”, heh
Traveler
Small RV park, with a few tent sites. Hosts were lovely people. Large clean bathrooms and showers. Park like environment.
Was warned a Moose family likes to walk through, but didn’t see them.
TravelerBathrooms are ok. Only 2 stalls and 2 showers, but lots of campers. The tent sites are not very good at all. The ground is so hard The stakes can't even go into the ground. No fire pit and cramps tent spots.
Scout
Easy access only 20 minutes from interstate - quiet except the bird songs and occasional coyotes. No mosquitoes in May but imagine it could be very buggy in summer months since it’s next to a river/marsh. Seemed like there was 5-6 spots for car / tent camping.
TravelerThis is a little Campground/Rv Park right off I-90. It has about 15 RV spots and a handful of tent sites with a fire ring. There are clean, warm bathrooms with showers and very friendly management.
Guide
Cute little RV park off the highway. Very quite with a small lake. Families can enjoy fishing, swimming, yard games, fire pit, and very dog friendly with a fenced dog park. We are tent campers and had a nice spot on lake. only a few tent sites. Super clean bathrooms with hot shower.
GuideTucked back behind a neighborhood of fairly luxurious homes and sitting near the lake, these sites offer a nice spot to catch a breath while traveling. We stayed at tent site 10 and it has been perfect. $27/night for tent and $38/night for RVs. Pet friendly, great host, facilities, and plenty of space.
ScoutThere are a handful of tent sites here. Several are on a hill next to each other beside the parking lot. 4 sites sit right along the lake. Great spot if camping near lake is your interest, however, lacks privacy as sites are directly beside each other. Awkward sites.
TravelerWe pulled in to the public park and the attendant told us to check with the camp host even tho the sign said full.
We had our choice of two tent sites for our conversion van. We selected a shaded spot . They had ice for sale and take credit cards.
Traveler
I love the Colville National Forest and enjoy discovering different campgrounds within it.
I like to camp at Pioneer Park when I am in Newport visiting family and will always choose campsite 14! It is the best out of all the campsites there, very private, incredibly spacious, and with a nice trail to the water. I only tent camp so I don't know how accommodating it is for an RV, however.
Tent camping near Kaniksu National Forest in Idaho offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with stunning views and a variety of outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are several excellent options to consider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Kaniksu National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Kaniksu National Forest is Green Bay Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED 2024 with a 5-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Kaniksu National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 40 tent camping locations near Kaniksu National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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