Best Glamping near Lake Pend Oreille

Gilmore Campground Farragut State Park, Idaho Lake Pend Oreille

Who Knew?!!

I crossed the Montana / Idaho state line this morning and was pleasantly surprised at the AMAZING scenery . I’m from way over in Kentucky so maybe this is a best kept secret or it’s just not well advertised but NORTHERN IDAHO IS BEAUTIFUL!! I mean, someone says Idaho, I think potatoes/ farmland. So well played Idahoans! I stopped for an overnight at Farragut State Park. The staff was AMAZING! Friendly , informative and took the time to see if there were any cancellations or early departures in the crowded campgrounds. The campgrounds are well laid out in that there are many sites but they are situated in a way that still gives each site space for “stuff”. My site didn’t have a lot of shade but the breeze was enough that it was comfortable all day, temps in the 80’s. We may have hit the end of the mowing cycle or maybe they leave the grass rough cut due to it being dry. Our site was otherwise very well maintained. When I drove in the camp hosts were actually across the lane SWEEPING one of the cement pads clear of gravel. Full hook up, Pit toilets and a few shower houses. The shower house is on the other side of Gilmore CG. The sites over there have older trees and more shade. The general park map is lacking on the hiking trail venue. If you want to hike and in my opinion you do, see about getting a trail map or take a picture at one of the information stands. Even that map was not great, but useable. We took a stroll down through the woods and when we got to Lake Pend Oreille guess what?!! .... IT WAS AMAZING!! If you want a hike along the lake with easy to moderate difficulty 70 along Idlewilde Bay is excellent, it loops around by the parking lots and the shore. Plenty of spots for the dogs to get in and to swim. Once again there are trails coming and going and the trail markings are sometimes confusing but if you have a good sense of direction you’ll be fine.

Bayview, ID is nearby with a laundromat , grocery , etc. On site there is a small museum with the history of the area , a model plane field , a Tree to Tree Adventure Park and of course water activities galore.

All the state (not Federal) parks at both Priest and Lake Pend Oreille (Farragut) have become prohibitively expensive for out of staters. Per the Boise newspaper a state legislator from Hayden. ID was angered that he was unable to camp the state parks in his area at the drop of a hat 'due to the large number of out of state campers'(who had the foresight to make reservations months in advance). He was able to push a punitive bill through the State legislature which effectively more than doubled out of state camp fees in these two parks. Not only is the camp site at least twice as expensive but there is now a daily vehicle fee added. A basic campsite (no utilities) can now cost upwards of $70 per night.

Jake from the Dyrt here! Elysium Woods was recognized by Business Insider as the best glamping in Idaho for 2020! Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!

Farragut is a fantastic 5 star campground. Currently staying here at $40 a night. Went to book two more nights and found out they now charge out of state people double. My September stay will now be in Montana and I will skip Idaho completely. No gas, no food, no nothing.

Ended our tour of Northern Idaho at spot #140. Tons of flat area to put down a tent, mosquito shade (they are pretty bad), and enjoy the amazing view!

Bathrooms with vault toilets, water pump, and grey water dump all just a short walk away

It was my first time camping! Went camping with my fiance.

Pros

• The check in process is easy. Just make sure you have cash
• lots of trees to hang a hammock
• fire rings with grill top
• bear boxes for your food
• the sound of the river makes you fall asleep!

Cons

• No sink in the bathrooms.
• No internet service. Dead zone.

Recommendations

• Definitely recommend bringing cash to pay for your site and firewood.
• bring hand sanitizer since there aren't sinks or soap
• There's a DG about 20 minutes away in Idaho to grab snack goodies c:

We used to camp here in the 80s and it was always peaceful and beautiful. And we liked it because its got free showers and the bathrooms are very clean for camping. However,! There used to only about 34ish spots and now there are 51 spots. Its very crowded and people feel like they are right on top of each other. Your fire pit area is right next to your neighbors picnic table and/or their fire pit. They also clear cut all the bushes between spots and threw wood chips down so there is no privacy at all. I know they are worried about fires but good grief. Hence the reason it feels like you are right on top of your neighbors. The day use area is still pretty much the same as it's always been and the lake is just as beautiful but not the camping part. Thanks a lot Idaho fish and game! :( UGH!!!

The "grand finale" of our 4000-mile road trip was two nights and two days at Silverwood Theme Park in the Northwestern corner of Idaho. The water park and rides were amazing, like a smaller, easier Disneyland. Everyone had lots of fun and we'd definitely go back.

The Silverwood RV Park is attached to the theme park via a pedestrian tunnel and is a whole other story. Hot campground, tiny trees that provide no shade, loud neighbors talking through the night, and worst of all, all tents, chairs, and other items must be placed on the rock pads, not on the grass, since there's sprinklers that go off every night in the grass. I guess this wouldn't have been so bad (maybe a 2 or 3 star location), but we had an especially bad experience when a broken sprinkler blasted our tent and all our gear in the middle of the night (which was in the gravel so should have been safe). We had to move everything to the other side of the pad in the dark and try to dry everything out. A shocking and unpleasant experience all-around.

Pros: Great location if you're going to Silverwood. If you're in a self-contained RV this would work well.

Cons: Horrible for tents unless you're fully outfitted with cots since the gravel makes for an uncomfortable stay and there's no room to spread out. Loud, crowded, and hot.

Tent 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.

Just. Book. You won't regret it.  The campground is just far enough away to feel secluded but not too far that it's hard to get to.  The views of Mirror Lake are just phenomenal.  Clean campground with all the amenities.  The dock is fantastic and the fishing is top notch.  Electric hookups if you are a "glamper".  Campsite A is the best but all sites are great.

There were a lot of people there. Even on some of the rougher hiking trails there were always people around, so if your looking for seclusion, round lake might not be for you. The fishing was amazing though, and the view is beautiful. There are lots of hiking trails nearby, and there are some cool features, like beavers dams and little ponds filled with fish. The bugs weren’t bad either, there were almost no mosquitoes or spiders.

Beautiful & clean campground with friendly staff. Quiet area and not over crowded. Pet friendly. Lots of trail hiking and a pretty lake for kayaking, swimming, etc. My only complaint was not enough grassy areas and all campgrounds were just dirt. So keeping RV clean was difficult with myself and dogs going in and out despite having mats to wipe off feet/shoes.

Swung by here yesterday (late Dec) after calling to confirm hookups were still functional. There was only one hookup spot plowed, and it’s connectivity was not stable. We decided not to stay as our Tesla kept reporting electrical risk every 10 minutes. Not worth the risk to car camp when it’s 18 degrees.

Stayed hear for two nights in spot 15. All sites are very large, covered in shade, and plenty of flat ground for a tent if that’s your jam.

Spending the hot afternoon floating and fishing the lake was perfect. Morning walks in the trails were peaceful with coffee in hand!

Clean bathrooms, showers, and friendly staff. Can’t go wrong!

We love round lake!!! We coMe here all the time. But, we stayed in a different part of the park than we normally do. And it felt like a completely different stay. That is why we are doing another review. This place is the best!