Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Malta, ID has a lot to offer. Malta is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Malta camping trip.
Camping in City of Rocks is a great way to enjoy being out in nature. Relax beneath the cool shade of aspen, juniper, mountain mahogany, or pine. Spend the night surrounded by impressive granite formations and starry skies. There are 64 standard campsites and 3 group sites to choose from with easy access to climbing, hiking trails, and vistas.
There are 38 campsites available, 9 of which are pull-through. Sites 11 and 24 are designated ADA accessible. A separate loop with 6 sites accommodates equestrian campers. - water service May-September - 30 amp electrical hook-ups - fire-ring/ground grill - picnic table - partial shade There are flush toilets and showers open May-September and a vault toilet open year-round at the equestrian trail head. An RV dump station is provided near the campground entrance.
Bennett Springs Campground is a primitive, non-fee, non-reservation campground located in the Albion Mountains. It is composed of 6 campsites that can accommodate up to 8 visitors per campsite. This area is accessible for a season that varies usually between June through October and campground amenities include chemical toilets. Fishing is available in the creek. Drinking water is not available. The campground is well suited for tent camping.
Glamping right next to City of Rocks!
We currently offer 2 Dome's and 3 Bell tents
$50 - $100 / night
$5 / night
Carefree Glamping without the hassle.
This location is available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Visitors are required to physically arrive at the campground to purchase and claim a site. Once on-site, you may be able to pay for your campsite(s) by scanning a QR code using the Recreation.gov mobile app, and the Scan and Pay feature. If this option is available, you will need to first download the free Recreation.gov mobile app https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app prior to your arrival as some remote areas have limited or no cellular service.
Took the long drive up and arrived at the campground at night. Didn’t see the snow and almost got stuck. Currently (5/10/24) there is snow blocking the entrance and impassible.
Close to City of Rocks and the small town of Almo. Hot springs in Almo. Small market in town which makes their own ice cream and has a little restaurant across the street but not much in the way of groceries. Couple other restaurants in town but they were not open while we were there. Also water not yet turned on in the campground so bring your own water if you are coming through early in the season. But it was quiet and we were able to explore and hike without running into many people
We are camping across America in a tent with our young toddler and 2 dogs. This place was great, clean, well kept, nice flush toilets with soap and working sinks. the pool was fantastic although entry to the pool is not included in your camping fee so be prepared to pay extra to get in the pool but totally worth it. Sites were close together with little privacy but flat. We had no shade at our spot but some of the other sites had more shade. Should have been more aware of that when we were looking at the map to pick our camping location.
We did see a coyote at the edge of the campground but our Great Pyrenees told him to keep moving.
We had so much fun here with our toddler and will definitely be staying when we come back through in the future.
We arrived the Wednesday after Labor Day. We were given a full hookup spot in a giant field area all to ourselves! Our spot backed up to a small running creek filled with fish. The field had corn hole and horse shoe games set up. We enjoyed the hot spring fed pool. Again, we were the only ones there. The pool is huge! We also enjoyed a great burger cooked at the grill in the office. Staff was friendly and helpful.
This is a great campground. All the 65 sites are spread out throughout the park. So you will have some sort of awesome rocks near your site. I felt like a kid in a huge playground. Sites are small. No trailers over 25’. No cell service.
We rolled in just for a night and I was pretty blown away by how beautiful the landscape is! Our map took us to the western entrance but we barely made it far down the road it was so gravely and wavy, our little trailer wasn’t handling it well. So we had to backtrack and drive an hour around the park to the other entrance. Only complaint is it was super difficult to find the pay station. We drove around a while looking for it. The views and little hike we took was awesome and we will definitely be back!
Excellent campground. Quiet and out of the way. Good privacy and clean and well kept facilities. It’s in an out of the way location which is one of the things we love about it but may not be everyone’s cup of tea. We very much enjoyed our stay there.
First trip to this campground and we really liked it. Price was reasonable for electricity and water. Dump station nearby. We have bigger RV so some of the spots would not work. Make sure you use the filter to eliminate those with a smaller driveway. The restrooms were clean with nice showers. This campground is 40 miles or so from the interstate so make sure you are well provisioned before you arrive.
This place is unreal. We entered through the Western entrance and didn’t see a single soul the entire stay until we were driving out. The campsites are huge, and every one is unique. Depending on the type of lodging you have you’ll want to double check. We stayed in 38 (I can’t recall but it was in the high 30s) but it’s right by the famous window arch. We have a RTT and just backed up as close as we could to the camping area.
There’s bathrooms in the larger parking lots, and no amenities that are we could find. But the VIEWS from the upper campsites are amazing. You can literally walk right out onto the rocks! We had to keep an eye on the dog but he was fine. Highly recommend this place.
We only have one night here but what an amazing day. Huge assist to the perfect weather and lack of wildfire smoke, but the landscape of granite towers and ridges is a a nearly endless playground for all abled bodies to climb and explore. My kid brought her Bam Bam Flintstone and fit right in. Each campsite is thoughtfully placed within the park and most appear to have a perfect amount of privacy (we had 14). It’s probably been 20 years since we enjoyed such a great campground experience. Can’t recommend more highly.
We had a quiet campground nestled in the trees. Just a short walk away brings you to incredible views and cool rock formations. There is an outhouse but no running water and it’s a trash in/trash out campsite. We loved our stay and got great pictures.
We found this site on the Dyrt in looking for a stopover between Park city Utah and Boise Idaho. Wow, Bennet Springs is a hidden gem! We took the site at the eastern end and felt like we had the place to ourselves. Nice trail along the creek and wildflowers everywhere. The road is visible from camp but it it little traveled.
I visited City of Rocks last year for a day trip and knew I had to go back to camp this year! It’s an awesome overnight stop if you’re on a road trip or a great little weekend trip if you’re nearby. We didn’t do any long hikes and the hiking opportunities leave a little bit to be desired but the campsites completely make up for it. If you’re a climber you MUST visit - the visitors center sells climbing maps with all the route options and great breakdowns of difficulties, etc. Highly recommend site 043 - it’s about a 200 ft walk from the parking lot but it’s shaded and right next to a perfect rock to climb on to have dinner or watch a sunset overlooking the gorgeous valley and rock faces.
This is my favorite place on the planet. The camp facilities are fairly primitive but there are pit/vault toilets available. I can not express how gorgeous the landscape is or how bright the stars are at night. Our campspot was #22. Not a ton of shade, but excellent views. You have to have cash to put in an envelope at Bath rock to pay for camping. I believe you can also reserve in advance if you are at least 4-5 days out. We slept with van doors open. No noise. No bugs. Just peace and quiet.
Easy to get in and out of. Beautiful location and great host’s. The pool is old but very refreshing. You feel isolated but you’re close to town.
Caution: Save yourself some time, dust and frustration and enter Smoky Mountain Campground into your GPS and not Castle Rock State Park like we did. Haha.
We were so surprised when we got to this campground. Private sites. Clean. Paved, not gravel. Not the most level we’ve been in but totally workable.
Bathrooms were clean. Toliets are on one side of the building and individual shower rooms on the other. All handicapped accessible and plenty of places to put you stuff so it stays dry.
Also, DARK Skies!!! A star gazer’s dream.
Be sure you have gas before Sunday rolls around because the one station around is closed on Sunday. The next closest one is 1 hr away. Speaking of, the Tracys General Store in Almo is really nice. Gas, Cafe (even offered a vegan burger!) and other general supplies. Rock City Pizza, just down the way, also has groceries.
We got caught in 3 different local cattle drives on the roads. It was so cool to watch real cowboys at work. Oh, and I even saw a jack rabbit! They are a hoot!
Caution: Save yourself some time, dust and frustration and enter Smoky Mountain Campground into your GPS and not Castle Rock State Park like we did. Haha.
We were so surprised when we got to this campground. Private sites. Clean. Paved, not gravel. Not the most level we've been in but totally workable. Bathrooms were clean. Men and women's toliets are on one side of the building and individual shower rooms on the other. All handicapped accessible and plenty of places to put you stuff so it stays dry. There is also an equestrian loop with individual corrals.
Also, DARK skies!!! A star gazer's dream.
Be sure you have gas before Sunday rolls around because the one place to get gas, Tracy's General Store, is not open on Sundays. Tracy's also has a nice Cafe. They even offered a VEGAN burger. Progressive in this outof the way spoy. The pizza at City of Rocks Pizza is supposed to be really good, but only offered outdoor seating. It was 95 degrees, so we passed. But, they do serve beer and have a small grocery.
Caution: Save yourself some time, dust and frustration and enter Smoky Mountain Campground into your GPS and not Castle Rock State Park like we did. Haha.
We were so surprised when we got to this campground. Private sites. Clean. Paved, not gravel. Not the most level we've been in but totally workable. Bathrooms were clean. Men and women's toliets are on one side of the building and individual shower rooms on the other. All handicapped accessible and plenty of places to put you stuff so it stays dry.
Also, DARK skies!!! A star gazer's dream.
Be sure you have gas before Sunday rolls around because the one place to get gas, Tracy's General Store, is not open on Sundays. Tracy's also has a nice Cafe. They even offered a VEGAN burger. Progressive in this outof the way spoy. The pizza at City of Rocks Pizza is supposed to be really good, but only offered outdoor seating. It was 95 degrees, so we passed. But, they do serve beer and have a small grocery.
Stayed: 5/13/2021
Cost: $14/night plus $10 reservation fee
Site: 61
Vehicle: Volkswagen Atlas
Equipment: Tent
AT&T and T-Mobile: No Service
This is a very unique campground. Sites are dispersed throughout the entire park, as opposed to being condensed into one central location. It makes for some very unique and private sites - no two alike.
We went for site 61 for two reasons. 1) It was the most private that was remaining, even though 2) it was very close to a bathroom. Most of the sites near bathrooms, were more grouped together. The bathroom itself is less than a 1 min walk from the site. We had one neighbor on the other side of us, but you could only see them if you walked by to go to the bathroom. I think that site 61 could be the most private of all, with site 63 having some of the most beautiful sunset views (pictured).
This site was also nice, because it is tucked-in next to a large rock wall, blocking the wind coming from the north. Do be aware, that Area 7 of the campground (sites 61-64), are at a much higher elevation. Driving to the site from the main part of the park, we climbed over 1,000 feet (up a winding, dirt road), ending at 7,000+ feet. So, the temperature is going to be a little different than it is when you’re checking the weather in Almo. It was about a 10º difference when we were there.
Overall, this is a very nice campground with a fire ring and picnic table. All pictures are from Site 61, with the exception of the sunset from Site 63.
#DareToEverywhere
Very good camp area. Great views.
Very clean very friendly. Shaded and close to swimming pool
Be careful which site you book. Many are walk in tent sites or don’t have room for even a sprinter van. We had site number 29 which was beautiful. Definitely recommend staying in the 1-30 sites. Many back up to rocks but all are very different.
Gorgeous campground. Very private campsites-we has #19. Have both power and water hook up which make it a little pricey.
This is a great, convenient little spot.
The relationship between City of Rocks National Preserve and Castle Rocks State Park is still not clear to me as this campground appears on the National Park Service website, although it is an Idaho State Park. That said, the park rangers seem to work cooperatively. This campground is delightful. Located about a 7-mile drive/walk to the entrance of City of Rocks, Smoky Mountain Campground is situated above the valley providing a wonderful view from many sites including space #19 where I parked my campervan. I believe the walking distance to the reserve could be shorter by taking any of the hiking trails from the campgrounds rather than going along the paved roads which first go away from the City of Rocks then back up again, making a big "U".
During my one-night stay in February, water, showers and bathrooms in the campground were closed for the winter season. A very clean, pit toilet is located in the equestrian parking lot across from the campground entrance. The distance from the campsites to the bathroom will vary from quite close to about 1/4 mile max. And during the winter season, there won't be much competition for the spaces close to the bathroom, as I was the sole user during my time there.
In addition to the breathtaking views, the sites offer privacy from 3 sides though all face the loop access road. There are picnic tables, fire rings and electrical power. I did not note if water was available as it would have been shut off in February in any event. There is a dump station about 1 mile down the road toward the exit. I do not know if it is open in the winter.
Check-in during the off-season is accomplished by envelope collected at the entrance or directly to the ranger who came by in the morning to check-in. The rate was $27 per night. Definitely worth the money to stay in this tranquil campground so close to the magnificent City of Rocks.
I spent one night in the City of Rocks National Reserve Campground. Nabbed spot 15 - the best one I saw - which had fantastic views from the front and back of my campervan. Sweeping view of valley and mountains beyond from the front, massive rocks through the window over my bed. There is a picnic table and fire ring on the nearly level site which is also very private, tucked away as it was between large rocks. I camped in February so I could have been the only camper in the park that night, though there are campsites extending up the main road for what must be half a mile, so there is room for many campers both RV and tents. I saw no one other than the ranger during my stay. The bathroom is a pit toilet, very clean and supplied with paper. There are no amenities like power or water at the site. I left my campervan parked and hiked all around the reserve. Million dollar views for dollars a night.
The park is beautiful, and the sites are well-maintained. But we were disappointed to find that all the water and restroom facilities were closed during the winter.
Would absolutely recommend the park, and would gladly stay here during the season. But if you're camping off-season, you may as well go into one of the many cheaper and more interesting primitive sites inside the main part of the park. Lots of options!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Malta, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Malta, ID is City of Rocks Campground — City of Rocks Natural Reserve with a 4.9-star rating from 25 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Malta, ID?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 glamping camping locations near Malta, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.
