The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near May. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are May campgrounds just for you. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near May and user-submitted reviews.
"There are designated camp spots with a bathroom and fire pits towatds the end of the road, but before the campground there are a lot of spots on the way to the campground where there are fire pits that"
"Yellows and oranges surround the banks, the river. I have the whole campground to myself—all two sites. But, of course, I only occupy one."
"Super nice being next to a river, road wasn’t a problem with loud traffic. Good hammock trees"
"Spaced apart about 3 sites alongside the river access. Trees for hammocking and shade. Relatively even for van parking. Not buggy at all."
"Amazing drive-in BLM campsite right on the Salmon River. Primitive site; no water/bathroom. Great stargazing."
"There are vault toilets accross the river, otherwise digging your own holes is your best alternative, no running water other than a river. If you have means to filter water, no problem."
"Near a lake with fishing and hiking opportunities. Campsites are clean with good spacing between them. Super hidden and worth the drive up."
"Excellent access to the surrounding area and trails/roads. Very few bugs. Water available and vaulted bathrooms. Lots of space between camp grounds. Not busy or packed at all."
LegendWow! Absolutely the best spot to set up camp if you're looking at doing an alpine attempt on the roof of Idaho, Mt. Borah! The campground sits right around 7200' which is a decent bit cooler than the Big Lost River Valley to the west. There is also a good bit of shade despite there being few large trees. Its kind of a transition between the sage brush and juniper climate zones. There are picnic tables and metal fire rings @ each site but there is absolutely no running water so be sure to fill your water bottles and camelbaks in Mackey which is the closest town. There are vault toilets but no other amenities. The perk of being fairly primitive is that the sites are only $5 a night!
If you're planning on summiting Borah it's a good idea to get an alpine start <6 AM so you don't get baked by the sun as there's no shade the last 2 miles and sparse shade the first 1.5. It is a brutal hike if you're not prepared. The trail ascends 5200' of elevation in just over 3.5 miles. Your legs will probably burn, bring hiking poles for the descent! If you don't feel like hiking there are plenty of rivers nearby in which to fish and great spots to check out the scarp of the 1980's Mt. Borah earthquake, which you drive across on the way to the campground/trailhead.
LegendShoup Bridge Campground is a small Campground surrounding cottonwood trees along the banks of the Salmon River. It is also right along the Highway. We found this a pleasant campground to stay in, plenty of flat ground for our tents and only $5 a night. A few sites are quite small, but still room for a tent. This was our Scouts jumping off point for a backpacking trip the next day. While next to the highway we expected a lot of noise during the night, but that was not our experience, the only real road noise we had was in the early morning with worked out as it helped wake us up. Each site has a picnic table and metal fire ring. Water is available and the area has a vault toilet and trash cans. Campground has a boat launch.
LegendSimple campground along Salmon River--beautiful setting, with maybe 5 spaces, not all of which are marked well but do have picnic tables to indicate. Also a vault toilet at loop campground. Buggy, even with river flowing and slight wind. Free, which is nice. Can hear US93 traffic, but not bad considering neighbor ran generator which drowned out some noise.
LegendPros: *Views for miles *Steps from the Salmon River *Boat launch for rafting,kayaking,fishing *Covered picnic table *Generous spacing between sites *Serious star gazing opportunities
Cons: *No shade *Close to road, so some road noise.
Pros out weigh the cons for us. 2 thumbs up.
GuideWe visited the Stanley area last year just before the solar eclipse and everything in the area was booked or very busy. We came upon Blind Creek and found a nearly empty campground. It was fabulous. My wife wants to live there. Vault toilets, fire rings and picnic tables. Several good spots for RVs and lots of good tent spots. Can make reservations.
LegendThis small campground is along the Adventure Road going up the pass between Custer and Challis, on the Custer side of the pass. Really cool massive boulders are in and around the campground, and even though it is along the pass and near a beautiful gorge, you really can’t see anything beyond the campground due to the terrain. Sites are on the larger side, but not necessarily level. There are picnic tables and fire rings and a clean vault toilet, but not much else. Shade trees are on the skinny side so it may be difficult to hang a hammock. During the day it can get dusty with OHVs going up and down the road. For a cool experience, check out the ghost town of Custer or go further along the Adventure Road to see the ruins of some of the stagecoach stops.
TravelerSite: moderately clean and private. Spaced apart about 3 sites alongside the river access. Trees for hammocking and shade. Relatively even for van parking. Not buggy at all. Can see one person's cabin up the road but that's it. 360 views of mountains, placed at the bottom of a canyon.
Water: 1 minute walk to the river from all sites. No faucet for potable water, bring your own or filter from the river.
Noise: A bit of noise from US93, not that busy of a road but close enough to hear what passes except if you're sleeping in a van, ours muted that out nicely.
People: saw about 5 people total in an overnight stay. Nobody bugged us. Mostly just turning around. 1 camper next to us the following morning.
Activities: perfect view of the big dipper between the canyon view made for a beautiful night of star gazing by the fire ring. Plenty of fishing access and space to walk around the river. Beautiful place to adventure and be, would be a great spot for multiple nights. Space for people to bring their family or friends. Far away from cities and towns that it's not too busy.
LegendThis place has it ALLLLL. Tent sites, RV sites w/electric and water, dry sites; boat ramp; playground, volleyball net, clothes lines, hot springs pools(2!); showers; camp store with ice; WiFi; wildlife(two mountain goats lead me in on the road); walking trail; shade trees(no hammocks allowed). And it is next to the Snake river. Seriously?? Ok, so the tent sites are really close to the RV sites, but with electric there aren’t any generators running. And the pools close at 9pm, which seems kinda early when the sun doesn’t set until almost 9:30. But I get it. And you are close to the town of Challis with two grocery stores and two gas stations and a Family Dollar. If you can’t find what you need, you probably don’t need it. Besides, you are going to spend all of your time in the water or playing land games. The bathrooms and showers are open 24hrs a day so you don’t even have to use the porta potties scattered around the property if you don’t want to.
TravelerThis is a little gem with easy paved access and paved throughout. Just off the highway with good signage right on the Salmon River. 15 fcfs sites. No reservations 2 of those are tent sites, 2 are pull thrus. The rest are back in with 7 of those being on the rivers edge. Only $10/night. Half price with Golden Agers pass. 14 day limit. Clean vault toilets. Water on sites. Dump station.
Nestled in the scenic landscapes of Idaho, tent camping near May offers a perfect escape into nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near May, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near May, ID is Big Eightmile /Trailhead with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 48 tent camping locations near May, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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