Best Equestrian Camping near Melba, ID

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Melba, ID

49 Reviews of 8 Melba Campgrounds

• C

  Christopher P.

  Scout

  May. 16, 2025

  Swan Falls - Idaho Power

  Not terrible

  A little bit misleading in the description. There are some established camp spots and then there is some “dispersed” camping. In reality the dispersed camping is more like established camping on BLM land.
  It can be a little bit confusing when you arrive but you take a right turn away from the welcome sign. You’ll travel by a boat launch on your left and some construction type equipment on your right as you travel down a dirt road. The mile or so is the established camping in Idaho Power property. It’ll be on your left as your drive. About 2ish miles in you’ll see a beat up sign marking the beginning of BLM land. After that there are turnouts for the “dispersed” camping. There are permanent fire pits and even some pit toilets so not exactly dispersed in the overland sense, but more like camping in the 80’s if you are old enough to remember that.
  You won’t need a 4WD rig. A front wheel drive sedan can do this drive, but the road is bumpy. It was dry when I went to maybe if it’s muddy it would be more treacherous.
  All in not a terrible camping spot. You’re right on the river and the bugs are too.
  Remember, kids, only trash leaves trash and don’t be the weirdos “out in nature” with your Bluetooth speaker blaring music.

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• 

  Jonathan A.

  Guide

  Sep. 23, 2020

  Halverson Bar/Lake

  Lava rocks and prickly bush with a view

  Its pretty close to the snake river, and at the trailhead of a non vehicle trail. Its after Celebration Park on Victory Ln, you drive around the park and it turns into a dirt road. BLM or County land I think. Not many folks here. Smells like horse droppings. Pretty rough terrain getting to the end. There was a sign about a mile back that said “3 day camping limit”. You can get to the water, but its a slippery and steep trip. Its beautiful otherwise. There are big critters out here sniffing and jumping onto my camper, making my dog go crazy. Free camping, dispersed, no fresh water, no fires allowed. Hikers going to the trail will walk past your site if you park on the road turnouts... so dont shower outside... lessons learned.

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• 

  Beth M.

  Guide

  Sep. 1, 2023

  Grayback Gulch Campground

  Location!

  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!

• 

  Amy S.

  Legend

  Oct. 25, 2020

  Grayback Gulch Campground

  Above HWY 21 off the road

  This is a great campground between Boise and Idaho City.  What is nice about this campground is that it is up the mountain away from the highway so the campsites are bigger and there is less road noise.  There are mature trees for shade and space between the campsites for privacy.  This is a great place for groups and there is a large designated area for group camping.  The campground is clean and I will definitely come back.

• 

  Amy S.

  Legend

  Jan. 3, 2021

  Cowboy Campground

  Great Location Idaho City

  This is a conveniently located campground near all the amenities of Idaho City.  Miles of forest for hiking, exploring and fishing.  Right off Highway 21, it's easy to find with ample space between campsites.  A great base camp for exploring the area.

• C

  Christine

  Guide

  Feb. 4, 2021

  Celebration Park

  Everything a campground should be

  Celebration Park is the perfect campground for basic boondocking (with bathrooms). It is remote and wild with non-stop views from every site and many outdoor activities nearby. At the entrance to the campground, there is a visitors center, many picnic tables, fire rings, an interpretive walk, and access to the riverfront. This is where the bathrooms are containing a single sink, electrical outlet and two toilets. No showers are available. The bathroom was exceptionally clean when I stayed there. The park adjoins BLM land. There are no hookups for power, water or sewer. Potable water is accessed from the bathrooms and spigots near the entrance. The camping area goes on for at least 1/4 mile along the river and more sites are away from the water. 

  Some reviewers mention the bugs. Yes there were swarming gnats when I visited in February, not unbearable, but worth noting if that bothers you. Also note the wind coming down the gorge creates some showy sandstorms. (See video) Hey, it's the outdoors.

  The county park is located on the Snake River Gorge about 25 miles from the nearest town. It is located on the northern fridge of the Morley Birds of Prey Sanctuary. You will awaken to the sound of the ducks and geese and can watch hawks and ravens soar on the winds rushing through the gorge. This is not the best place for watching the raptors, as I learned on staying there. Swan Falls south about 15 miles is for wildlife viewing, nevertheless, there was plenty to see and I spent two nights there. 

  A walk up away from the river takes you to a large lake and you can also cross the historic rail bridge to the other bank of the river and climb to the top of the gorge. Excellent place for stargazing, but avoid the sites closest to the visitor center where the lights interfere with prevent perfect darkness.

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• M

  Matthew H.

  Guide

  Oct. 1, 2021

  Swan Falls - Idaho Power

  Great place to stop

  Dyrt found this gem of a free waterfront site while passing through SW Idaho. It stretches along the river and there’s some neat historical power station buildings to explore and nice green park to picnic by the river. Sunsets down in the canyon are amazing.

• 

  Mary D.

  Guide

  Aug. 1, 2018

  Swan Falls - Idaho Power

  Easy access car camping

  If you're needing a quick getaway for the weekend but cant go too far from Boise/Meridian, Swan Falls is the place for you! Both the idaho power side and further down the gravel road gives you numerous options for camping. Dam makes for great fishing too!

• 

  Kay

  Guide

  Sep. 13, 2025

  Cow Hollow Park

  Looks like a ghost camping spot

  The scenery is gorgeous, but getting a hold of the camp host, good luck. I tried two different numbers and nothing. We even sat around for an hour just waiting for someone. There were like 4 or 5 rv's, but not a single person in site. It has a huge grass area, that when you walk through it you can tell it was a field at one point. There are also good size kind of deep whole all through the grass. There is also two softball fields that are pretty small. It also has a play ground by each field. A bunch of picnic tables. I seen two brick like BBQ station, a horse shoe set up, one fire pit spot. It does have a bathroom, men's acme women's. When you walk in it seems to be decent. The first stall door does not latch closed, the second stall doors but you have to kind of mess with it a little bit. Then you have the shower stall. It's not very wide at all. Pretty dark so it could use better lighting. The first Sexton of it has a wooden table that you can set your stuff down on. After you wipe off all of the spider webs. Then the shower part is a small square that has a curtain. It you ever decide to use the show make sure to wear sandles. Who knows what's bn on the floor. I know that concrete can't rust, but it looks really brown and black. The water pressure isn't all that great. The website says that it's $5 a night, but when you get there it says way different. So it is misleading. It is pretty quite until the farmers and semi drivers are out driving around and working. It says they are supposed to have wifi, not sure about that.

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