Best Cabin Camping near Minidoka, ID

We had stayed in cabin Coyote on the lower loop and even though the view was beautiful the area around was unpleasant. No trees, no shade at all. Thankfully we had our canopy! The cabin itself was nice, had a futon, bunk bed (twin on top, full on bottom), had a window a/c, heater, table and 2 folding chairs. A mini frige and a stand to store items under he frige. The front porch had a cute little chair and it must of been made for kids because it was super low to the ground. We did have to bring our own bedding. The cabins had enough lighting and was clean. The bathrooms were across the way and they too were clean and well taken care of. Showers were super ok and clean. Next time we will try and get the one next to it which is Cottontail. Shade and trees on that site.

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.

Sites are intermixed with RV and tents, but I’d say your best bet is trailer or RV or even renting one of the cabins there as the sites are within earshot of the highway. The Sagebrush cabin has a gorgeous view of the river and is close to the bathrooms which were clean and had showers as well. The cabin had a futon as well as a bunk bed; it had electricity and was very clean, but you do have to walk to the bathrooms. Since it’s a state park, you will have to pay an access fee but it’s not bad. There is a great disc golf course here as well and the state park has some neat historical points nearby to include Register Rock. Must visit!

We stopped her in October and  the water level was extremely low.   The boats were dry docked and could not access the marina.  We chose this campground because we wanted to visit American Falls, which we did.  The area was beautiful, but there was not enough water to create a fall.  

The campground is very peaceful with very large spaces and well kept.   We has a large grass area with a picnic table and fire pit, fires were prohibited while we were there because of the low water conditions.  Behind our space was the river/lake area that was dry.   Still the park had great views of the mountains and was very pretty.   There are many trails around for bike riding or off road vehicles.   

The sites are full hook up, there is a bath/shower house and a laundry.  The staff is very helpful.  We were a bit early and when we arrived Jason was mowing our space.  It was completed very quickly.  There are restaurants in town about 5-10 minutes away and a grocery.  Wifi was excellent on T-Mobile and Visible.

This beautiful state park is located right off of the freeway about 7 miles outside of American Falls, Idaho. There is a little bit of road noise at the park because of the proximity to the freeway but it wasn't a bother at all. The views of the river are beautiful and the sunset was amazing. There are a lot of trails to walk on here, and since the park is pet friendly our three big dogs walked the trails with us. There is a disc golf course, although we didn't try it out. The camp host was great. The bathrooms were clean, although only half of them are open in the off season. The only draw back we could see is that the spots aren't very spacious, so if you're new at parking your rig, or if you have a really large rig, it could be a tight fit. We were in a 33 ft TT and the pull through spot (17) was plenty long, but kind of narrow. Spot has 50 and 30 amp hook ups as well as water if you camp during the summer-no water in the off season.

This is probably one of the fanciest camping sites I’ve ever been too. Definitely not as “in nature” as I’m used to but still a really cool experience. I paid 38 for one night for me and my 2 dogs. They had lots of social areas around and lots of variety between RVs, tent sites, and cabins but the tent camping sites were pretty tightly packed together. I like to sit out and read with my lanterns by the fire once the sun goes down and I ended up having to move into my tent to read because the site next to me was too bright from my lanterns and I felt bad. Other than that, they had an adorable gift shop and frozen yogurt night was happening during my visit. There are bathrooms with showers available. And a store to purchase anything and everything you may need from shampoo to firewood to food to cook as well as souvenirs. All together great experience and I would definitely camp again!