Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests

This is an all season RV Park. There’s a nice patch of grass in the center during warm months.

Sometimes we have a hard time finding all season parks.

They do allow pets! They have all the amenities you hope a RV Park has. We came up here to gem hunt. But I know other forms of hunting are also popular here 😉.

You also don’t loose the camping feels here. How? Fire rings.

Camping is just not the same without the ability to have a fire. Even when camping in an RV for local attractions over the “camping experience” it’s always a HUGE plus (to me anyways) to be able to watch flames for a few hours while having a few drinks.

Also visit the Pie Safe! You won’t regret it.

Camped here over 4th of July weekend. Beautiful, quiet area, camps spots are spacious and well distanced. Dogs allowed, bathrooms were nice and clean, easy access to the river. For how popular it was, it was a nice quiet stay. Easy to reserve a camp spot. We easily fit 4 tents and 3 vehicles in the area. Plenty of space for 3 dogs as well. Firewood was easily found, campfire ring was already there.

I came here to hang out during a logging sports event and I really enjoyed the doc area where I sat with my feet in the water. We did not swim (except my dog), but we enjoyed the landscape and the lush green grass they were growing.

I do want to camp in this park but we were camping at another location with the logger sports team.

25 mile bar was full when we went to Boyd campground. But we stoped in to check it out.

Some camp sites are on the river and some are by the road. I talked to the forest service guy who rides around on a motor cycle here and he said that one is free and was open as it’s not a formal campground.

There is a vault toilet here too so that’s pretty fancy for a free place. It seams like a popular place.

There’s lots of shooting here so be prepared for that if you have a dog.

The camp host is very nice. In the morning there is a beautiful fog that comes off the water. The sites have varying amount of privacy so you can find a spot that suits your preferences. There are fishing and small boat docks. I’ve been up here a lot! It’s my favorite close by paid camping ground.

There are some trails at the end of the campground that trail up and around and connect to trails that lead back to campground areas. Dogs are permitted!

If you get extra time, take a day lunch trip to The Pie Safe nearby. You won’t regret it!

We were riding the Idaho BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) and needed a place to camp near Pierce.  There aren't many options that are accessible for our Support Truck but found Deyo Reservoir as a welcome spot.   The West sites are very open and close to each other and are what you see first.  I kinda stumbled down to the East Campground which is more for Truck/Tent camping and is wooded and cooler (it was 95 degrees when we rode in).  Typical for Idaho the sites were nicely spaced, well maintained (it is hosted) and the Vault Toilet was very clean.

The water is clear. the woods are beautiful, very tall trees. First time I ever saw a moose was walking in the forest in Idaho!

Stayed here many times and will go back again it is a great place to go and it's not far to travel to from orofino idaho for an inexpensive camp trip

So, I’m not sure why “resort” is in the title, this certainly not a resort in the traditional sense. But, this is a great place to stop if headed up the Lochsa River and has something for everyone.

The “resort” has riverfront cabins, double occupancy motel rooms, A frame cabins, RV spots with hookups and a large tent camping area for motorcyclists, bicyclists and hikers. The mix of campers makes thing interesting. Add to this that the river raft guides take out at this location and this is a busy and fun place to spend a night. It has been very busy every time I have stopped, often full of RV’s with families spending a long weekend.

There is a small market, restaurant and bar, and an outdoor pool and hot tub. The market is well stocked with most of what you might have forgot to pack. They sell firewood as well. The bar offers typical burgers and bar fare and was lively enough even in peak Covid. This is Idaho after all, Covid seems like an afterthought in most of central and North Idaho.

The resort is located along a sweeping bend of the Lochsa river, which the highway follows on the opposite side. With the proximity of the highway, the RV’s in the campground, the cabins, etc, this is not a tranquil wilderness campground. It is however a great spot to spend the night while passing through.

I was on a motorcycle and there were probably 8-10 other riders tent camping. Several fires were going and folks were friendly and outgoing. There was no cell service for AT&T, but the market and bar had WiFi that you could access by sitting outside the front door.

I’ve stayed here 3 times and it will always be on my list when passing through this part of Idaho.

Freeman Creek at Dworshak State park has great opportunity for all levels of camping. Tent sites, RV/Trailer sites, or a few small primitive cabins (no bathrooms or kitchens in the cabins). There is also access to the reservoir for boating, fishing or to mini-camp sites all along the reservoir. Kokanee fishing is great from March to about late July. The spawn begins in August, so the fish move up the reservoir as the season progresses. Smallmouth bass fishing is great! The Idaho state Smallmouth record was caught in this lake. Day use parking is available for a small fee. For Idaho residents with the State Parks pass reduces the fee. A lot of wildlife viewing too! If you are lucky you may see a black bear feeding on blackberries, deer are numerous, elk frequent the lake, and one of my favorites is to watch Osprey dive in the lake for fish.

I have been at this park in every month of the calendar, but only camped from April thru October.

There aren’t too many campgrounds between Orofino and Kooskia, Idaho except for a few RV parks. We finally found a beautiful campground off highway 12 or the scenic Lolo Highway. It was small but had quite a few open sites so we snagged one close to the river and bathroom. The highway noise was noticeable but not bad at night. Our picnic table had a view of the Clearwater river (yes, it is very clear and has salmon.). There were steps down to the rocky shore of the river. We net a couple from elsewhere in Udaho who always choose this campground.

The turnoff for this campground is not far after you cross the beautiful Dent Bridge over the Dworshak Reservoir, headed North. And, your route would very likely be from south to north because the southerly route begins in Elk City, Idaho and is 85% gravel and at times pretty broken up.

After turning off the main road you take a winding road down toward the reservoir. The campground is situated on a gradual slope, so all sites have nice visibility toward the reservoir. All campsites are pull through, and have RV hookups. I was on a motorcycle so didn’t really need them but the potable water was nice to have to re-fill my hydration pack and clean up dinner dishes.

There are small shelters with tables at each site, and fire rings. I found the posted sign on each shelter—“Please Do Not Hang Wildlife of any Type From the Shelter”—kind of funny. They must get big game hunters in the Fall.

There were pay showers, which were great, and everything was very clean. There is a play area with jungle gym equipment for kids.

The boat dock and water’s edge is a short walk away, and there are also restrooms at the boat dock. The reservoir feeds the Clearwater river and it’s salmon runs, and like a lot of similar reservoirs it gets very low in summer because of drawdowns to support the downstream fish population. When I was there in late August the water was probably 100 feet below the normal boat dock, so it’s a bit of a walk down the exposed shore.

Despite being out of the way, this campground was completely full, And probably half of the campers had a motorized boat of some kind. Although full, I got lucky because someone didn’t show up for the first night of their reservation so the camp hosts let me stay for free. As I walked around the campground it looked like every site was booked for the entire coming week. I expect it is that way all summer.

For adventure motorcyclists exploring back roads this is a great stop over, and not far from the #BDR route.

I visit every year at least once. campground has very spacious sites about 7 sites has a rustic log outhouse and trails to hike

Great peaceful mountain lake setting with elk often on the hillside above located on the historic lolo motorway not suitable for low clearance vehicles but it is a beautiful place to go get away

Beautiful mountain lake setting high in the mountains.