Payette National Forest is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Payette National Forest is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
"A CTX toilet and fire rings. Lick lake is a 3 mile hike into the wilderness and is gorgeous! No fee."
"There is a water pump at the entrance of the camp site that you get your water from. There are no hook ups or running water at sites. There are established fire rings and a picnic table."
"It was nice and quiet And you could hear the river nearby. Spot 3 has a great access trail that takes you down by the creek which flows into the river. There is a rock fire pit down there."
"Driving down a pot-holed, dirt road for quite awhile, we found ourselves concerned that we may not find something. We then spotted a beautiful lake through the trees. "
"We went here for mountain biking (if you go, check out Groupon for the lift) this campground was awesome because it was so close to Brundage resort, and the ski lift up, it was such an enjoyable stay,"
"A very cold lake bring water or filter."
"It’s really just a small meadow in the mountains that the BLM put a vault toilet and a couple of fire rings in. That being said, this place is beautiful."
"awesome place for rent camping and hiking lots of trails to explore but not a great place if you need a RV to go camping"
GuideNice grassy sites, water right there, vault toilets, fire rings and picnic tables, tent camping or RVs. Not a lot of shade but cools down nice at night. Lots to do nearby!
TravelerNice flat spot with a stone fire ring. Hazard creek nearby isn't too loud and sounds great. Not much firewood is around as its all been picked already.
GuideFish and game property, but managed under YMCA. $15 with no discount for anyone. Picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilet that is in desperate need of a simple fly strip! I had to wipe live flies off the toilet seat to sit down. Haul your garbage out. No electricity. Bear sites in campground but no notifications! No potable water. Seemed a bit pricey ! Perfect for canoes. Boat launch area.
Hawks, ducks, gorgeous waterfront!
RangerThis is a pretty quiet place! It about an hour drive/17 miles from Cascade on a paved road. True to it's name, the lake and campsite are right on a summit! The lake is pretty small and a little muddy, but a fun dip nevertheless. It's about a 5 minute hike from the campsites. There are 3 campsites at the campground and they are all first come first serve! Dispersed camping is allowed in the area as well. Managed to find 2 empty spots here on Labor Day weekend, which was a real treat! The sites all have fire rings and picnic tables and share a vault toilet. The sites are well spaced and there little noise carries around the area. The campground is a little close the to highway (Warm Lake Rd) but traffic at night is pretty low, so the noise isn't bad. There is a wilderness airstrip not too far off, so some plane noise as well! Otherwise, a nice spot with some great views of the night sky.
GuideThis is a typical campground with Vault toilets, no showers, no water or electric hookups. However, it is just a couple miles from nice dining, mountain biking, and hiking.
TravelerWe have high expectations since we’ve been at so many places, so please bear that in mind when reading this.
GuideThe fir trees stand tall and still. I can’t figure out if they are waiting for something to happen or if they simply don’t care.
If you’re looking for sone sort of gorgeous panorama, this might not be the place for you. It’s really just a small meadow in the mountains that the BLM put a vault toilet and a couple of fire rings in. That being said, this place is beautiful.
You can’t see rapid creek from the campground but you can hear it. And that’s really just as good. The white noise from the creek matched with the occasional bird or other nature sound is one of the most relaxing things on the planet.
It’s high enough in elevation that this place gets nippy at night. I stayed in early August and the temps dropped into the upper 30s at night.
The campground is well maintained and the vault toilet was reasonably clean when I arrived. It became Kevin clean shortly after I set up camp.
There are trails from both sites near the vault toilet that lead down to Rapid Creek.
I never saw any bear scat but signs on the property warn of them so be smart with your food.
All in all, Rapid Creek dispersed camping is excellent if you just want a quiet place where no one is around. It’s amazing but not for the reasons people usually like in my opinion. ◦
TravelerCamping is free, limit of 10 days. Not really any designated sites and surrounded by private land with aggressive signage. Not all roads around the reservoir are public, so be prepared to turn around and back up at dead ends. We came to an orange gate that said "private property", and stopped. While trying to turn around, we noticed a white truck sitting behind us. When we turned around and passed him, he motioned to roll down the window, and then berated us and called us idiots, even though we had not even entered the private land, nor did we want to. We felt threatened. In the end we chose a site on the upper road of the reservoir. The view was nice but not close to the pit toilet. No fire ring. No table. A no frills place. Like many lakes in Idaho, the reservoir is mostly dry. Not a huge deal but not the prettiest to look at. There is only one single pit toilet for the whole reservoir and someone was set up right next to it like it was their own. People ride off-road vehicles here. In an area with slim pickings for free camping, I guess you have to take what you can get.
RangerThis campground is right off Lick Creek road along the Secesh River. There are only 5 spots. First come first served $10 fee. There are picnic tables, fire rings and a clean vault toilet. Our site was Site 1 and we backed up to the river. This was a quick overnight stop for us. It was beautiful to listen to the river all night. There are horse hitching posts in this campground. We were the only campers but the camps are pretty spread out.
Tent camping near Payette National Forest in Idaho offers a serene escape into nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Payette National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Payette National Forest is Lick Creek Area, McCall & Krassel Ranger Districts with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Payette National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 61 tent camping locations near Payette National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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