The Dyrt – find campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, glamping and more.
Open in App

Best Tent Camping near St. Maries, ID

512 Reviews

Tent camping options near St. Maries, Idaho include several primitive sites in the surrounding national forests and BLM land. Tingley Spring offers backcountry tent camping from July to October, while Lakes Divide Road provides dispersed tent camping opportunities with more accessibility. Giant White Pine Campground near Harvard features clean tent sites with nearby hiking and biking trails.

Most tent sites in the St. Maries area have minimal amenities, requiring campers to pack in their own supplies. Tingley Spring is a hike-in only site with no drinking water, toilets, or established fire rings. Lakes Divide Road's dispersed camping areas are accessible via a steep but well-maintained forest road with similarly primitive conditions. Giant White Pine Campground offers more established facilities with picnic tables, trash collection, and vault toilets, though it sits close to a highway with consistent traffic noise. Fire restrictions are common during summer months, and many remote tent sites lack cell service.

The backcountry tent camping experience around St. Maries provides excellent access to outdoor activities. Tingley Spring serves as a good base for extended backcountry exploration, with one visitor noting, "My favorite spots are these back country spots... remote enough to sight in your guns and do a little practice." Giant White Pine Campground offers access to trail networks for hiking, mountain biking, and bird watching, making it particularly suitable for active tent campers. While some sites like those at Giant White Pine provide ideal setups for hammock camping, others along Lakes Divide Road offer more privacy but steeper terrain. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, primitive tent setups in this region are best suited for self-sufficient campers who value solitude over amenities.

Map showing campgrounds near St. Maries, IdahoExplore the Map

Best Tent Sites Near St. Maries, Idaho (25)

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 25 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

St. Maries Contest

Enter to Win

Recent Tent Camping Photos near St. Maries, ID

19 Photos of 25 St. Maries Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near St. Maries, ID

512 Reviews of 25 St. Maries Campgrounds

  • Cathy E.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 11, 2023

    Bald Knob Campground — Mount Spokane State Park

    Quiet, Clean, and Beautiful

    What a gem! Small state park campground at about a 3000 ft elevation with only 8 sites. Dry Camping only, no dump station, but clean flushable toilets(no showers) and potable water available. Two beautiful trails are accessible from the campground and lots more are within a 10 minute drive with plenty of parking at trailheads. Local foliage is wonderful, views are fantastic from the trails. Quiet hours are enforced and observed- very quiet and relaxing. The camp host, Linda, does such a wonderful job of keeping everything neat and tidy and checking in with campers to see if they have what they need. Sites are small- only one was a pull through. I wouldn't attempt with anything longer than 23 feet. Each site has a bear box, really nice and large picnic table, firepit and tent pads that are nicely cushioned with pea gravel. Our site,#3, was centrally located without a ton of privacy, but it was still a nice site and folks were respectful and quiet. Decent cell service in the campground. I am absolutely coming back.

  • Devon C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 5, 2025

    Shadowy St. Joe Campground — Idaho Panhandle National Forests

    Great Campground

    The Shadowy St. Joe Campground is a great place to stay. It has 14 sites total. With one taken by the camp hosts, all are paved, with space for 2 vehicles each, have fire pits, and a picnic bench, and electricity. 7 sites to reserve ahead of time on the meadow side that has grass and is spacious. There are 6 first come first serve sites, 2 on the meadow side, and 4 along the river. If looking to reserve a site, the numbers start with #1 closest to the entrance on the meadow side and grow larger in counter clockwise fashion. There is a day use area you can also reserve, with charcoal grills, and multiple picnic benches. There are several vault toilets and all are kept very clean by the 2 wonderful park hosts. There is a boat launch area for day use, with a small fee, but if camping there is no extra charge. There is 2 docks and if staying multiple days you can leave your boat on the dock overnight. It is supposed to be a no wake zone, but the signs have warn down, so we lost a bumper to our boat from crashing into the dock, from passing boat wakes. There is a couple of potable water stations available, with small hose spouts, but no water hookups at the sites. The sites are electric with 50amp, 30amp, and 110 plugs available. No sewer hookup at the sites, but there is a dump station at the fairgrounds in the town of St. Maries about 10 miles away. Phone service is spotty, texting easier and lots of dropped calls, but we like to unplug when camping. Dogs are allowed with no limits, just to stay on leashes at all times. The Lazy St. Joe River is boat passable up to St. Joe City, and all the way to Lake Coeur d'Alene if you want to adventure for a full day in the boat. Great for fishing too. Make sure to have Idaho invasive species tag for the boat if you are from out of state. The Sheriff and Park Rangers patrol daily and check. St. Maries has 2 grocery stores, and sports shop where you can get supplies, and fishing licenses. The town also has great shops, a swimming pool, parks, restaurants, and ATM/banks. This is a great little gem in the Gem State.

  • Nicole B.
    Jul. 5, 2023

    Hawleys Landing Campground — Heyburn State Park

    Great Campground but loud maintenance

    We stayed at Chatcolet campground for two nights in late June. The campground is really nice with lovely hosts and clean flushable toilets. We booked site 128 and didn’t realise it was a tent only site with a short walk from where you park to the picnic table, fire ring and tent pad. We have a rooftop tent so we parked and set up our tent and then just carried our chairs, food and wood down to the picnic table. Privacy on these sites isn’t the best, I would recommend booking this site along with 129 as a group site to give yourself good privacy.

    Overall this campground was great, the toilets were clean, they are porcelain, flushing toilets inside a hut. There was drinking water and some nice walks to the lake, if you have bicycles there is a really nice cycle that you can do. The reason for rating this 3 out of 5 is that there was very noisy and intrusive maintenance going on from 7am to 5pm in the sites next to us which was very disruptive. No warning had been given about maintenance in the campground, notice was only given regarding roadworks leading into the campground.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 12, 2025

    Bumblebee Campground

    Not much to praise

    Coeur d’Alene River Road has SO many places to boondocks and camp, I wouldn’t waste our money on this campground again. The pit toilets were clean and the fire rings and picnic tables were in good shape, hence the two stars. Lots of wasps. No water. Nothing to do within walking distance. Find a boondock spot and save the $28.00

  • Clifford F.
    Jun. 22, 2021

    Camp Coeur D Alene

    Nice campground

    We’ve stayed here a couple times now. It is a nice place. It is a little run down though. The car, tent camping is great. You have your own plot under trees. If you tent camp is the rest of the camp ground you will need a pad under your tent. I ground is pretty course gravel with up to 1.25” sharp stones. Firewood is free though.

  • U
    Sep. 8, 2021

    Rainy Hill Campground

    Okay in a pinch, a bit sketchy for a solo camper

    I found this free spot on another free campsites app. It’s right next to a National Forest boat launch, where there are 2 pit toilets. The campgrounds themselves are dispersed, with already human made fire rings. Some sites are next to the water (those were taken), I ended up driving to see what’s open and settled on top of a hill. There was another camper who must have been there for a while, set up a little tarp village, he looked like he was moved in there… and then a bear up pickup truck drove by few times - something about it felt sketchy to me. I explored a bit more the next day - there are several walk-in sites which looked great - but you can’t drive into those - some up on a hill, some at the bottom of a hill past big boulders.

  • Freddie Faith M.
    Jun. 30, 2024

    Camp Coeur D Alene

    Great little private campground in the Wolf Lodge Bay.

    This is a great little private campground in the Wolf Lodge Bay, and their added free amenities made this campground a really fun alternative to the usual state park/national forest campsites I go to more often. The swimming pool was well kept, and we really enjoyed using the free canoes. They had a lot of decent looking free firewood, but we were camping during a fire ban and weren't able to use it. (This, of course, is no fault of the campground. But if we camp there again it will be nice to have free firewood!)

    We originally booked tent site 3, which I cannot recommend as it had no shade or privacy, but the attendant was very kind and let us switch to a shadier site for free. I think this was tent site 4 or 5, which were much better. Tent site seven looked really nice as well and I would recommend that one. But if we go back we will definitely be booking the island tent site 201, it looked to be the best one of all.

  • Judy T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 2, 2023

    Iron Mountain Campground — Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park

    Free camping with 2 state view

    We drove in from the Washington side on a narrow unimproved road but only met one vehicle. Our views were into undulating hills of the Palouse farming region of Washington. We camped at the first campground in this Idaho state park close to the Washington border called Iron Mountain. There were two sites with a vault toilet. We chose site number two but both were very spacious. The road was right by our site but only one vehicle drove by, a dirt bike. It was so quiet there. You could see into both the forested hills of Idaho and the Palouse of Washington.

  • brett I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 29, 2024

    Redtail Campground — Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park

    A hidden gem

    Take a night or two to visit this nearly unused campground. What a wonder. You are on the Ridgeline between two valleys with views of the horizons of 50 miles or more. To the east ot is very much like the views in the Smokey mountains. Not a lot of shade at this campground. Great for solar and Skylink. ATT and Verizon were 3 plus. Make certain the chores are done and the drinks are made before the light show begins at sundown. Vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Sites at this campground are reasonably flat and deep but not a lot of room for pop-ups.

    Camping here is free.

    My only criticism is the distance between signs on a very small road. A few more signs would be reassuring. For this campground, head generally south on Skyline Drive until you think you should be there, then go 2 more miles.

    Central potable water by the privy.

Guide to St. Maries

Tent camping near St. Maries, Idaho, offers a variety of scenic spots perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tent campers should check out Giant White Pine Campground

  • This campground features picnic tables and toilets, making it a convenient choice for those who enjoy a bit of comfort while camping. You can find it here.
  • Located near a network of trails, Giant White Pine is ideal for hiking and exploring the beautiful surroundings.
  • While it’s close to a busy road, the wooded sites provide a nice escape for tent campers.

Enjoy local activities at Mica Bay Boater Park Camping

  • Mica Bay offers a range of activities, including fishing and swimming, with large docks perfect for sunbathing or relaxing by the water. Discover it here.
  • Families will appreciate the playground and open grassy areas for games, making it a great spot for all ages.
  • The campground's serene environment is complemented by the chance to spot bald eagles and Ospreys, adding to the natural beauty of your stay.

Tips for tent camping near St. Maries

  • When visiting Lakes Divide Road, be prepared for a more rustic experience, as it lacks amenities like toilets and drinking water.
  • For a backcountry experience, consider Tingley Spring, where you can enjoy solitude and the chance to practice outdoor skills without the distractions of modern conveniences. Check it out here.
  • Always bring your own supplies, including water and toilet paper, especially when camping at sites like Saint Joe National Forest Big Creek Campground, which has limited facilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near St. Maries, ID?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near St. Maries, ID is Tingley Spring - BLM with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near St. Maries, ID?

TheDyrt.com has all 25 tent camping locations near St. Maries, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.

Keep Exploring