The best camping near
Salmon-Challis National Forest, IDAHO

One of our luckiest experiences on scoring a walk up site. We just planned to take a peek at the campground and then move along as we never though we would get a spot in a popular reservation campground on a weekend in July! But as we were pulling up to the entrance of the campground the host was at the sign flipping it from Full to Vacancy…. say what??? A last minute cancellation, sad for someone, but good luck for us….. we scored a prime lakefront site! Our site was site#5 and I do not think it could have been much better. Solar charging was great in these lightly forested sites. Minimal bugs, which is a positive in my book. Water access to the shoreline was a little steep, but worth it for the private lakeside spot. No cell service! There was construction going on, and by 2019-2020 there will be several more sites at this campground, could make the shoreline and lake a little too busy in years to come? Glad we experienced it when we did!

This is a Forest Service first come first serve campground with only 6 sites, so snagging one could prove challenging. We had been in the area a couple days before, and we checked out the tags at sites and saw when people were planning to leave and several looked like they were coming open about the time we would return. We scored site#6 which we thought was the best one for us- with plenty of room and a nice trail down to the lakeside! At an elevation of 6537 ft., it can be a cooler escape during the heat of the summer. The water was close to the sites and provided an amazing place to kayak with the majestic mountains towering above. I can not wait to return here someday!

This 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.

This is one of the coolest places that I have ever stayed. I stayed here for a couple of nights before venturing into the Frank Church. Although this spot isn't quite in the wilderness, it sure feels like it! Driving up to Yellowjacket and through the abandoned mine sites feels like a step into the past. The "ghost town" looks more like several abandoned mines, but is still so interesting to see. The guard station sits in a little meadow beside a creek in a small canyon. The first night that I stayed here, the loudest thunder that I have ever heard rolled through the area! This is truly a wild, unpredictable, beautiful place.  The guard station is a lovely building. Depending on the time of year, there is available water, as well as water from the creek. There is a fire ring surrounded by stump seating in the field. There is a pit toilet a little ways from the guard station that oddly smells like pipe tobacco. There are also corrals for horses, and it seems like a great place to go riding. There aren't official tent sites, but there is lots of flat, grassy spaces that several tents can be comfortably set up in. I was in this area for about 2 weeks and didn't see anyone I didn't plan to! A refreshing breath of solitude. It is a pretty far trek to drive out, make sure to have directions ready ahead of time. In mid-May, this place was seemed like ground-zero for ticks. Watch out and check often! Other wildlife seen included rattlesnakes and deer, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bigfoot was hanging out here somewhere. This is a really unique place to experience and a great starting point to explore the Frank Church Wilderness and Salmon-Challis National forest. I would absolutely recommend visiting this spot.

Recent renovations and strong maintenance make this a great stop. Easy access to the northern Sawtooths. Great lake views and easy, well maintained road access.

This campground was amazing. Clean vault toilets and clean sites. Camp host was really helpful and sweet. Garbage bins. Lake is crystal clear and gorgeous. Don’t miss this place! Close to lots of great hiking for all levels and experiences.

Five stars on this campground. Only downside we experienced were disrespectful neighboring campers. In the last 5 days we have 3 that run them 7am to 10pm. No quiet time for us at all. Generators are allowed to run here at 6am…

Lost out on inter 84, looking for a place to stay and came across this place out in the middle of the field. Why Indian Springs? The have a pool that is spring freed. Interesting they charge foe everything…. swimming, picnic table. The facility is well taken care of. The personal are helpful and friendly. They had what appear to be recent upgrades on power. The have several different staging areas, tent camper and pull through trailer sties, (too close) but doable. Great stop over or a couple of days.

The other reviews really sum up this site. The back sites have easier access to the river while the front are closer to the Hwy.

I want to go back! Loved hearing the coyotes howling. We hiked to upper, middle and lower Elk River Falls, drove up to a red cedar grove with a 3000 year old tree, and ate huckleberry ice cream at the grocery store. $20 per site.