Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Salmon-Challis National Forest

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.

This site was right along a river that was very beautiful but the campground was on higher ground so most people walked down to the entrance where you could get to the river or some people stood on the bridge to fish. Not all spots have trees, so be careful if you have pets. They did have three campsites for people with horses to camp. Not our cup of tea but if you are low maintenance or bring it all with you then this may be your pace. No other amenities. Right up the road from Stanley.

We set up our daughter in our Super C here for 2 months while she worked in nearby Salmon during the busy season. We were so happy with the beautiful scenery, quiet grounds, and excellent service from the owner. If she ever needed anything, they were happy to help. There is a clean laundry room, showers, and bathrooms onsite, and more than enough space for a 40 foot RV. There are shade trees, some grass sites, some landscape rock sites, picnic tables, a gas firepit, and an onsite mini-store if you need. The owner waited for us until we arrived, helped us get our bearings, and then grew to be a friend. If you are needing to camp(even in a tent!) anywhere near Salmon, Idaho, you need to go and see Stewart at Elk Bend RV Park. Say hi to the deer that roam the area, too, or walk across the street and listen to the Salmon River. Just a beautiful area! Sites with full hookups and not. Would not hesitate to recommend Elk Bend RV Park.

Pet Friendly!

No need for a hotel in Ketchum Idaho. Park and camp here! Several dispersed sites after the Sawtooth National Forest boundary, with creek running by and a hot spring down the road.

The recent burn made the site a little dusty, our dogs needed a towel off.

Pulled over mid day to spend the afternoon and night. We took the second to last spot on the river side. Arrived at noon on a Tuesday, departed at 8am next day and were the only campers. Very easy river access from site, but water is moving quickly. We walked to the other side of the bridge and let our dogs jump in where the water was calmer. Overall really clean and well maintained space. The only thing that will prevent us from coming back is the cottonwood tree droppings. They’re everywhere and very sticky, so if you have long haired dogs, it’s a nightmare to get them out.

What a nice campground!  We had very low expectations staying at a campground that is almost always booked solid (we figured it would be crowded and loud) and is in one of the most popular parts of Idaho. However, the camping spots are large and are nicely spaced.  Even though almost every spot was taken, the campground was quiet and peaceful.  We prefer dry camping, so liked the spots not having hook-ups and drains. Paved roads made for fun riding of bikes, the flushing toilets in the clean bathrooms were a plus, the fresh drinking water was clean and tasted great, there were trash bins close by and our host "Wally" was so kind. With a short walk, you are on the North shore or Dog Beach and a little further is Redfish Lodge, beach and restaurants.  The food was so good and priced well, next time I will likely take less camping food and just eat at the lodge!  (Easy!)  The water in the lake is the cleanest you'll ever see....LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY PEOPLE!  Unfortunately, this campground is booked out almost the entire summer, so while we want to go back - it may have to wait until next year.

It was the perfect location close to Stanley. It was a bit dusty. Bathroom was clean. Showers were good. The food at the restaurant was amazing. We have AT&T and no cell service. There is no trees for shade. Had to walk the dogs a little further to do their business.

Beautiful grass in most of the spots. Fire rings, bathrooms near by. We have a 26 ft TT and this was perfect right off highway. Only stayed one day due to it being a little warm and we were heading up north. Did have shade and it cooled off at night . Lots of room for our dogs to run by site without bothering others.

What a beautiful campground with the views of the lake and mountains. Our site was perfect for our 23’ travel trailer and well maintained. While we did not have cell service at the campground (Verizon), the short drive to Stanley provided that when needed. There is constant traffic from site seekers and continual dusting because of it. Our only complaint was campers not following the leash rules for their dogs or stopping them from being aggressive towards us on the trails.

 Though this campground sits along the highway it is easier to tolerate noise when its free! 

The campground loop is gravel and has “pull next to” (bump out?) type sites with covered picnic table and a fire pit. There are also pit toilets and a hand pump water spigot. There is also a boat ramp and a day use area. 

The river is very shallow and the bank is quite muddy -- our little dog sank up to her belly. 

No privacy here and lots of road noise but you get to see the river and the meandering cows across the river. 

Did not see any wildlife unless you count the swarms of tiny bugs of the variety that squeeze their little bug bodies through your screens. 

Zero cell reception ATT, verizon or TMobile. The WeBoost was able to give us bars of LTE but still was not very usable.

Good for an overnight but not much around to keep us occupied for anything longer.

Stopped here on my road trip around Idaho. Very clean very open great views of the mountains around the valley. Clean restrooms nice showers.

One thing my family and I always look for when we camp is if there are great hiking spots nearby. The Buckhorn Campground, located within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has some great hikes nearby. Not to mention the campground is great too. There are also some great spots to see waterfalls. There is the lovely Buckhorn Tower Viewpoint which is a must see if you come here. The views here are spectacular, the pictures don't do it justice. So many beautiful ridges and canyons. The campsite was pretty popular, maybe because of the great hiking? You can also fish, and I hear/read it is a great place to hunt in the fall. The campsites were great, although I don't think there are very many spots. We got their super early and were able to snag a great spot next to some picnic tables. We also brought our dog- which is allowed. We kept him on his leash the majority of the time, because it was busy. One hike we enjoyed was the Indian Village Grove located about 5miles away from the campsite off of FR880. There is also another hike along this FR, but I cant remember what it was called. Great place to visit!!

After riding ID75, it was time to find camp. Sure there are a bazillion to choose from along the highway, but I wanted to soak in the highly reviewed waters. I was NOT disappointed!!! Beautiful lawn, one of the freshest hot springs I’ve visited, and great campers. Side not: this place was recently purchased/handed over to the Idaho State Parks system.

On a motorcycle trip through Idaho and this place met my needs. It is close to town but no noise from the highway. It was walking distance to grocery store and gas station. Check in was fast and rates are reasonable for tent site. I had a site with power and water. It was close to the bath house. Overall, a great place for a nights stay on the road.

Redfish Lake is one of the most beautiful blue lakes in Idaho. We went there on a weekday in May, and there was hardly anybody there. I know weekends can get pretty crowded, but this is such an amazing place to camp, hike, and relax. The water is definitely cold, but it is absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend.