Best Tent Camping near Santa, ID

Tent campsites near Santa, Idaho range from established Forest Service grounds to remote backcountry locations in the surrounding St. Joe National Forest. Giant White Pine Campground offers tent camping in a wooded setting with about a dozen sites, while more primitive options like Tingley Spring provide backcountry tent sites without amenities. Lake Elsie Campground, situated at higher elevation, presents tent campers with lakeside opportunities during summer months when roads are accessible.

Most tent camping areas feature basic amenities at best, with many sites providing only fire rings and occasionally picnic tables. Giant White Pine includes toilets but limited services beyond that. A review mentioned that "the road up to Lake Elsie is rough, potholes, it does get better about halfway up. Expect at least 30 minutes to get up after you hit the gravel." Backcountry tent sites like Tingley Spring require visitors to pack in all supplies including water. Seasonal access varies significantly, with most tent campsites open from May through September, while higher elevation areas may have snow until mid-June.

Tent campers can expect varying levels of privacy depending on location and timing. Sites at Giant White Pine are "nicely spread out, wooded, and clean" according to one camper, though noise from the nearby highway and ATV use can impact the experience. For those seeking solitude, backcountry tent sites provide greater isolation but require more preparation. Lake Elsie offers particularly scenic tent camping with multiple sites directly along the lakeshore, popular for fishing and paddling. Areas farther from main roads typically provide deeper wilderness immersion, with opportunities to encounter wildlife including moose. Winter camping options are extremely limited, with most tent campgrounds closing seasonally due to snow and difficult access conditions.

Best Tent Sites Near Santa, Idaho (38)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Santa, ID

497 Reviews of 38 Santa Campgrounds


  • 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

  • Katherine B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 11, 2024

    Isabella Landing Camp

    Simple but pretty

    More of a primitive type of campground, although there are vault toilets. Plenty of spaces along the river; however there is a river take out that may be used to back trailers up to, so the flat spots across from it may not be ideal.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Rachel A.
    Jul. 6, 2020

    Mini camp 5.0

    Absolutely lovely

    Views are spectacular. Little wind coverage during the day though it’s very private with quite a distance off the Big Eddy trail to get down to the waterside spot. Vaulted toilet, fire ring and a picnic table make for some comfy accommodations. Marker on trail (approximately 5 1/4mi hiking north from Bid Eddy or 3 7/8mi hiking south from Freeman Creek)

  • 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.


Guide to Santa

Tent camping near Santa, Idaho offers backcountry experiences ranging from accessible lakeside spots to remote forest sites. Most campgrounds in the region operate during snow-free months, typically May through October, with higher elevations remaining inaccessible until mid-June. The St. Joe National Forest provides the primary camping terrain with elevations ranging from 2,100 to 6,000 feet, creating distinct microclimates and varying accessibility conditions.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Lake Elsie Campground provides productive fishing for brook and rainbow trout in a scenic alpine setting. According to Jessica C., "We always catch lots of brooke and rainbow trout and wild life is everywhere!"

Mountain biking trails: Giant White Pine Campground offers direct access to trail networks. Rachel A. notes there are "Awesome trails nearby for all levels," making it suitable for beginners and experienced riders.

Wildlife observation: The Marble Creek area features diverse wildlife viewing opportunities. Jade F. describes it as "North Idaho's Backroad Beauty" where "you can search for all kinds of beautiful rocks and even go fishing."

Cave exploration: Near Marble Creek Campground, visitors can explore a unique geological feature. "Just miles from the camp, there is an old man-built cave that makes its way through the entire mountain. You can drop family members off, let them walk through the exciting damp, dark cave, and pick them up on the other side," explains Jade F.

Paddling experiences: The alpine lakes provide calm waters for non-motorized watercraft. Nathan M. reports that Lake Elsie is an "Awesome lake for kayaking and paddle boarding."

What campers like

Natural beauty: The scenic quality of the mountain lakes draws campers to the area. Lili G. describes Lake Elsie as "one of the most spectacular campsites I have ever been to," noting its remote location "off I-90, down a long (8ish mile) dirt road."

Solitude during weekdays: Mid-week camping offers more privacy and site selection. Ivy K. reports, "Multiple campsites right along the lake. It might get a bit crowded on summer weekends but multiple sites were vacant when we arrived on a Thursday afternoon in July."

Hammock camping options: Giant White Pine Campground provides good tree spacing for hammock setups. Megan K. says, "I really like this campground for hammock camping. I had no trouble finding just the right spot to set up my gear."

Off-roading access: The region offers extensive trail networks for motorized recreation. Saphrenne R. notes, "There is really good fishing and ATV trails for MILES through the wilderness! Seriously, one of the most fun places to camp."

What you should know

Road conditions: Access to higher elevation sites requires suitable vehicles and extra time. Samuel H. warns about Lake Elsie: "The road up is rough, potholes, it does get better about halfway up. Expect at least 30 minutes to get up after you hit the gravel, and that's pushing it pretty hard."

Seasonal considerations: Many sites remain snow-covered into late spring. Saphrenne R. cautions, "The road sometimes still has a good foot of snow until about Mid-June, so beware."

Bear activity: Proper food storage is essential when camping in this area. Natalie J. reports, "Multiple bears went through the campground in the evening and came back at around 3am. Be careful with your food and be smart."

Limited amenities: Most sites provide minimal facilities. Tingley Spring exemplifies this, with Megan K. noting, "Bring all your camping supplies, as there are not services like water, which is just how we like them!"

Traffic noise: Some campgrounds experience noise from nearby roads. Gretchen B. observed at Giant White Pine, "We checked out campground and the giant white pine but decided not to camp there due to its proximity to a busy road. Lots of logging trucks made it awfully noisy for tent camping."

Tips for camping with families

Best swimming areas: While mountain lakes remain cold, some offer summer swimming. Saphrenne R. notes about Lake Elsie, "There is a beautiful alpine lake, which is obviously cold spring water. But, you can get away with taking a dip in the summer season!"

Trail difficulty guidance: Select appropriate hiking routes based on skill level. Rachel A. mentions Giant White Pine has "Awesome trails nearby for all levels," making it suitable for families with varying abilities.

Wildlife educational opportunities: The area provides chances to teach children about local fauna. Jessica C. reports at Lake Elsie Campground, "wild life is everywhere!" offering natural learning experiences.

Weekend crowding management: Plan arrival times to secure sites during busy periods. Russell M. describes Lake Elsie as "this little hidden gem" but notes its popularity means planning is necessary.

Tips from RVers

Road width limitations: Large vehicles face access challenges on forest roads. Lili G. warns about Lake Elsie: "ROAD IS NARROW, WINDY, AND STEEP. not at all trailer or big rig friendly."

Alternative options: Consider lower elevation sites for larger vehicles. Jessica C. notes about Lake Elsie, "We stay here often. Easy to drive up to. Any vehicle will do," but also mentions the "Dirt road to the top" that might challenge larger RVs.

Highway noise considerations: Some accessible sites experience traffic noise. Leslie H. reports that Giant White Pine sites are "a little noisy because some are close to the highway and there is a lot of atv/dirtbike use in this area."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Santa, ID?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Santa, ID is Giant White Pine Campground with a 3.8-star rating from 5 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Santa, ID?

TheDyrt.com has all 38 tent camping locations near Santa, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.