Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Sawtooth National Forest, ID has a lot to offer. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Sawtooth National Forest, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Find the best campgrounds near Sawtooth National Forest, ID. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
"Bathrooms were clean. They had horseshoes and bean bags in a common area. No picnic tables or fire pits though. RV spots were pretty wide, which was nice
One tip, avoid spot number #17 if possible."
"They officially don’t have tent sites but had some grassy area where I could pitch my tent anyway. That did mean there were no picnic tables or fire rings for me but the RV sites did have them."
$24 - $48 / night
"Alturas Lake Inlet campground is tucked into the lovely, shady forest around it. We saw plenty of birds, chipmunks and tiny wildflowers were all over our site in early July."
"This is one of the most gorgeous locations for camping. The campground is right on the lake which is perfect for those of us who like to bring our canoes and kayaks. It is well cared for and clean."
"This is a smaller campground tucked back against the mountains. Good shade trees. Close to hiking, fishing and mountain biking. Campsites have a picnic table, fire ring with grill."
"Water is available at the dump station located on the left before you arrive. It services all area NF service campgrounds as well as paid for others not. We had good ATT service 2 and 3 bars."
"We arrived on a Friday morning and had no problem finding a shaded, private site. There seemed to be a ton of options as you drive down Baker Creek (dirt road). Many have established fire pits."
"The river side is nice with campsites close to the river while the other side is just a street crossing away. Both are very similar otherwise. "
"Primitive campsite near the river. Vault toilets were kept clean. Fire pits."
"On one of the most beloved and popular lakes in the Sawtooth. Redfish Lake. Gorgeous views. Any kind of water sports you crave. Backpacking destination trails. Short or long hiking. Biking."
"Only complaint was it was hard to spot the entrance at night."
"The rest are on the other side of the highway. It has several bathrooms and dumpsters, at least one on each side of the highway. Site 15 was were I ended up."
"Only issue you did have some road noise since it’s right on the road. Picked up starlink service but no Verizon signal. Campground was pretty quiet not busy at all."
"Close to hwy20. Convenient but you can hear the traffic. Camp host Denny was great guy. Ask him about his impala."
$15 - $75 / night
"We were originally booking in an equestrian site but we don't own horses the camp host left us a little sticky note (there is not cell service) on the fence when we arrived to let us know that our campsite"
"However, it was within walking distance of the water for swimming and fishing.
Also VERY clean toilets!
Other than it was hot mid-day, it was beautiful, plus an amazing hiking trail is close too."
LegendUp near the top of the pass is Bench Creek campground. There are only 6 sites on this lollipop loop, all on the non-highway side. But you can hear the highway from everywhere in the campground. Sites 2, 3, and 4 back up nicely to the creek. Vault toilet but no water or trash, so pack in pack out. Across the highway are some OHV trails, so you will also get some of that noise in the day. Every site has the standard picnic table and fire pit, but fire season is real, so maybe skip the fire.
GuideAlturas Lake Inlet campground is tucked into the lovely, shady forest around it. We saw plenty of birds, chipmunks and tiny wildflowers were all over our site in early July. The lake is a short walk but some campers drove over just to make it easier to tote their chairs and water gear. Bring layers - it can is cool in the evenings and at night (40s F) even in July but warm in the day, especially if you are out by the lake. We tent camped at site 17 and although it was near one of the many vault toilets, smaller trash dumpsters, and water spigots, our site was bigger and we set up a decent distance from it. Most sites seemed to have a good distance between each other and enough privacy courtesy of trees and various plant life. We didn’t have any issues, but there plenty of signs reminding campers to be bear aware. (We are pretty careful to keep our food, cooking supplies, toiletries and whatnot in our car when not in use anyway). We did not have cell service (Verizon) and it was a bit of a drive before we got it again. Overall, it’s a beautiful retreat well suited to escaping the heat of summer if you have a tent or small trailer/pull behind.
TravelerThis area is just 10 minutes south of Galena Lodge and 25 minutes north of Ketchum. We arrived on a Friday morning and had no problem finding a shaded, private site. There seemed to be a ton of options as you drive down Baker Creek (dirt road). Many have established fire pits.
LegendRight off of Hwy 75 you’ll find this first come first serve campground that has camping on either side of the road. The river side is currently closed for revegetation, erosion control, and habitat restoration. The other side is open. The river side is nice with campsites close to the river while the other side is just a street crossing away. Both are very similar otherwise.
Dusty gravel roads will loop you through the campground. The sites themselves are dirt and gravel with mostly level parking areas and each site varies in length. We would fit in many of them in our 26' Class C but larger rigs may have a problem. Each site has fire pit and picnic table. There are pit toilets and hand pump water available as well. There is a dumpster for trash but no recycling. There are no bear boxes so store food appropriately as bears are common in this area.
Road noise is an issue during the day as the campgrounds sit very close to the highway, but it dies down at night. Only 2 other campers there when we went.
$18/night
Fire restrictions in effect at this time so NO FIRES
No cell reception ATT, Verizon or TMobile
LegendThough 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.
TravelerThis campground was a nice break after spending the last few nights at Walmart's. Yes, you can hear road noise but still quieter than the city! There were a lot of level spots to chose from and the trees were a welcomed sight in the 90 degree heat.
GuidePrimitive campsite near the river. Vault toilets were kept clean. Fire pits.
LegendFort Running Bear RV Park, Idaho
If you like the middle of nowhere, you will like Fort Running Bear RV Park. It is approximately 32 miles to the middle of nowhere, the last three are on a dirt road. You are driving through scrub country with no trees and hills in the distance. Then you see a copse of trees in the distance. That is where you end up. This is an older campground, private and family run. There is a shower house attached to the swimming pool and a laundry room. The sites have room around them for tents, bikes, etc; a covered picnic table , most have shade and fire rings. There are full hookup sites and basic sites. When we visited the wind was wiping through the area. The owners are personable and friendly, the campground is well maintained. The shower house ...clean and a little old. This would be a nice place to spend a quiet weekend or time with the family. It would not make sense to use this campground for a base camp due to the distance from anywhere.
GuideThis is a good option between Ketchum and Stanley to go explore the sawtooth mountains. It’s a little bit of everything, lodge, yurts, cabins, rv spots, gas station, restaurant. RV spots were reasonable level. Bathrooms were clean. They had horseshoes and bean bags in a common area. No picnic tables or fire pits though. RV spots were pretty wide, which was nice
One tip, avoid spot number #17 if possible. The sewer hookup was loose and shared with a long term resident on the other side, also the water spigot was broken so we had to use the spigot for spot #16. #17 is not terrible, but other spots are much better.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Sawtooth National Forest is Smiley Creek Lodge with a 4.5-star rating from 4 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 22 glamping camping locations near Sawtooth National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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