Searching for a campsite that allows pets near Sawtooth National Forest? The Dyrt can help you find the best campsites for you and your dog. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a place near local attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect spot for you and your pup.
The Sawtooth National Forest is a very special place in the heart of Idaho. The forest is home to deer, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, gray wolves, wolverines, black bears, salmon, and many species of birds also thrive here. Trails campgrounds, wilderness, rivers, and scenic drives give visitors plenty of opportunities to connect with this extraordinary land.
$5 - $42 / night
Sunny Gulch Campground sits along the shores of Salmon River in the forests of central Idaho.
Excellent fishing is right out your back door on the Salmon River, with rainbow trout, Westslope cutthroat trout and occasional hybrid cutbows and bull trout available. Sunny Gulch lies in the heart of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. A myriad of excellent hiking and biking opportunities are available, and an estimated 750 miles of trails crisscross the valley and surrounding mountains.
The campground offers spectacular views of the Sawtooth Mountains. Summer wildflowers are plentiful and lodgepole pines provide partial shade. Temperatures are cool with an average summer high of 78 degrees and a low of 40 degrees.
The Alpine Way Trail begins less than a mile from the campground, and the Idaho Centennial Trail passes nearby. Redfish and Stanley Lakes are nearby with great boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Numerous additional sparkling lakes and streams dot the area. Popular area events include an Arts and Crafts Fair in July, and Wagon Days, Salmon Festival, Quilt Fair and Fireman's Ball in September.
$24 - $125 / night
Redfish Inlet Trailhead
Stanley Lake Campground is located on the shoreline above beautiful Stanley Lake at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains.
Stanley Lake offers excellent boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing for rainbow, cutthroat, brook and bull trout. A boat ramp is located just outside the campground. The Idaho Centennial Trail passes nearby and can be accessed from the Stanley Lake Trailhead across the lake.
The campground is situated on a hillside above the lake in a thick grove of lodgepole pines, at an elevation of 6,500 feet. Most campsites have partial shade and views of the lake and/or the rugged 9860-foot McGowan Peak. Temperatures are cool, with an average summer high of 78 degrees and a low of 40 degrees.
Stanley Lake lies within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, which offers a myriad of excellent hiking and biking opportunities. An estimated 750 miles of trails crisscross the valley and surrounding mountains. Numerous sparkling lakes and streams, including the Salmon River, dot the area, making for great rainbow and native Westslope cutthroat trout fishing. Redfish Lake is nearby, offering additional water recreation opportunities. Popular area events include an Arts and Crafts Fair in July, and Wagon Days, Salmon Festival, Quilt Fair and Fireman's Ball in September.
$24 / night
Baumgartner Campground is situated alongside the South Fork Boise River, 11 miles from Featherville, Idaho. The area offers excellent fishing, hiking and off-road vehicle riding opportunities. Baumgartner Hot Springs is located within the campground, where visitors can enjoy soaking in the pool while admiring the scenic, natural setting.
The campground's main draw is Baumgartner Hot Springs. The 101-degree water is piped into a large concrete soaking pool. The pool is open during daylight hours and is drained and refilled daily. The pool is pressure washed Tuesday mornings and will not open until around noon. The South Fork Boise River provides great fishing for wild and stocked rainbow trout. Younger campers love splashing in the cool mountain waters. An accessible path leads to a bench overlooking the swimming/fishing hole on thenorth end of the campground. The John Baumgartner Gravesite is a short walk from the hot springs. A 1/4-mile interpretive nature trail begins at the hot springs and meanders up the hill through the forest. Kelley Creek/Iron Mountain, Virginia Gulch, Willow Creek, Van Gulch and Big Water Trails all begin in the area. Ponderosa Trail Learner's Loop is located approximately 1 mile to the west of the campground and offers beginner level trails for young ATV and off-road motorcycle riders. ATVs, UTVs and off-road motorcycles cannot be ridden within the campground. You may trailer them in and out of the campground but the trailer must fit within your camping spur.
The campground is nestled beneath towering ponderosa pines at an elevation of 5,200 feet. The gentle South Fork Boise River runs along the site, offering beautiful scenery and recreation. A variety of wildlife is commonly seen in and around the campground, including deer and moose.
Numerous hiking, biking, horseback and off-road vehicle trails crisscross the surrounding area. Kelley Creek Flats Recreation Area is adjacent with additional designated dispersed site camping and livestock corrals near Kelley Creek. The historic Iron Mountain Lookout is located to the south of the campground. It is approximately a 12 mile one-way trip along the Kelley Creek trail which is open to vehicles 50" or less in width.
$100 / night
Casino Creek Campground is composed of 19 sites including 2 double-sites along the Salmon River. Sites 18 & 19 are for tent camping only and sites 12, 13 and 14 accommodate livestock tethered to hitching rails. Casino Creek trailhead is located within the campground leading to trails along Big Casino Creek and Little Casino Creek which lead to the Casino Lakes in the White Cloud Mountains to the east and the Sawtooth Mountains to the west. This area is terrific for fishing and hiking along the beautiful Salmon river and surrounding creeks. All sites are first-come, first-serve.
$18 - $36 / night
Legend
Camped in site #15 on Sept 27, 2024. Paid $10 with senior pass. Nothing remarkable about the campground itself, but the trails leading out of the campground are really good. There is access to the Salmon River at the end of the campground road for bank/fly fishing; caught a nice rainbow trout. Sites along the river appear larger than those backing up to the hill. The river side sites are open sky, good for solar recharging and Starlink. The sites across the road have partial shade. There were a few pull-thrus; otherwise, back-ins. Campground is popular for OHV enthusiasts and hikers. Most sites are close to the dusty campground road. Vault toilet was not quite clean, although it was at the end of the summer season. There is a hand water pump. Site 15 is a small, almost level site with a pea gravel surface; it appeared to have a tent pad at the rear. This site has a table and metal fire ring. There is road noise from highway 75 across the river. It was very busy here during our stay, probably because forest service campgrounds west of Stanley were closed due to wildfires. There were a lot of drive-bys on the campground road. Nearby travel trailers with large noisy families kind of ruined the ambiance of this small campground; did not respect quiet hours. Campground probably okay for an overnight stay, fly fishing on the Salmon River or for accessing the trailheads. Overall, I did not enjoy camping here. I did, however, enjoyed hiking and fishing here. I am not likely to camp here again.
Legend
Free designated dispersed campsite along Sawtooth Nation Forest Road 137. Camped here at the end of September 2024. Very large designated dispersed site set downhill from the forest road; no issues with dust from this road. The area is level. May be able to park 3 rigs. Tent camping is possible back from the parking area toward the metal firering. This area can accommodate 3 or 4 tents, or one big hot tent. Corral Creek is just down a short path from the campsite. The sound of the creek can be heard at the site. Very quiet area. Mountains on either side of the site. The parking area is dirt and gravel. The "tent" area is grass and dirt. Don't see opportunities for hammock camping. No cell service. No shade; solar recharging and Starlink possible. 3 day limit. Hiking trailheads and vault toilet at the end of the forest road.
Legend
$10 (paid $5 with senior pass). First come, first served. Camped at site #10 in late September 2024. This primitive national forest campground was not busy during my visit. Copper Basin Loop Road accessing this campground, which has a gravel surface, was in good condition; there was some washboarding in a few places. The campground has a lower loop and an upper loop. The campground has a mix of pull-through and back-in sites; some leveling may be reuired in some sites. Site #10 is a short gravel pull-thru in the upper loop, good fit for my campervan, although very close to the campground road. There is a short path from the site driveway down to a picnic table and metal fire ring. The ground is a little chewed up from voles and cow hooves. Tent and hammock camping are possible. This site has partial shade; others in the loop are open. Little privacy between sites. Depending on the site, you can get a view of Copper Basin from the upper loop. The upper loop has two clean vault toilet facilities; I didn't use the vault toilet in the lower loop, but assume that it is clean. There is a hand water pump in both loops but shut down for the season during our visit. Trout fishing in nearby Star Hope Creek was pretty good; it's about a 1/4 mile walk from my campsite. No T-Mobile or AT&T cell service. Overall, a pretty campground; mostly wooded. I would camp here again. Boondocking is also possible along the Copper Basin Loop Rd.
Legend
$10 ($5 with interagency pass). First-come, first-served. Camped one night in site #13 on Sept 24, 2024. Gravel road to this out-of-the-way campground was in good condition. Pretty part of the Challis National Forest. Nothing remarkable about the campground itself. Looks like some of the sites have not been maintained in a while; overgrown with weeds, grass and sagebrush. Sites have tables and fire rings; some had shade-awnings over the tables. The vault toilets were clean. The hand water pump did not pump water; water was probably turned off for the season. No payment envelopes were provided - maybe because it was the end of the season. No hiking trails. Most sites are in the open with no shade; a few were shaded near the creek. Gravel campground road and site driveways. Site sizes varied. No privacy between sites. Tent camping possible. Solar recharging possible at my site. Great views of the mountains around the campground. Very quiet, peaceful evening; only one other site was occupied during my visit. No T-Mobile and AT&T cell service. There were several boondocking sites on the way to the campground.
Guide
I enjoyed my 2 night stay here. I pitched a tent however it was quite windy due to it being an open area so just stake your tent down well. I had a spot right beside the salmon river and was able to access this campsite via my Honda Accord vehicle.
Scout
Beautiful scenery, easy drive in for most vehicles and surprisingly good phone service. Had the place all to myself and got some really nice long exposure shots of the night sky.
GuideThis was a great stay. I found a place to pitch a tent right beside the river. There seemed to be plenty of spots some vacant at times. It was close to Highway 75 but did get some traffic noise but the river drowned most of it out. Would stay here again!
Ranger
We stopped as a overnight prior to Craters of the Moon.
Off Hwy 20 enough that there is no road noise.
Gravel parking areas that are mostly level.
Pit toilet on site.
Fire rings in most sites.
Have ok Verizon coverage and super fast Starlink.
Definitely worth a stay.
TravelerWas worried about the weather when I pulled up at dusk during a storm but it passed south of me and I got to watch the lightening. It is remote without any services for miles in either direction off 20, so do check the weather and come prepared.
We had it to ourselves in mid September. Toilets had lots of TP and were clean. Saw some big scat (moose?).
Guide
Stayed here for two nights. The first night I have the whole area to myself. The second night there was two other campers. Doesn't seem to be super popular or high in demand. So finding a spot shouldn't be a problem. There was about six or more parking/camping areas. No Wi-Fi or Verizon signal. There is a toilet available. Access to the river as well.
Guide
My wife and I were forced to make last minute changes to our camping trip this year(thanks to the Wapiti 2024 fire in Stanley) and Dog Creek was the only campground available on the dates we had set aside. We had been up to Pine once before but had never explored past the town.
The campground itself is quiet and away from the main road but it is directly parallel to the South Fork of the Boise River. There are a TON of ponderosa pines and other various pine trees so the campground looks small because of the dense tree cover. From the main road, the main drive is a fairly narrow paved dirt/gravel road and not bumpy at all so most vehicles shouldn’t have an issue with it.
The camp sites themselves are a little close to each other but you’re not shoulder to shoulder or directly on top of each other. The camp host greeted us upon our arrival, filled us in on the fire restrictions and said to let him know if we needed anything.
We had reserved sites 10 and 11 but in reality, they might as well call it a group site because there is no separation between the two, you even share a"driveway”. There were fire rings, tent pads(at some sites) and picnic tables, along with shepherds hooks for hanging trash off of the ground. There were also metal tables at every site that we think are intended for camp stoves.(The picnic tables are wood)The fire rings were well cared for(none damaged that we saw and they all had adjustable grills)….but our fire ring was very close to the bushes which was a little sketchy.
This campground is nice and quiet and full of trees. But unfortunately, for us, that’s where the appeal ends. In order to get to the actual Dog Creek from the campground, you have to hope that sites 2 and 5 are not occupied and even then, the creek isn’t super exciting. It’s pretty but it’s a climb down into a ravine of sorts and it’s not deep enough to lay in and there aren’t any places to setup chairs to just enjoy it. The water flowing through the creek is clean and it is pretty to look at, but that’s about all it’s good for.
As for other things to do at the campground, there isn’t much. There are no hiking trails as far as we could tell, but if you go across the street to the river, you can actually enjoy your stay, assuming the banks of the river aren’t packed with dispersed campers and their ATV’s.
The campground does have water spigots and the water tasted fine. The restrooms(vault toilets) were impeccable in terms of cleanliness. Some of the nicest Forest Service campground restrooms we’ve used and the camp host does an awesome job of keeping them clean and bug free.
Speaking of bugs, we didn’t see many mosquitoes but we did see a good amount of bees, wasps and yellow jackets and there were traps setup throughout the campground so bring an epi pen if you’re allergic to any of them.
We lost cell service just after the reservoir (T-Mobile) but my satellite communicator worked fairly well at the campground.
There are dumpsters to take your trash just inside the entrance to the campground, which is a little annoying as you have to walk quite a ways to dump it, but there were also no critters hanging around the sites.
Dog Creek campground is the type of campground where you setup your camper or RV and leave for the day to do other things. Whether it’s boating at Anderson Ranch, taking the ATV’s up into the mountains or try to find hiking trails. The campground itself is very pretty BUT it doesn’t offer much in terms of things to do while there. However, if you are looking for some peace and quiet, with very little noise from the outside world, it’s great.
Scout
Found this place after a trip to another spot was not to be. Awesome staff great spot to just relax. Today the views were almost as impressive as the staff. We are going back! dusty 3 mile road and all.
TravelerNice level sites overlooking lake. Easy to get to. Lots of cows wandering around. Toilets were clean. We had the place to ourselves.
Guide
Clean bathrooms and showers, good space. Didn't see a store of any kind. Tiny view of mountains. They charge an extra amount for choosing your spot, but it makes no difference really as the place is quite small.
Ranger
Spend 6 nights here while exploring Stanley, the sawtooths, and Boise National Forest. Big sites, beautiful lake, and very private. Really enjoyed our stay here.
TravelerClean bathrooms and showers, good space. Didn't see a store of any kind. Tiny view of mountains. They charge an extra amount for choosing your spot, but it makes no difference really as the place is quite small.
RangerThis place was great. Great view. Friendly staff. Had hot showers. Bathroom and laundry. The night sky was beautiful.
Traveler
Found this gem few miles off the highway with amazing views all around. Plus the owners were incredibly nice. Would definitely stay again.
ScoutThere are vault toilets in two locations. No other facilities. Very few people. Where we stayed overnight, we didn't see anyone else. Lots of gnat-type flying bugs. Almost no mosquitos. Great views of the mountains around the lake and very quiet. Difficult to access the water as it is deep mud near the shoreline. Lots of grazing cattle nearby.
Guide
Free (donation box) camping. I have a hard time imagining this place filling up, plenty of field to park in. Most RVs were under a row of trees. Two vault toilets, on either end of camping. Not the cleanest or freshest I’ve used, but not the worst. Great scenery and birdwatching. Good stop on the way to/from Craters.
Traveler
Got to Stanley area around 6pm on a Friday. Drove to Stanley Lake and Iron Creek but everything was full. Decided to drive down Rd 653 then to Rd 633 to see if there was anything open and found a good spot about 2 miles in from hwy 21. I passed quite a few people but spots are pretty far apart and the only people I could see from my campsite were all the way across the valley. Only animals I saw were some antelope, ground squirrels, and cows. Pretty wildflowers all around too. It was a good place to stop for the night!
GuideI stayed here for about a week. My spot was a short distance from the water in an attempt to avoid the mosquitoes (didn't really work), but still really serene. It's about a 30 minute drive to stores in Mountain Home. I also appreciated that you're only on non paved roads for about 1/2 mile. Would definitely come back here.
TravelerFairly easy access off US 20. There is open grazing so we did have cattle close to our campsite by morning. Tons of bugs but not many mosquitoes. Quiet and not many others. T-Mobile worked well. There was some in/out movement around 5:30 am but as an early riser I wasn't disturbed.
Traveler
Pretty little spot with pretty decent cell service. Lots of space for my dogs to run around. Could see other campers in the distance. Everyone had lots of room to themselves. I could see it becoming a little bit busier on the weekend. No facilities available at all, which is fine by me! Unfortunately people seem to leave trash around. There was a fire pit which I appreciated but greasy tends in the pit. There also trash bags and a few other things around. Overall, this did not majorly detract from the site. I would recommend bringing bug repellent or a thermacell to ward off bugs.
ScoutIf you get one of the site overlooking the sawtooths count yourself lucky
Scout
Spent two nights here so we could visit nearby Craters of the Moon. Spaces are long and level at least. Fire pits are shared with 1-2 other spots. Our table was completely leaning over. Neither of the bathroom toilets would flush. The sprinklers came on in the middle of camp and soaked everything with no warning. Okay if you need a quick stop for the night.
Scout
Great spot to relax
If you're looking for a pet-friendly camping experience near Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho, there are several great options that welcome your furry friends. Enjoy the stunning scenery and outdoor adventures while ensuring your pets have a comfortable stay.
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