Looking for the best options for tent camping near Sawtooth National Forest? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Idaho tent camping excursion.
Redfish Inlet Trailhead
Five Points Campground is a primitive campground composed of 7 units located near Five Points Creek 17 miles north of Fairfield over Couch Summit. The newly renovated campground offers restrooms and is close to the popular Worswick hot springs. Potable water is not available at this campground.
Pioneer Campground, which is situated next to Soldier Mountain Ski Area, is a developed campground composed of 5 units on Soldier Creek. The campground can be reserved in its entirety for groups of up to 50 people. The amphitheater and adjacent picnic area can be used for group events. Campground amenities include picnic tables, fire rings, drinking water and a restroom. The South Fork and North Fork of Soldier Creek trails begin along Forest Road 093 and join a major network of trails in the Soldier Mountains.
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.
Traveler
My husband and I came to this spot with our 28ft trailer, luckily we were able to squeeze in. Lots of spots to choose from too. The campsites were clean and very peaceful place to camp for a few nights.
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!
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
The campground is clean $20 a night with some highway noise. There is a bear in the area at this time.
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.
TravelerWe stayed at this campground initially because it was right at the trailhead for the hike to Goat Lake. We got there around 5 and there were still plenty of sites available. It was pretty buggy, but it’s right next to a creek, so that’s what you expect. It was quiet and the sound of the creek made it easy to sleep after a long day.
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.
Traveler
Found this gem few miles off the highway with amazing views all around. Plus the owners were incredibly nice. Would definitely stay again.
RangerIt’s a quiet place. It is dusty. The camp host was awesome. He was quick to tell us what sites were still available on a holiday weekend. He even alerted the campers that a bear was spotted a few miles down. There is no power and no cell service.
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!
Traveler
We drove in on a late Thursday night, June 27th, to find the entire campground packed, and even struggled to find a dispersed camping site nearby. It's a great spot, but for it being a Thursday night, expected to find a bit more available.
Traveler
3 sites with tables and a pit toilet. Beautiful secluded spot mostly to ourselves
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.
Traveler
There are many sites up until the dead-end about 1.5 miles from the pay campground. I camped up on the stream. Great boondocking was here for a week. The road is in great shape. A couple of big rocks here and there. Plenty of places to do a 3-point turnaround with any rig.
No cell coverage. Got ok starlink between trees.
Scout
Great spot to relax
Traveler
This is a great campground. Sites are spaced out, 1 loop makes it easy to maneuver. Would recommend NOT using sites 3, 4, or 5 if you have an RV. All other sites are great! The entrance is a narrow road down a hill. But still very accessible for a travel trailer.
Keep in mind, Black Rock is 20 miles of dirt road. It does get bumpy in some spots. I was able to drive 15-20mph with a trailer most of the time.
No trash service, pack in pack out. Vault toilets, hand crank water pump. Recommend RVs fill up on water in Idaho City.
No cell service on T Mobile
GuideThis area just up the road from the campground offers lots of dispersed camping. There are many established sites, some with fire rings, any car can make it.
Visited August 17-18, 2023 (adding reviews for past camp sites before I knew of the dyrt)
Traveler
We were very excited to check out this campground. Located 4 miles off Hwy 75, we only made it 1.5 up the road before snow prevented us from going further. We can’t wait to come back when it’s warmer and leave a full review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Sawtooth National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sawtooth National Forest is Redfish Inlet Trailhead with a 4.6-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Sawtooth National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 84 tent camping locations near Sawtooth National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
