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Best Tent Camping near Spink, ID

383 Reviews

The forests surrounding Spink, Idaho offer multiple tent camping opportunities in the Payette National Forest and nearby mountain areas. Lick Creek Area features three tent campsites located on the edge of the Frank Church Wilderness, while primitive tent sites at Paddy Flat provide backcountry camping access near Jughandle Mountain. Most tent camping areas in this region are situated in high-elevation forested areas with creek or lake access.

Tent campsites throughout this region typically provide basic amenities such as fire rings and picnic tables at established sites, while dispersed camping areas often have no facilities. Sites like Rapid Creek Dispersed Camping Area include vault toilets that are reasonably well maintained. The elevation of most tent campgrounds results in cold overnight temperatures even in summer months, with visitors reporting temperatures dropping into the upper 30s at night in early August. Most tent camping areas require campers to bring their own water or use filtration systems for nearby creek or lake water. Access roads to backcountry tent sites often require high-clearance vehicles, with several camping areas reached via rough dirt roads.

Secluded tent camping locations provide excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing and outdoor recreation. The Brundage Reservoir area offers lakeside tent sites with direct water access, while Granite Lake Camping Area provides excellent hiking opportunities with trail networks extending from the campgrounds. Areas near Lick Creek serve as gateways to wilderness hiking, with one visitor noting that "Lick lake is a 3 mile hike into the wilderness and is gorgeous." Many tent campers appreciate the natural soundscape of these remote locations, with one camper describing how "the white noise from the creek matched with the occasional bird or other nature sound is one of the most relaxing things on the planet." Tent-only areas typically offer more secluded experiences than developed campgrounds, with fewer neighbors and darker night skies.

Best Tent Sites Near Spink, Idaho (58)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Spink, ID

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Tent Camping Reviews near Spink, ID

383 Reviews of 58 Spink Campgrounds

  • E
    Aug. 4, 2019

    Rainbow Point

    Open and grassy campsites

    Nice grassy sites, water right there, vault toilets, fire rings and picnic tables, tent camping or RVs. Not a lot of shade but cools down nice at night. Lots to do nearby!

  • BThe Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 11, 2025

    Hazard Creek Dispersed Camping

    Nice spot off the beaten path

    Nice flat spot with a stone fire ring. Hazard creek nearby isn't too loud and sounds great. Not much firewood is around as its all been picked already.

  • K
    Aug. 20, 2019

    Horse Thief Campground

    Gorgeous waterfront

    Fish and game property, but managed under YMCA. $15 with no discount for anyone. Picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilet that is in desperate need of a simple fly strip! I had to wipe live flies off the toilet seat to sit down. Haul your garbage out. No electricity. Bear sites in campground but no notifications! No potable water. Seemed a bit pricey ! Perfect for canoes. Boat launch area.

    Hawks, ducks, gorgeous waterfront!

  • C
    Oct. 31, 2019

    Summit Lake Campground

    Quiet spot

    This is a pretty quiet place! It about an hour drive/17 miles from Cascade on a paved road. True to it's name, the lake and campsite are right on a summit! The lake is pretty small and a little muddy, but a fun dip nevertheless. It's about a 5 minute hike from the campsites. There are 3 campsites at the campground and they are all first come first serve! Dispersed camping is allowed in the area as well. Managed to find 2 empty spots here on Labor Day weekend, which was a real treat! The sites all have fire rings and picnic tables and share a vault toilet. The sites are well spaced and there little noise carries around the area. The campground is a little close the to highway (Warm Lake Rd) but traffic at night is pretty low, so the noise isn't bad. There is a wilderness airstrip not too far off, so some plane noise as well! Otherwise, a nice spot with some great views of the night sky.

  • Amanda C.
    Aug. 24, 2021

    Amanita

    Good camping close to Town

    This is a typical campground with Vault toilets, no showers, no water or electric hookups. However, it is just a couple miles from nice dining, mountain biking, and hiking.

  • T
    Jul. 27, 2020

    Sugarloaf Campground — Lake Cascade State Park

    Middle of the road

    We have high expectations since we’ve been at so many places, so please bear that in mind when reading this.

    1. Only vault toilets and water spigots placed randomly around.
    2. No electric/water hook ups, flushing toilets, or showers
    3. Outside of one vault toilet building some animal made a nest above out of dirt where they continually poop out of that looks like it hasn’t been touched in months so when you go to use the restroom you walk by a giant pile of poop.
    4. Pea gravel pads where they encourage you put your tent, not bad if you have a blow up mattress. It is nicely raked upon arrival.
    5. Campsite was clean.
    6. Most sites had trees, but not all so definitely check site pictures online if you need shade.
    7. Most sites have a view of the lake, since it’s almost like a peninsula campground.
    8. Nice boat ramps and lots of parking for boaters to leave trucks and trailers.
    9. Bugs would get a bit crazy at random times of day depending on weather.
    10. 20 minutes south of McCall if you wanted to get out and see a quaint little town.
    11. Cows on opposite side of water from campground; you can hear them, but not smell them.
  • K
    Aug. 13, 2023

    Rapid Creek Dispersed Camping Area

    Great secluded spot

    The fir trees stand tall and still. I can’t figure out if they are waiting for something to happen or if they simply don’t care.

    If you’re looking for sone sort of gorgeous panorama, this might not be the place for you. It’s really just a small meadow in the mountains that the BLM put a vault toilet and a couple of fire rings in. That being said, this place is beautiful.

    You can’t see rapid creek from the campground but you can hear it. And that’s really just as good. The white noise from the creek matched with the occasional bird or other nature sound is one of the most relaxing things on the planet.

    It’s high enough in elevation that this place gets nippy at night. I stayed in early August and the temps dropped into the upper 30s at night.

    The campground is well maintained and the vault toilet was reasonably clean when I arrived. It became Kevin clean shortly after I set up camp.

    There are trails from both sites near the vault toilet that lead down to Rapid Creek.

    I never saw any bear scat but signs on the property warn of them so be smart with your food.

    All in all, Rapid Creek dispersed camping is excellent if you just want a quiet place where no one is around. It’s amazing but not for the reasons people usually like in my opinion. ◦

  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 19, 2024

    Herrick Reservoir Access

    Just ok

    Camping is free, limit of 10 days. Not really any designated sites and surrounded by private land with aggressive signage. Not all roads around the reservoir are public, so be prepared to turn around and back up at dead ends. We came to an orange gate that said "private property", and stopped. While trying to turn around, we noticed a white truck sitting behind us. When we turned around and passed him, he motioned to roll down the window, and then berated us and called us idiots, even though we had not even entered the private land, nor did we want to. We felt threatened. In the end we chose a site on the upper road of the reservoir. The view was nice but not close to the pit toilet. No fire ring. No table. A no frills place. Like many lakes in Idaho, the reservoir is mostly dry. Not a huge deal but not the prettiest to look at. There is only one single pit toilet for the whole reservoir and someone was set up right next to it like it was their own. People ride off-road vehicles here. In an area with slim pickings for free camping, I guess you have to take what you can get.

  • Lisa M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 20, 2025

    Secesh Campground — Payette National Forest

    Remote Camping on a flowing river

    This campground is right off Lick Creek road along the Secesh River. There are only 5 spots. First come first served $10 fee. There are picnic tables, fire rings and a clean vault toilet. Our site was Site 1 and we backed up to the river. This was a quick overnight stop for us. It was beautiful to listen to the river all night. There are horse hitching posts in this campground. We were the only campers but the camps are pretty spread out.

Guide to Spink

Tent camping near Spink, Idaho offers primitive backcountry experiences at elevations between 5,000-7,000 feet within the Payette National Forest. High-clearance vehicles are necessary for accessing many remote sites, particularly after seasonal rains when forest roads become rutted and challenging. Many camping areas remain snow-covered until late June, with July through mid-September providing the most reliable access.

What to do

Mountain biking access: Brundage Reservoir Camping Area serves as an excellent base for mountain bikers, with proximity to Brundage Mountain Resort's lift-accessed trails. "We went here for mountain biking (if you go, check out Groupon for the lift) this campground was awesome because it was so close to Brundage resort, and the ski lift up," notes Franklin R.

Hot springs exploration: Several natural hot springs lie within day-trip distance of Spink area campgrounds. Four Mile Campground provides convenient access to 16 Mile Hot Springs. "About a mile and a half up the road is 16 mile hot springs which was wonderful! All sites come with a picnic table and fire ring," reports Hannah C.

Lakeside paddling: Multiple lakes throughout the region offer paddling opportunities on crystal-clear mountain waters. "The water is crystal clear and fishing is popular. There is a trail that goes completely around the lake but we turned back when a snake crossed our path," explains a camper at Picnic Point.

What campers like

Accessible solitude: Despite relative proximity to McCall, many camping areas offer genuine seclusion. "It's amazing but not for the reasons people usually like in my opinion," notes Kevin C. at Rapid Creek Dispersed Camping Area. "All in all, Rapid Creek dispersed camping is excellent if you just want a quiet place where no one is around."

Natural soundscapes: Creek-side tent sites provide calming natural background noise. Four Mile Campground campers appreciate the river sounds. "It was nice and quiet and you could hear the river nearby. Spot 3 has a great access trail that takes you down by the creek which flows into the river," describes Hannah C.

Lake proximity: Several camping areas offer direct water access for swimming and fishing. "We then spotted a beautiful lake through the trees. Both of us, as well as our pup, were amazed as we made our way through some brush, at which point we saw an open spot right next to the water," shares Ted-Kelli T. about their Brundage Reservoir experience.

What you should know

Cold nights year-round: Even summer camping requires warm sleeping gear due to significant temperature drops. "It's high enough in elevation that this place gets nippy at night. I stayed in early August and the temps dropped into the upper 30s at night," warns a camper at Rapid Creek.

Wildlife encounters: Beyond typical forest creatures, larger mammals frequent the area. "The wild life there is abundant. We saw bald eagles, moose, deer and chipmunks," reports Cindy N. at Northwest Passage Campground.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Spink, ID is Paddy Flat - Jughandle Mountain Area, McCall RD with a 4-star rating from 1 review.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 58 tent camping locations near Spink, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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