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Best Tent Camping in Idaho

3,722 Reviews

Idaho offers diverse tent camping options from dispersed backcountry sites to established campgrounds with amenities. Targhee Creek provides free primitive tent campsites near Island Park with drive-in and hike-in access, situated close to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Bear Lake State Park Campground offers reservable tent sites with more amenities including drinking water, electric hookups, showers, and toilets, making it suitable for campers seeking developed facilities.

Most dispersed tent camping areas in Idaho require self-sufficiency as they typically lack basic services. Targhee Creek sites include fire rings but no drinking water, toilets, or trash facilities, requiring campers to pack in all essentials and pack out waste. Access roads to many tent campsites can be challenging, with visitors noting some areas require vehicles with higher clearance. Lake Elsie Campground provides vault toilets but no drinking water, while Redfish Inlet Trailhead offers tent-only sites accessible by boat or hiking trail, with fire rings and pit toilets but no other amenities.

Pine Creek Pass dispersed camping area features multiple tent camping sites along dirt roads with impressive mountain views. Areas farther from town generally provide deeper seclusion, though some sites may experience weekend crowding during peak summer months. Tent campers frequently set up near creeks and lakes for water access, though swimming conditions vary seasonally. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, many backcountry tent sites offer excellent wildlife viewing opportunities but require proper food storage precautions. A visitor commented, "We camped along a lovely creek, we were hyper aware of the fact that we were in bear country but we didn't seeing any traces of them." Fire restrictions are common during dry summer months, particularly in primitive tent camping areas.

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Best Tent Sites in Idaho (387)

    1. Targhee Creek

    28 Reviews
    West Yellowstone, MT
    Website

    "Nice place even had a bear box for food storage."

    "This site is about 20 miles west of Yellowstone in Idaho. Great spot with easy access. Beautiful views and the blue mountains in the distance at sunset make this site a crowd pleaser."

    2. Swan Falls - Idaho Power

    17 Reviews
    Murphy, ID
    Website

    "It is dry camping with no hookups. No reservations, so it's on a first come first serve basis. Our site had a fire pit but no picnic table. Fishing was awesome."

    "There’s a little trail system you can wonder above that gives great views too. The sites are well maintained with fire rings and picnic table and there’s a pit toilet as well."

    3. Bear Lake State Park Campground

    14 Reviews
    Fish Haven, ID
    Website
    +1 (208) 945-2565

    "There are no showers. But they vault toilets. The water is perfect and so blue. Really earns the title of the Caribbean of the Rockies."

    "This RV park is along side Bear Lake. A short stroll across the large beach and you can set up shade, have a relaxing day on the beach."

    4. Green Bay Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED 2024

    12 Reviews
    Kaniksu National Forest, ID
    Website
    +1 (208) 263-5111

    $15 / night

    "There is a single vault toilet, they ask that you bring a bucket and shovel for solid waste. Bring your own way to dispose of trash, and have a way to lock it up, or animals WILL get into it."

    "Lightning cutting across the lake was a real spook. We brought our kayaks into the water in the sunny part of the day, other camping spots available by boat if you can get there!"

    5. McClendon Spring Campground

    12 Reviews
    Malta, ID
    +1 (208) 677-6600

    "You may be a little unsure when you are driving to it, but trust me this place is great. Offers great views of the mountains and Malta below."

    "What a great find during our travels through Southern Idaho. Situated by a pond with lots of birds made our stay very peaceful."

    6. Nip and Tuck Rd - Dispersed Camping

    8 Reviews
    Stanley, ID
    Website
    +1 (208) 774-3000

    "There are campsites some with fire Rings some without all along this road. It is completely primitive camping pack it in pack it out Bring Your Own water."

    "The roads in to this area, NF-563/Stanley Creek Rd and NF-633/Nip and Tuck Road are in pretty decent shape for all vehicles coming in from the West off of Hwy 21, but be warned, do not come in from the"

    7. Lake Elsie Campground

    9 Reviews
    Osburn, ID
    Website
    +1 (208) 765-7223

    "Easy to drive up to. Any vehicle will do. Dirt road to the top where you will find a lovely little lake with 4-5 camp spots surrounding it."

    "You’ll want to bring good cars because the road gets pretty primitive. Awesome lake for kayaking and paddle boarding."

    8. Redfish Inlet Trailhead

    8 Reviews
    Stanley, ID
    Website

    "The views are amazing as your at the foot of an incredible drainage to hike. Your close to the wilderness so be prepared for the adventures that await. There is no water, so bring a filter."

    "The sunset over the lake was spectacular – the water was so clear and peaceful, I could have sat there all night."

    9. Caldwell Campground and RV Park

    9 Reviews
    Caldwell, ID
    Website
    +1 (208) 454-0279

    $28 - $43 / night

    "Approx, 10-12 Grassy Tent sites, with shady trees, on a small 6 acre lake with entertaining ducks that do not beg for food. Lol. Lots of RV sites with full hook ups, including, 105 long term users."

    "Clean facilities.. , need a code to use them, Roads are dusty, if people would drive slow it would e nicer, Busy place, this is a flat rate place."

    10. South Tourist Park Campground

    7 Reviews
    Idaho Falls, ID
    Website
    +1 (208) 612-8479

    $15 / night

    "Nice little gem of a bare bones city camp site next to Snake River. No hook ups. There is a dump site, fresh water and toilets. There is a small boat launch."

    "Picnic tables, bbq, and fire pits at each site. A few sites are right along the water and we were lucky enough to snag one - beautiful sunset on the water. Basic flush toilets were clean."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos in Idaho

80 Photos of 387 Idaho Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews in Idaho

3722 Reviews of 387 Idaho Campgrounds

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 18, 2022

    Prairie Creek Camping

    Beautiful Free Spot

     There are about 6 designated spots here in this free little campground.  Camping is allowed in designated sites only and there is a 10 day stay limit.

    Site #1 is all by itself to the right at the fork, and it was the best site, in our opinion. 

    Each site has a fire pit (no fires allowed at this time!). There is no picnic bench. There is one vault toilet and no garbage collection and no water.  There are no bear boxes but proper bear-proof food storage is required.

    A small creek runs along this campground and the views are incredible. Nice shade cover and trees. This area is fine dirt and so-so in terms of flat spots. Campground is right on the road so you hear the cars but considering how beautiful and free the campground it, the cars aren’t bothersome. Plus it quiets down at night. 

    Zero cell service.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 18, 2022

    Prairie Creek Camping

    Beautiful Free Spot

     There are about 6 designated spots here in this free little campground.  Camping is allowed in designated sites only and there is a 10 day stay limit.

    Site #1 is all by itself to the right at the fork, and it was the best site, in our opinion. 

    Each site has a fire pit (no fires allowed at this time!). There is no picnic bench. There is one vault toilet and no garbage collection and no water.  There are no bear boxes but proper bear proof food storage is required.

    A small creek runs along this campground and the views are incredible. Nice shade cover and trees. This area is fine dirt and so-so in terms of flat spots. Campground is right on the road so you hear the cars but considering how beautiful and free the campground it, the cars aren’t bothersome. Plus it quiets down at night. 

    Zero cell service.

  • CThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 19, 2025

    Riverside Park Campground

    Riverfront spot

    This was perfect. I got a spot right on the bank of the Snake River. It has all the basics.. a picnic table, fire ring, most sites also have bear boxes for food storage; there are vault toilets, firewood for sale, and potable water available.

    $20/ night for sites, $40 for some sites that are double tables/parking.

    I didn’t have any neighbors, and I would guess maybe only a quarter of the sites were occupied. In the evening it did get a little annoying with lots of moth‘s flying everywhere. They seem to like to land on my white truck and I had to cover my food while I cooked, and kept the tent closed. Not a big deal, but they were noticeable.

    While not this campground per se I thought it’s worth mentioning that just across the river there are also a large number of free dispersed campsites, some right on the river, some along the road as you travel away from the river. To get to the bridge you still take the Riverside Campground exit off the highway below the damn. Pass the campground cross the bridge and you’ll see them on your right for about a mile. I didn’t stay there. It looks like they have firings and nothing else but they’re free and plentiful.

  • L
    Oct. 30, 2022

    Knife Edge Campground

    Beautiful spot

    Stayed one night 10/13/22. Pulled in at dark, just right off of the 12 in Kooskia, ID. About 5/6 campgrounds, 2 were occupied (quiet neighbors), but with enough trees to feel there was privacy. Vault toilet and Lochsa river access(rock bar), no garbage services this time of year. Saw a black bear (juvenile) on the way in but didn’t see/hear anything else from the bear that night or the next morning. Soft ground, and flat even spaces. Fire ring and picnic table as well. Free made it the perfect price, given that a lot of the state campsites were closed (locked gate) this time. Looked as though some campsites backed to the highway, we chose a middle site and weren’t too disturbed by the highway. (Tent camped on a road trip to the Midwest)

  • J
    Jul. 29, 2020

    Navigation Campground

    Very quiet

    Not accessible by car, and takes a couple of hours to hike to it, but well worth it for the solitude once you’re there. While all the drive-up sites on lower Priest Lake were full there was no one at Navigation! (Literally NO ONE)

    A few rocky beaches with boat access. A vault toilet, a few picnic tables and fire rings, but lots of space among the trees to set up camp.

    It took a little over two hours to hike in from Beaver Creek campground. Plowboy campground is about at the halfway point.

    No water available.

    I hiked in and had the place to myself.

  • Anna W.
    Jul. 7, 2019

    Point Campground

    Quiet, easy camping right on Redfish Lake.

    Lovely little campground with many amenities close to Redfish Lake Lodge. Each campsite has a dedicated level pad for tents, a picnic table, a bear box, and fire ring. The sites are a bit open, so privacy can be a bit lacking if that's a concern. This campsite is also walk-in, so you will need to use provided wagons to bring your stuff to your site and park your car in the provided parking lot. There are also bathrooms which had flushing toilets and running water and are well maintained. We loved that Point Campground is within walking distance to Redfish Lake Lodge, which has a bunch of different activities: horseback riding, kayaking, a dog beach, mountain biking, fishing, etc. This campground is great when camping with children, especially with the bathrooms & lack of car traffic on the tent-only side. We will be returning!

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 31, 2019

    Targhee National Forest Warm River Campground

    Warm River (which isn't very warm)

    Camping on the banks on the banks of the Warm River, which actually is quite cold, can’t get much better than this! There are several options here- tent camping in a tent only walk in area along the river banks and under some pretty good hammocking trees (best sites are #12, 13, 16, and 8 because they have some space from neighbors and are right on the river); RV sites with what looks like at least electric hook ups (best sites for river views and/or privacy are #2, 4, 6, 19); from what neighbors say is pretty good fishing; and an awesome alternative to camping at Mesa Falls if that campground is full. Walk down the road and cross the river to check out a protected area of the river where the fish are HUGE and you can stand with your toes in the river while you feed them bits of bread. The sites all have the usual picnic tables and firepits, with nice level tent pads, clean vault toilets, and firewood for sale from the campground host. The only two downsides are no showers and the campground is wedged between the road and the river, so there is quite a bit of road noise in the day which fortunately dies down once dark sets in. At that point the river covers the road noise (also helpful in the morning). The campground is close to a lot of hiking trails, but there are no trailheads in the campground (so I guess that makes three bummers). All in all, a cool place to camp.

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 1, 2019

    Redfish Lake Overflow Dispersed

    Dispersed with vault toilet

    If you show up to Redfish Lake on a busy weekend and all of the campgrounds are reserved/full, no worries. There is a bunch of free dispersed camping all along highway 75. A quick stop at the Forest Service Office down the road and I had a pretty good map of the forest roads in the area, but more importantly, a tip about free camping a stone’s throw away from Redfish Lake and Sunny Gulch campground. The road in is a bit rough with ruts and rocks, but there are several established sites with fire rings. There was a loop to the right with about 8 such sites and a loop to the right with about 5 sites as well as one that was hidden behind the site I chose that you had to walk in to(it was actually a nicer site than the one I chose, but I was tired and set up before I saw it on my explorations. There was one vault toilet that was not especially clean, but free is free, and if you really wanted to, you could walk less than a quarter mile across to the developed Sunny Gulch campground. There are no picnic tables or grills or tent pads, but definitely stone fire rings at each site so no worries as long as you brought your own camp chair. If you need a shower, head into Redfish Lake to use the public pay showers there.

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 26, 2019

    Caribou Campground

    Small but pleasant

    This is a tent only campground(there is nowhere for RVs to turn around, and backing out would be a horrific proposition) with only seven sites. The best sites are the four that are on the creek side of the camp road. There is a vault toilet(not especially clean) and a bear proof dumpster, and lots of signs about bears, but no bear boxes for food storage. The campsites are nicely shaded, but not especially private(you can see most of the sites from each other). This campground is$2 cheaper than the next closest campground(I drove to the other site to check it out and returned here because except for the price, they were about the same). There is a pretty cool avalanche/rock slide up the road that is impressive in size and there are some pretty cool beaver dams and lodges in the creek/marshy area that feeds into the river. Be careful picking a site along the creek as it runs pretty close to the edge of two sites and I suspect the sites get flooded during big rains(due to the beaver dams). Showers are not terribly far away at Redfish Lake Park.

Guide to Idaho

Idaho offers a stunning backdrop for tent camping, with diverse landscapes ranging from serene lakes to rugged mountains. Whether you're seeking solitude or adventure, there's a perfect spot waiting for you.

Some prices for tent camping range from $0 to $30

  • Enjoy a free stay at Targhee Creek, where you can pitch your tent in a beautiful, natural setting without any fees.
  • For a more structured experience, Bear Lake State Park Campground offers sites starting around $30, complete with amenities like drinking water and picnic tables.
  • If you're looking for a primitive experience, Bootjack Dispersed Camping is free and allows you to immerse yourself in nature without the distractions of modern conveniences.

Tent campers like these nearby activities

  • At Redfish Inlet Trailhead, you can explore the vast Sawtooth wilderness, perfect for hiking and wildlife watching.
  • Lake Elsie Campground is a great base for kayaking and paddleboarding, with stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
  • Experience the thrill of fishing and swimming right from your site at Swan Falls - Idaho Power, where the river provides ample opportunities for water activities.

Campground features that enhance your stay

  • Caldwell Campground and RV Park offers clean facilities, including showers and a sanitary dump, making it a convenient choice for families.
  • For a more rustic experience, Waddington Creek Primitive Campsite provides a peaceful riverside setting with fire pits, perfect for a cozy evening under the stars.
  • Warm Springs Campground features several dispersed sites along a well-traveled forest road, allowing for easy access to nearby attractions while still enjoying a quiet camping experience.

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