Looking for the best Metaline Falls tent camping? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Metaline Falls, Washington's most popular destinations.
Crescent LakeBeautiful twenty-two acre lake located nine miles north of Metaline Falls, WA and just a mile south of the Canadian border adjacent to Highway 31 which is part of the International Selkirk Loop. Open season runs from the last Saturday in April through October 31. This lake receives annual plantings of rainbow trout. A small rustic three site campground lies just above the lake. Amenities include: tables, fire rings, concrete vault toilet and animal proof garbage can. No potable water is available. It is best suited for small RV's or tent camping. Facilities 3 small campsites with picnic tables, and fire pits No drinking water 1 vault toilet Garbage disposal (animal proof)
A Discover Pass or Washington State Fishing License is required for access, and can be acquired through Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's website.
Mtn Refuge Ranch is a privately owned Mtn property that has 2 sites off Gorgeous Cliff Side!(soon to be more campsites and cabins 2021) Truly One of a kind Place.. Epic Views… Surrounded by forests, set up high above the Emerald waters of the Pend Orielle River🏕🏔💦
Just outside of gorgeous Metaline Falls, WA
Each site has phenomenal unobstructed views of HookNose and Abercrombie Mtns peaks.
.#1 Eagle Ridge site: large site,Has big round Metal table w umbrella and 3 metal chairs, large fire pit, solar light and tiki torch. You Can park right at the site, small tent trl ok, small van truck tent campers and tents ok. Good level spots to choose frim for tents. This site also Has a hammock at the cliff ledge as well, truly remarkable views.
Privately owned property, secluded, quiet, come relax and unwind.
🦅Eagle Point Unique high view of the historic Mtn town below to the south.
The quaint little Town has a grocery store for all your basics needs, ice/food etc, 3 different food/bar/cafe’s to choose from☝️, gas station, historical Cutter Theater, also a old time 60’s movie theater too! Ice cream shop and historical points…
2 🏔Cliff Ledge site: literally! 1 small tent site, perfect for romantic couples. Open your tents up to unbelievable views, has nice fire pit, chair, folding table and hammock!Solar lights& tiki torches along path. Varied terrain, rustic and rugged! Park right above and walk down easy wooded path path to site 50ft. Carry in, pack in pack out.
WE CAN“GLAMP” YA! Ask me!
You can also scavenge for wood(there is so much! Take and clean the forest around you) seriously a lot of dead easy wood to use for your fires..🔥Or buy some wood for$10 up to 8-10 pieces. Or$5 for 2 rounds you split!
! No children under 13yrs of age. Cliff ledges and we also appreciate n encourage quiet peaceful camping foe everyone . Fall/trip hazards. There are“cliff” sides near these sites.🏔
We do have a very clean cute decorated“outhouse” for camper use, it’s cleaned/sanitized regularly and stocked with needs. Clean clean!
🤠👌 Ask us about Selkirk Epic Adventures! It’s our personal private local tip recommendation guide service. We can advise you for day adventures in the surrounding Selkirk Mtns.🏔
We can give you advice to The ABSOLUTE BEST🔥Go-To fishing🎣locations, BEST Epic Mtn View Points, 4x4 drive up with 360 degree views and Canada, where to pick🍄 Morels,ThimbleBerries or Huckleberries,🏊♀️ swimming spots, best hiking areas, sunset locations🌅, late night👣BIGFOOT hunts at the local sighting hot spots, short hikes to epic waterfalls like those found in beautiful Hawaii. Explorer a old historic local Ghost Town just minutes from our Camp🏕
We just ask for a$ Tip for a Tip!👌😉
🔥GLAMPING!🌟We can set one nice🏕 Tent set up, and a starter stack fire🔥 with hot dog cooker stick and tiki torch all ready to go for just $45 more… Try“Glamping…”! We provide it! Just Bring your own food and bedding.+$15 for air mattress . Bring your normal camping basics& your own cooking items..
Jen is the owner and your host. She is a cowgirl, western horsewoman and Entrepreneur. Building her dreams! Also owns Authentic Barn BnB and Spokane Trail Rides in Spokane, wa! Also OPEN and has 5 Campsites, 3 Cozy Western Barn BnB rooms, Traik Rides and Barn Tours!
Welcome to the Pacific North West and the Selkirk Mtns!
2pm ck in / 12noon ck out
$75 - $100 / night
Established camping with a bear box and other nearby camp spots. Please remember to LNT.
Navigation Campground is located on the northwest shores of Upper Priest Lake, with majestic views of the Selkirk Crest. Four campsites are furnished with fire rings, picnic tables, and bear-proof storage boxes. Please note that this site has a Pack It In, Pack It Out policy on all garbage.
Most sites are tent sites, private and have a view of the lake. This campground is located on a small hillside and overlooks Lake Thomas. Access to Rufus Trail #148 is near this campground. Facilities 16 campsites (small trailers) with picnic tables, fire pits, and tent pads Drinking water Toilets Garbage disposal (bear proof)
Washington State Parks require a Discover Pass for Day use and overnight camping.
Trapper Creek Campground is located on the northeast shore of Upper Priest Lake. It has five sites with beautiful views of Plowboy Mountain, all furnished with fire rings, picnic tables, and bear-proof storage boxes. Please note that this campground has a Pack It In, Pack It Out policy on all garbage.
Surrounded by clear waters of Priest Lake, the 25 sites on Bartoo Island provide the ideal getaway for people looking for a rugged, but highly rewarding, camping experience on the peaceful shores of Priest Lake. There are 24 single sites on the island as well as one group site known as Sunrise Group Site. This group site has been renumbered from site #001 to site #23 for groups of 10-30 individuals. All sites are only reachable by boat.
Visitors enjoy all types of boating from kayaking to canoeing to power boating up the 3.5-mile thoroughfare, which leads to the Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area. The upper lake cannot be access by car, so water is an excellent navigation option. Fantastic birding and wildlife viewing is available, as well as Huckleberry picking from mid-july to early fall, when the sweet berries can be found in abundance throughout the forests of Northern Idaho. Swimming is a popular summer pastime and with beach access not far from the campground, visitors won't have any problem cooling off during warmer months. Anglers will be excited to know that the waters of Priest Lake are home to record-breaking Mackinaw trout as well as Dolly Varden, Cutthroat and Kokanee.
Priest Lake spans 25,000-acres of incredible beauty, fed primarily by the waters of the Priest River. Named after the historical presence of Jesuit priests who settled in the lake area in the mid 19th century, Priest Lake is today a major tourist attraction, drawing water sports enthusiasts, photographers and birders alike. The group campground is located on the east side of Bartoo Island at an elevation of 2,400 feet. Bartoo, spanning 219 acres, is one of nine islands on Priest Lake. Summers at the lake are typically sunny and warm and wildlife in the area includes bears, deer and moose.
Hike the Lakeshore or Beach Trails that traverse along the west shore of Priest Lake. The Beach trail extends between Outlet Bay Campground and the Kalispell Bay Boat Launch. The Lakeshore Trail runs for 8 miles along the northwest shores of Priest Lake. In winter, ice fishing, shoe shoeing and snowmobiling on nearby trails entertain visitors.
$10 - $15 / night
Legend
Luby Bay Campground offers a beautiful lakeside experience, with many sites featuring direct lakefront access. The campground is surrounded by trees and foliage, providing a sense of privacy, and the sites are nicely spaced apart.
In the back corner of the lower loop, there is designated parking for boat trailers and extra vehicles. I launched my boat at the Priest Lake Marina just a mile down the road for a small fee, but I appreciated the free trailer parking at the campground.
The flushing toilets were impressively clean—better than many I've encountered at other campgrounds.
The road through the campground is paved but narrow, roughly 1.5 vehicles wide, so backing in a trailer requires some finesse.
Each site comes with a bear-proof locker, which is essential for safety. The only downside was that our locker had trash bags left by the previous occupants, which hadn't been cleaned out before our arrival. This seems to be a minor oversight by the host.
Overall, I had a great stay and would recommend Luby Bay Campground.
Ranger
If you can get one of the lakefront campsites, the views are phenomenal! But if you can't, the rest of the campsites are still pretty nice. The campsites are spaced apart enough so you're not too close to your neighbor. Bathrooms are adequate pit toilets. The lake is clear and cold, decent for swimming if you don't mind cold water.
Ranger
I wouldn’t recommend this campground, especially if you’re hoping for a lakeside experience. The campground is actually a decent distance away, and it’s not easy to access. The road getting in is rough and bumpy, which made for an unpleasant drive. Once we arrived, the campsites were disappointingly small and cramped, making it difficult to set up comfortably. The lake itself wasn’t much better. It’s small, and the water is ice cold, so swimming wasn’t really an option. To top it off, there were no fish to be found, so fishing was a bust. Overall, between the rough road, tiny campsites, and lackluster lake, this campground just wasn’t worth the effort. There are much better options out there.
Ranger
This hike-in lake campground is a true alpine treasure, but be prepared to work for it! The hike to get there is pretty strenuous, with some tough climbs along the way. The trail itself isn’t well marked, so you’ll want to pay close attention or bring a good map to avoid getting off course. That said, the payoff is absolutely worth it. The alpine lake at the end of the trail is stunning—clear, pristine water surrounded by rugged mountain scenery. It’s the kind of place that feels untouched and pure. If you visit during the right season, you’ll find huckleberries everywhere, which is a sweet bonus after the tough hike in. The campground is simple but perfectly positioned to enjoy the beauty of the lake. The water is incredibly clear, perfect for a cold dip if you're brave enough! If you're up for a challenging hike and want to escape to a peaceful alpine setting, this spot is well worth the effort. Just be ready for a bit of route-finding on the trail and take advantage of the huckleberries along the way!
Ranger
This little lake campground is a real hidden gem, especially if you're looking for some peace and quiet. The lake itself is small but beautiful, though it is a bit swampy around the edges. The campground itself is next to the very swampy side of the lake, so you can't really put a kayak in the water or fish or anything from the campground without walking around to the other side of the lake or drive to the day use area. There’s a boat launch and a fishing dock at the day use area.
When I visited, the place was nearly empty, which made it feel like a true escape. The campground is very well taken care of. It’s clean, and each campsite has a nice shelter over the picnic tables, which is great if the weather turns. The pit toilets were also really clean—much better than I expected for this type of setup.
The road getting there is pretty rough, so be ready for a bit of a bumpy ride. But once you're there, the quiet, the fall colors, and the overall atmosphere more than make up for it. The lake, while a little swampy at the edges, still makes for a pretty view, especially with the vibrant autumn leaves around.
Scout
This is not a spot bc the park ranger told us we were not allowed to camp here
Traveler
This campsite was overall a really good time! There's a trail that leads to the water for any of the campers or visitors to go swim at, site 13 had its own trail down to the water which was so fun to have easy access too! If you want a site with a beautiful view and flat tent spots site 9 and 10 also looked beautiful!
If you plan to stay at the walk in sites I recommend bringing a wagon! The walk from car to campground is not far but there is a decent hill you have to walk down to the campsite.
Pit toilet was nice and well taken care of! The hand sanitizer was out, but otherwise very clean. The only toilet is at the parking lot, so it's a short walk from the campsites.
The other downside was bugs! SO many bee's! Especially when we ate we had to walk with our food to keep the bee's away we never got stung though!. And mosquitos at night were bad but all of it was manageable with big spray!
Overall a great campsite, if you go during the week you might have the walk in sites all to yourself, not crowded and lots of fun!
Scout
Really well maintained, beautiful campground with great swimming water. Peewee falls is about a 10 minute kayak from the beach. Great stay. Definitely recommend staying during the week. Weekend traffic is intense.
TravelerNice place on public land. Swimming possible. We stayed for the night
Scout
Beautiful area nice camping spot good amount of shade coverage keeps us cool during the summer clean bathrooms and the camp hosts are super nice.
Traveler
Campsite 36 in the Pine loop is just a short walk away from a lovely lake beach that has fire pits and picnic tables. The campsite itself is very nice, large, shaded, with a decent distance from neighboring campers as far as campgrounds go. I didn't do what I usually do and walk around the campground to see what the best site is to book during future visits, but I have zero complaints about this site. We really enjoyed our stay at Lake Sullivan and our excursions to Metaline Falls, Gardner Cave, Peewee Falls, Mill Pond Historic Site, and Crescent Lake.
Traveler
I love the Colville National Forest and enjoy discovering different campgrounds within it.
I like to camp at Pioneer Park when I am in Newport visiting family and will always choose campsite 14! It is the best out of all the campsites there, very private, incredibly spacious, and with a nice trail to the water. I only tent camp so I don't know how accommodating it is for an RV, however.
LegendTent camper here 👋 This specific site wasn't lakefront but was only a short 3 min walk to gorgeous lake views and beach access. Being on the end, it was hushed with minor road noise. This site, in particular, backs up against Elkins Road, leading to the next-door resort which has a restaurant, bar, and convenience store - all in walking/stumbling distance. This campground itself has the basics: bathrooms, bear-proof trash, and water stations.
I highly recommend this campsite and will try to book earlier in the season next time to get a lakefront site.
Guide
Right on the Lake, has water Filling Station and Dump Also Boat ramp A bunch of small Flies, they don’t bite
Scout
Arrived to find an available site. Nice view of Lake Leo. Clean site, vault toilet's were clean and well stocked. The grounds were checked up on by the Forest Service and camp host. There are no services at the sites other than fire pits. Water is available. However, it needs filtering. Camp sites are far enough away from Highway 20 that traffic wasn't heard.
Guide
This site #8 is one of the larger sites at Sullivan Creek.
It’s right next to the river and about 150 yards from the road.
At the site: Fire Ring, and a bear box. Across the road there is a vaulted toilet along with a few campsites there next to each other.
Pack in and pack out! Sullivan lake is about 2-3 miles west and priest lake is 20+ miles to the east. If you do not have a 4wd vehicle I wouldn’t recommend driving on the service road to Priest, and depending the time of year the snow pack about 10 miles in will stop you!
Traveler
What a beautiful spot! We arrived the weekend before Memorial Day weekend and stayed 3 nights. Saw eagles and deer right from our site. The vaulted toilets made life easy and the camp host was beyond friendly and helpful. The very small hike to the falls was only steps away from our site, and one of the sites you could even see the falls! We didn’t choose that one cuz it was full shade and a little noisy for my taste. The sites are roomy and pretty darn spaced out so we couldn’t hear the neighbor we had for a night. It’s about 10 min from colville, but make sure you get wood before hand, you can gather from the area, but stopping at a store to grab it costs a fortune. We might have to make this a regular spot, we loved it so much.
Traveler
Great
Traveler
Worked well to connect spots that were next to each other for a larger group. But most of the ground was hard and difficult to find good tent spots. The only level spots were the parking spots. Access to water was nice.
Traveler
Great site to connect with the lake, but didn't enjoy the tent spots available. Ground was hard and mostly prepared for RVs.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! We're excited to have this campground on the Dyrt and ready for you to book, check them out and make sure to leave a review!
Traveler
Campsites are pretty close together but easily accessible from the shore. Left kayak on the beach and brought the packraft to the table. Vault toilet is close and easy to find in the dark. Beautiful sunsets!
Traveler
Unfortunately we had to leave early but lesson learned. I was camping with my 4 sons and at 1255 am a big cougar walked right into our camp. I was fully prepared for bears but not a big cat. Next time I camp here I'm bringing a solar strobe to deter the cats
Scout
Loud, obnoxious and drunk boaters who trash Priest Lake. If you suffer one night of this nonsense, you will never go back. USFS complicit with this behavior.
Traveler
Between having a pond with many activities to do and the wine bar you can go to I have no complaints. Will happily return.
Scout
Chip & Bunny are the greatest hosts! We had to leave a day early (without notice) due to the fires being close to our home and they refunded the one night back to us without even being asked. We surely didn’t expect that! We will be back again.
ScoutI would have given it 4 stars about 5 years ago when we first stayed as it seemed a lot friendlier staff willing to please their customers but I'm not sure if it was sold since then but I had to give it only 2 stars this time because the negatives outweighed the positives. Pros: Friendly staff that helps you park if you need it. Location is fairly close to the town of Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint so you are never too far from civilization. Although I've never used it, they do have wine in the evenings for their guests...not sure if they charge or not. They also sell wood and when we were there 5 years ago, they delivered it to our site. Also, the site we stayed in that time was not full hook ups and the staff still helped us dump without having to move our rig. Cons: Everything everyone says about the pot holes, dirt road, train noise and turn off from the 95 is spot on. The one thing I didn't hear anyone mention is the noise from the 95 of cars that can be as loud as the constant train passing in the middle of the night. So, quiet and serene is not a good description. The"lake" although which can be fun for small kids fishing and maybe paddle boating, is more of a large pond that is dark and gloomy like and so when you first see it, you might be disappointed at it being called a lake. Although friendly, I didn't find it as hospitable as it used to be when we were first there five years ago and you get the distinct feeling that they are barely surviving as they will not do anything extra to refund or make things whole if you experience is not up to par. Here is why: We were charged half of the amount to reserve the spot we wanted and in order to keep a particular spot you pick, you have to pay a little extra to reserve it or you can still risk having them move you to a different spot if they want to. That's a first. It's true they can't control the weather and I don't really blame them for that, but good vacation industries will go out of their way to keep their customers happy when things are not up to par. We paid for six days and with the stifling heat, along with the fires that were in the area, we were smoked out and weren't told that campfires were restricted per an ordinance they were given before we made the trip there. The entire camping experience was ruined because the only choice we had to not to feel choked out was to stay indoors in the RV. We only stayed one night since this was miserable and decided to leave the next day. When we got home we received an email requesting our input of our stay and we told them a partial refund would have been nice since accommodations were not up to standards. Instead, we were told that in order for them to stay in business and because they have few drop ins, they have to take 50% deposits up front. This seems fair but we paid for the entire week, so it seems to me that in good faith and good customer service, 50% or even some refund at all would have kept us coming back despite the cons. They also claimed that charging 50% is better than some places that want all the money upfront when you book. We have been RVing for years in this area and there are much better places to go that do not do this I'm not really sure why they asked us for our input in the first place. Anyway, as a result we won't be back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Metaline Falls, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Metaline Falls, WA is Crescent Lake Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Metaline Falls, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 50 tent camping locations near Metaline Falls, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
