Tent Camping in Southern Idaho

Hello. I am contemplating a family camping trip to Idaho this summer. Don%26#39;t know the place at all. Can anyone recommend some campgrounds, preferably southern ID, preferably woodsy/semi-primitive/no RVs, with a lake/river/etc/, nearby hiking, fun stuff for kids, etc.?

Thank you.

George

Sacramento, CA

Tent Camping in Southern Idaho

Hi GFA916

Man, you just have to narrow down your specifications! We have all you requested and lots more.

Just a thought, the Bruneau Sand Dunes may be fun for a night. You%26#39;re miles away from city lights and the stars are close enough to touch. August is prime time for stargazing.

Really, though--what other requirements do you have?

Or you can go to www.visitidaho.org and request a visitors%26#39; guide. We (yes, I%26#39;m in the tourism office) are really proud of our guide. Of course, you may be so overwhelmed by all the choices that you want to see them all!

Cathy

Tent Camping in Southern Idaho

Southern Idaho is pretty barren, are you aware of that? Why are you limited to S. Idaho? Want any other suggestions? Idaho is full of lakes, rivers, and awesome places, from the Stanley/Sawtooth country, to the big river wilderness country of the Salmon, Selway, and Clearwater Rivers. What is fun stuff for kids? Fishing, hiking, wildlife, or theme parks and swimming pools? Do you have a boat? Rafting? ATVs? Give me some guidence and I will do the same.

More details needed, I understand that. OK, fun stuff for kids does not mean theme parks, etc. More like a lake/river, some day hikes, maybe some neat geological features, etc. Two 8 year old boys.

I understand that way south in ID is fairly barren. That%26#39;s not where we want to go. I just mean the more southerly part of the ';good'; part (no offense to the extreme south there).

NP or NF campgrounds are what I have in mind. The commercial campgrounds I%26#39;m familiar with (here in Northern Cal) are not the kinda place I want to stay.

Happy to supply more information if something is needed to help you help me. Thanks in advance for that help.

I%26#39;d head for the Sawtooth Mountains (80 miles north of Sun Valley) and nearby Craters of the Moon for a wide variety of interests. At Craters of the Moon, the kids can explore lava tubes (caves), and there are tons of hiking trails, lakes, and camping at Stanley, Redfish, Pettit and Alturas Lakes.

Another area that is great camping is Goose Lake above McCall, Idaho. McCall is north of Boise 2 hours.

i second the stanley area, and red fish lake. google danners cabins in stanley. perfect for a family and accessable to the lakes and HOT SPRINGS%26gt;%26gt;. rafting. absoultly wonderful hikes into the sawtooths, which are breathtaking. enjoy

Redfish Lake is absolutely beautiful, and I would highly recommend it. It%26#39;s in more what I would call central Idaho, though. If you%26#39;re going to be in southeast Idaho for some specific reason, then I%26#39;d head to Bear Lake (on the Idaho/Utah border). Several federal tent campgrounds near Minnetonka caves on the Idaho side, with river running through them (we stay at Porcupine, Cloverleaf or St. Charles campsites). Go to reserveusa.com for details. Lake is a really pretty aqua blue, and very shallow several hundred yards out (the kids will love it). As former posts mentioned, however, it is on the dry/rocky/barren side (up near the caves is full forest, but the view from the lake is brown and dry).

We alternate between Redfish and Bear Lake for our summer camping trip.

Enjoy Idaho!