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Campground Camping
Most of our developed campgrounds are adjacent to one of our many lakes or streams. With so much variety you can enjoy the water sport of your choosing - fishing, floating, boating, canoeing, kayaking, or simply relaxing on the beach.
Camping stay limits are in effect across the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Read Order F-09-001 for all limits.
Campground Camping Areas
- Big Creek Campground
- Coeur d'Alene River Area
- Beauty Creek Campground
- Bell Bay Campground
- Big Hank Campground
- Bumblebee Campground
- Devil's Elbow Campground
- Honeysuckle Campground
- Kit Price Campground
- Mokins Bay Campground
- Lower Kootenai River Area
- Copper Creek Campground
- Meadow Creek Campground
- Robinson Lake Campground
- Smith Lake Campground
- Snyder Guard Station
- Pend Oreille Lake Area
- Green Bay Campground
- Sam Owen Campground
- Whiskey Rock Bay Campground
- Priest Lake Area
- Bartoo Island Group Site/Campgrounds
- Beaver Creek Campground
- Geisinger Campground
- Kalispell Island Group Site and other Campgrounds
- Luby Bay Campground
- Navigation Campground
- Osprey Campground
- Outlet at Priest Lake Campground
- Plowboy Campground
- Reeder Bay Campground
- Trapper Creek Campground
- St. Joe River Area
- Big Creek Trails
- Camp 3 Campground
- Cedar Creek Campground
- Conrad Crossing Campground
- Emerald Creek Campground
- Fly Flat Campground
- Line Creek Stock Camp
- Mammoth Springs Campground
- Packsaddle Campground
- Shadowy St. Joe Campground
- Spruce Tree Campground
- St. Joe Wild & Scenic River
- Telichpah Campground
- Tin Can Flat Campground
- Turner Flat Campground
Recreation opportunities in the Coeur d'Alene River area (Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District) of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests are as diverse as the landscape. From camping on beautiful Hayden and Coeur d'Alene Lakes to wandering by foot, horse, mountain bike, motorcycle, ATV, or snowmobile through backcountry areas on our hundreds of miles of trails, we offer something for everyone. Our rental cabins, Little Guard Lookout perched high on a mountain peak with unlimited vistas and historic Magee Ranger Station nestled beside a stream, allow you to experience rustic Forest Service living at its best.
The Lower Kootenai River Area (Bonners Ferry District) is bordered by the Purcell and Cabinet Ranges and the Montana Line on the east, the rugged Selkirk Range on the west, and the Canadian border to the north. The Kootenai River meanders north and west through the District, and the Moyie River joins it from the north.
Priest Lake was originally called Roothaan Lake by Father Desmet in 1846 in honor of his Jesuit Superior in Rome. One of the prominent peaks in the Selkirk Range still bears the name Roothaan. In 1865, Captain John Mullan designated this same lake as Kaniksu Lake on one of his maps. It is believed that "Kaniksu" was the Indian name of Black Robe, although this has never been authenticated. The name was gradually changed in the early 1900's from Kaniksu Lake to its present name of Priest Lake, which refers to the early-day Jesuit missionary priests who had established a base camp at Kalispell Bay in the 1840's. The lake is one of three largest and most beautiful lakes in the Idaho Panhandle, and a very popular recreation attraction. The world's largest Makinaw trout was caught here in 1963. Dolly Varden, Cutthroat, and Kokanee are also caught in the lake. It is now illegal to fish for Dolly Varden and they are to be returned to the lake when caught.