U.S. Forest Service · Sawtooth National Forest · Idaho

Caribou Campground

Open nowFirst-come, first-servedDark sky

Sites are first-come, first-served. Recreation.gov lists this campground for paying on site, and you may be able to pay with the Scan and Pay feature of its app.

More like this: first-come in Idaho · dark sky in Idaho

2fires
active
Bartlett Creek Rx (prescribed burn) · 13 mi away · 2,000 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

Dark sky9.3 miles from Sun Valley Resort, a certified International Dark Sky Park

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusOpen
SeasonMay to September
ForestSawtooth National Forest
FeesSawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information
RulesPlease keep pets on a leash. All occupancy (includes developed/dispersed camping, boats, boat trailers, travel trailers, tents, etc): Occupancy limit is 10 days in a 30 day period within a 30 mile radius for all of SNRA. Campers must occupy the site the first night and cannot go more than 24 hours thereafter without occupying the site.

Sawtooth National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Caribou Campground10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.25 inches of precipitation, 27.0 inches of snowFebruary: 1.88 inches of precipitation, 17.2 inches of snowMarch: 1.76 inches of precipitation, 10.5 inches of snowApril: 1.17 inches of precipitation, 3.2 inches of snowMay: 1.78 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 1.26 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.40 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowNovember: 1.21 inches of precipitation, 10.3 inches of snowDecember: 2.57 inches of precipitation, 32.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.6°F averageFebruary: 23.1°F averageMarch: 30.6°F averageApril: 39.4°F averageMay: 48.2°F averageJune: 54.8°F averageJuly: 62.6°F averageAugust: 61.1°F averageSeptember: 52.6°F averageOctober: 41.8°F averageNovember: 29.3°F averageDecember: 19.7°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Ketchum RS, 10 miles from the campground at 5,890 feet, station USC00104845 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 102 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Coordinates43.8204° N, 114.4261° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Bartlett Creek Rx

    13 mi from the campground · 2,000 acres

  • Prescribed
    Paradise Rx

    24 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Limited data for this unit

No site-by-site records, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.

Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 1.3 mi
    Murdock Creek
    3.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.3 mi
    Murdock Loop Ski
    0.8 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
  • 1.4 mi
    East Fork/North Fork
    3.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.2 mi
    North Fork Loop Ski
    1.7 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
  • 2.2 mi
    North Fork Cutoff Ski
    0.08 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
  • 2.3 mi
    West Fork-North Fork
    4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Sawtooth National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for Idaho

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Caribou Campground?

No. Caribou Campground is first-come, first-served. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Caribou Campground?

Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information

Source: Forest Service

Is Caribou Campground open right now?

Open as of Oct 16, 2026. Season May to September.

Source: Forest Service status

Is Caribou Campground good for stargazing?

Sun Valley Resort, a certified International Dark Sky Park, is 9.3 miles away. Skies that dark carry for miles; a moonless night here should show the Milky Way.

Source: DarkSky International

What if Caribou Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Murdock Campground (1.2 mi, first-come), North Fork (2.2 mi, partly first-come), and Wood River Group Overnight Area (Tent Only) (2.5 mi, partly first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby