Chinook Bay Campground
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
Season & status
| Status | Open |
| Season | May to September |
| Forest | Sawtooth National Forest |
| Fees | Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information |
| Rules | Motorized watercraft are not allowed on Little Redfish Lake. Pets must be kept 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. Motorized vehicles and bicycles are not permitted in any of the designated wilderness areas. |
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 44.1640° N, 114.9045° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx Lowman Wui
28 mi from the campground
- PrescribedParadise Rx
31 mi from the campground
- PrescribedBartlett Creek Rx
39 mi from the campground · 2,000 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.
No site-by-site records, no amenities, no fee schedule or directions 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
Video
Chinook Bay Campground, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Stanley, Idaho
Worth a stop
- 1.2 miAlpine Way Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 1.2 miAlpine Way Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 1.9 miSandy Beach Boat Ramp - Day Use Location ↗Boat launch
- 2 miOrval Hansen Point Beach ↗Swimming
- 12.7 miPettit Lake Day Use Area ↗Day use
Trails nearby
- 0.2 miStanley to Redfish2.8 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
- 0.2 miRedfish Lake3.1 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
- 0.2 miRedfish Lake Cutoff0.2 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
- 0.2 miRedfish - Stanley ↗4.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 0.2 miRock Shelter0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 1 miSunny Gulch ↗10.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
Trailheads within three miles
- 1.2 miAlpine Way Trailhead ↗Sawtooth National Forest
- 1.3 miRedfish Trailhead ↗Sawtooth National Forest
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
This campground sits inside Sawtooth National Forest.
- inSawtooth National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 2,190,139 acres
- 2 miBoise National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 2,526,862 acres
- 3.3 miSawtooth Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 217,511 acres
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.
Other campgrounds nearby
Cabin and lookout rentals nearby
On the National Register nearby
- Niece Brothers' StoreBuilding · Stanley · 4 mi
- Stanley Ranger StationBuilding · Stanley · 4.4 mi
- Ivan W. Day HouseBuilding · Stanley · 7.6 mi
Guidebooks for Idaho
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
Do I need a reservation at Chinook Bay Campground?
No. Chinook Bay 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 Chinook Bay Campground?
Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information
Source: Forest Service
Is Chinook Bay Campground open right now?
Open as of Oct 16, 2026. Season May to September.
Source: Forest Service status
What if Chinook Bay Campground is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are Mountain View Campground (0.2 mi, first-come), Sunny Gulch Campground (0.9 mi, partly first-come), and Glacier View Campground (1.2 mi).
Source: Campgrounds nearby