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

North Shore 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

North Shore Campground
Photo from the area. Michael Gordon (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Season & status

StatusOpen
SeasonJune to September
ForestSawtooth National Forest
BookingThe campsites are all first-come, first-serve.
FeesSawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information
RulesPets must be 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. Campsites must be occupied the first night, and cannot be left unattended for more than 24 hours.

Sawtooth National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near North Shore Campground10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 1.74 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.32 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.20 inches of precipitationApril: 1.69 inches of precipitationMay: 1.49 inches of precipitationJune: 1.60 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.63 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.48 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.01 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.59 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.19 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.92 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 16.9°F averageFebruary: 21.0°F averageMarch: 28.3°F averageApril: 34.8°F averageMay: 45.0°F averageJune: 51.6°F averageJuly: 59.3°F averageAugust: 58.4°F averageSeptember: 50.3°F averageOctober: 39.7°F averageNovember: 26.4°F averageDecember: 16.8°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Stanley RS, 18 miles from the campground at 6,495 feet, station USW00004112 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 18 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates43.9188° N, 114.8658° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Paradise Rx

    14 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Rx Lowman Wui

    32 mi from the campground

  • Prescribed
    Bartlett Creek Rx

    33 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.

Limited data for this unit

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

Worth a stop

  • 1 mi
    Alturas Lake Ski
    3.1 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
  • 1.4 mi
    Cabin Creek
    3.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.4 mi
    Alturas Lake-Mattingly ↗
    11.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 2.4 mi
    Beaver Creek Horseshoe Road
    0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 2.5 mi
    Alpine Creek
    2.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.5 mi
    Beaver Creek ATV
    0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more

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.

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 North Shore Campground?

No. North Shore Campground is first-come, first-served. The campsites are all first-come, first-serve. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at North Shore Campground?

Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information

Source: Forest Service

Is North Shore Campground open right now?

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

Source: Forest Service status

What if North Shore Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Smokey Bear Campground (0.3 mi, first-come), Alturas Inlet Campground (1.2 mi), and Alturas Lake Inlet (1.6 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby