Smokey Bear 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 | June to September |
| Forest | Sawtooth National Forest |
| Fees | Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information n |
| Rules | Please 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. Campsites must be occupied the first night, and cannot be left unattended for more than 24 hours. |
Weather by month
Getting there
| Coordinates | 43.9202° N, 114.8611° W · Directions ↗ |
Fire nearby
- PrescribedParadise Rx
15 mi from the campground
- PrescribedRx Lowman Wui
32 mi from the campground
- PrescribedBartlett 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.
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
- 1.2 miCabin Creek Trailhead ↗Trailhead
- 4.3 miPettit Lake Day Use Area ↗Day use
- 4.5 miTin Cup Hiker Trailhead ↗Trailhead
Trails nearby
- 0.7 miAlturas Lake Ski3.1 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
- 1.2 miCabin Creek3.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
- 2.2 miBeaver Creek Horseshoe Road0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
- 2.2 miSouth Loop Ski4.4 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
- 2.3 miBeaver Creek ATV0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
- 2.3 miNorth Cabin Creek Loop Ski1.4 mi trail · snowshoe, ski
Trailheads within three miles
- 1.2 miCabin Creek 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
- 1.2 miSawtooth Wilderness ↗Wilderness · Forest Service · 217,511 acres
- 3.7 miBoise National Forest ↗National Forest · Forest Service · 2,526,862 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
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 Smokey Bear Campground?
No. Smokey Bear 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 Smokey Bear Campground?
Sawtooth NRA Camping Fees and Information n
Source: Forest Service
Is Smokey Bear Campground open right now?
Open as of Oct 16, 2026. Season June to September.
Source: Forest Service status
What if Smokey Bear Campground is full?
The nearest public campgrounds are North Shore Campground (0.3 mi, first-come), Alturas Inlet Campground (1.4 mi), and Alturas Lake Inlet (1.8 mi).
Source: Campgrounds nearby