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

Brownlee

This 11-unit campground is located in Ponderosa pine trees offering shade on a hot summer day. Sites are located a few miles off the main Hwy 71, so it is peaceful and quiet.

Closed for the seasonFirst-come, first-served12 sitesPets ok

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 · pets allowed in Idaho

Site surrounded by brush and trees offering shade on a hot summer day.Forested campsite with picnic table and fire ring.Brownlee Campground entrance road and sign.Brownlee creek flowing near the campground with green trees shading the creek.
Photos courtesy of USFS · Recreation.gov
4fires
active
Cold Rx (prescribed burn) · 24 mi away · 1,094 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups11
Host/management1
No reservations, so arrive before checkout on a weekday, usually 11 a.m. to noon, and take what is open. In season, weekends fill by Thursday. The first-come playbook

Site guide

1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteEntryPeople / vehicles
03Pull-through5 / –

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 11:00 AM.

Amenities & rules

PetsAllowed

No hook-ups. Potable water for cooking and drinking is available on-site. Sixteen foot limit for RVs.

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

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
ForestPayette National Forest
Fees$10.00 single sites

Payette National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Brownlee30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.85 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.28 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.52 inches of precipitationApril: 1.39 inches of precipitationMay: 1.83 inches of precipitationJune: 1.24 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.40 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.23 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.51 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.10 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.45 inches of precipitationDecember: 2.03 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 33.3°F averageFebruary: 37.4°F averageMarch: 45.3°F averageApril: 53.0°F averageMay: 62.0°F averageJune: 69.4°F averageJuly: 79.6°F averageAugust: 78.6°F averageSeptember: 69.2°F averageOctober: 55.5°F averageNovember: 42.3°F averageDecember: 34.2°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 Brownlee Dam, 8 miles from the campground at 1,844 feet, station USC00101180 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year.

Getting there

Sixteen miles northwest of Cambridge on Hwy 71, one mile east on Road #044.

Coordinates44.7385° N, 116.8202° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Cold Rx

    24 mi from the campground · 1,094 acres

  • Prescribed
    Mill Creek Council Mtn Rx

    26 mi from the campground · 1,817 acres

  • Prescribed
    Goose Rx

    34 mi from the campground · 529 acres

  • Prescribed
    Brush Rx

    36 mi from the campground · 150 acres

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

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗21.1 mi
Outdoor gearJoseph Fly Shope and Lamb Trading ↗47 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

A Video Tour of Idaho Power's Woodhead Park on Brownlee Reservoir

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.3 mi
    Upper Camp Creek Trail
    0.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.4 mi
    Camp Creek ↗
    4.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 1.1 mi
    E/F Brownlee Creek
    2.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 1.6 mi
    Cracker Jack Creek ↗
    6.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 1.9 mi
    Grade Creek/044 (end of Road 0 ↗
    7.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.3 mi
    Brownlee Ck/Grade Ck Conn
    3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 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 →

Wallowa-Whitman National Forest begins about 11.3 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

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 Brownlee?

No. Brownlee 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 Brownlee?

$10.00 single sites

Source: Forest Service

What time is check-in at Brownlee?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 11:00 AM.

Source: Forest Service

Is Brownlee open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026.

Source: Forest Service status

How many sites does Brownlee have?

12 sites, including 11 standard sites without power.

Source: Forest Service

Are pets allowed at Brownlee?

Yes, pets are allowed at Brownlee. Leash rules apply.

Source: Forest Service

What if Brownlee is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Spring Creek Campground (13.2 mi), Justrite Campground (15.2 mi, first-come), and Lafferty (16.1 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby