Canoeing/Kayaking

Wolf Lodge Campground

48 RV Sites

Wolf Lodge Campground in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is situated at Wolf Lodge Bay on the eastern arm of Lake Coeur d'Alene, one of the most spectacularly beautiful mountain lakes in the American Northwest—and the site of one of the lower 48 states' most extraordinary wildlife spectacles: the winter congregation of hundreds of bald eagles at Wolf Lodge Bay, where kokanee salmon die after spawning and the eagles gather from November through January in numbers that have established this remote lake arm as one of the premier bald eagle viewing sites in the continental United States. The campground's lake position provides the kayaking, boating, paddling, and fishing access to a lake that national travel surveys consistently rank among America's most beautiful, in a protected bay setting that the main Coeur d'Alene waterfront's development pressure does not reach. The campground's facility delivers a comfortable outdoor recreation base with the services that Kootenai County lake camping requires: kayak rentals, paddle boat rentals, boating access, canoeing and kayaking on the lake, bike rentals with biking trails nearby, fishing, dining on site, a general store, propane fills, pavilion, dog park, laundry, showers, dump station, Wi-Fi, basketball, shuffleboard, corn hole, horseshoes, hiking trails, and swimming in Lake Coeur d'Alene's clear water collectively serve the outdoor recreation-centered guests whose Wolf Lodge Bay stays center on the lake and the surrounding Kootenai County forest terrain. The dining facility provides the social gathering space that lake camping communities naturally develop. Lake Coeur d'Alene's 25-mile length, 109 miles of shoreline, and the clarity produced by the surrounding Idaho Panhandle National Forest's protected watershed create a lake experience that consistently ranks in national surveys of America's most beautiful bodies of water. The lake's surface reflects the forested slopes of the Coeur d'Alene Mountains in a combination of mirror-calm morning light and afternoon whitecaps that makes the Wolf Lodge arm—the most protected and least developed section of the main lake—the most pristine and wildlife-abundant portion of this iconic Idaho lake. The St. Joe River's wild cutthroat trout waters and the surrounding Idaho Panhandle National Forest's trail systems extend the recreation beyond the lake. Downtown Coeur d'Alene, approximately 15 miles west of Wolf Lodge Bay via I-90, provides the resort amenities and commercial infrastructure of a year-round lake resort community—the Coeur d'Alene Resort's floating boardwalk and the lake's public beach front, the North Idaho College campus, the Sherman Avenue dining and shopping district, and the Centennial Trail's 62-mile bike path from Coeur d'Alene to Spokane collectively create the urban infrastructure that complements Wolf Lodge Bay's wild lake environment. Silverwood Theme Park in Athol and the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley provide the commercial entertainment complement to the natural recreation that defines the region's primary appeal. Wolf Lodge Campground operates seasonally from spring through fall for camping, with the eagle viewing season from November through January providing the most compelling natural spectacle available from the campground's location even outside the main camping season. Summer's warm lake temperatures, the June salmon fly hatch on the nearby North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, and the long northern latitude summer days that stretch outdoor recreation into the evening hours together create the campground's most active recreation season. The spring and fall shoulder periods offer the quietest lake conditions and the most uncrowded kayaking access to Wolf Lodge Bay's wildlife-rich eastern shoreline.

from $57/night

Smiley Creek Lodge

6 RV Sites, 7 Cabins, 2 Yurts

Smiley Creek Lodge in Blaine County, Idaho, offers six full-hookup RV sites with 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet, alongside seven cabins and two yurts on the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. A lake, beach, and general store serve guests near Sun Valley and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Six back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 50-amp service, sized to 40 feet — note that all sites are 50-amp, and the 40-foot cap suits mid-size rigs rather than the largest coaches. Seven cabins and two yurts round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side. With six RV sites, reserve well ahead. Pets are welcome. A lake and creek run near the property with a beach for swimming, and canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, and fishing all available. Hiking, biking, and stargazing run from the site, with a playground for families and live music through the season. Wine and beer tasting is nearby. The byway position is the advantage. This is one of the most scenically extraordinary mountain routes in the American West, where the Wood River Valley's cottonwood corridors open into the granite peaks and alpine lakes of the Sawtooths. The lodge gives the most direct access to the Sawtooth Wilderness trail network and the Stanley Basin's fly fishing on the upper Salmon. Directions: from the north, drive 22 miles south from Stanley on Highway 75; from the south, 37 miles north from Ketchum. Summer is the season at this elevation. Reserve well ahead.

from $100/night

Wakeside Lake RV Park

24 RV Sites, 1 Cabin, 2 Glamping Sites

Wakeside Lake RV Park in Rexburg, Idaho, offers 24 RV sites, a cabin, and two glamping sites across 34 private acres anchored by an on-site lake, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Deluxe and premium pull-throughs join water-and-electric back-ins, with a beach and dog park. Twenty-four sites run in deluxe water-and-electric back-in, deluxe pull-through, deluxe water-and-electric pull-through, and premium pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 40 feet. A cabin and two glamping sites round out the accommodations. A laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and WiFi handle the practical side. Note the construction detour — follow the posted signs when the road is closed. Pets are welcome. The private lake is the anchor, with a beach for swimming and fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and boating from the water. A dog park serves pets, and a golf course is nearby. The 34-acre footprint gives the property genuine privacy for its size. Rexburg sits in Madison County on the upper Snake River Plain, between the rolling agricultural benchlands and the volcanic tablelands leading toward Yellowstone's caldera. BYU-Idaho, the St. Anthony Sand Dunes, and Bear World are all close, with Jackson Hole and West Yellowstone about an hour away. Summer is peak, with Yellowstone and Teton traffic driving demand alongside university dates. Reserve well ahead for July and August.

from $30/night

The Park at Swan Valley

10 RV Sites, 1 Cabin, 11 Tent Sites, 1 Tiny House

The Park at Swan Valley in Swan Valley, Idaho, offers 10 RV sites, two cabin and tiny-house units, and 11 tent sites in the upper Snake River valley, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 65 feet. Pull-through categories in full-hookup and water-and-electric join an outdoor pool and boat rentals in the Palisades Reservoir corridor. Ten pull-through sites run in 30-amp, 30-amp water-and-electric, and 50-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 65 feet, with picnic tables and site WiFi. Two cabins and tiny houses and 11 tent sites round out a broad accommodation range for a small property. Restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side. With 10 RV sites, reserve well ahead. Pets are welcome. An outdoor pool anchors the warm months, and boat rentals are available on site — useful on a reservoir where launching logistics otherwise eat into the day. Whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, swimming, hiking, birding, and stargazing all run from the area. Swan Valley sits in Bonneville County in the canyon between the Palisades and the Snake River, which puts an unusual concentration of recreation within reach: the Snake's blue-ribbon fishing, the Palisades Reservoir's boating and sailing, the Caribou-Targhee National Forest's backcountry, and Grand Teton National Park close by. Both national and state park access are immediate. Summer is peak, with Teton and Yellowstone traffic driving demand alongside the fishing season. Reserve well ahead for July and August.

from $35/night

Trinity View Resort

67 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

Trinity View is great for families and group events. You’ll love our incredible views and relaxing atmosphere. Come swim, play miniature golf, disc golf with us, or fish or boat nearby. Use our scenic walking trail or set up for a night of stargazing under a spectacular Idaho night sky. We are in sight of Little Camas Reservoir with seasonal fishing, kayak, or canoeing, and within 20 minutes from the boat launch at Anderson Reservoir and the south fork of the Boise River, with some of the best fishing in Idaho. So bring your boat and friends, lots of true Idaho recreation to be found here.

from $30/night

Rest in Peace RV Park

In Sagle, Idaho—in Bonner County on US-95 ten miles south of Sandpoint where Lake Pend Oreille's 148-square-mile surface, 1,150-foot depth, and the surrounding Selkirk and Cabinet Mountains create the most dramatic freshwater lake setting in the inland Pacific Northwest, and the Schweitzer Mountain Resort's 2,900 feet of vertical skiing, the Sandpoint arts community, and Priest Lake's remote northern wilderness create the four-season outdoor destination that the northern Idaho Panhandle's most complete recreational landscape provides—Rest in Peace RV Park offers 17 full hookup RV sites on 5 acres with 30 and 50-amp service, water, and sewer, an outdoor pool, walking trails, sports courts, a dog park, a dump station, and showers with gated access and WiFi, all positioned within minutes of Lake Pend Oreille's boating and paddleboarding, 19 miles from Silverwood Theme Park, and at the base of the Sandpoint recreation corridor. Lake Pend Oreille is minutes away. Schweitzer is up the mountain. The name is memorable. The 17 full hookup sites on 5 US-95 acres—30 and 50-amp electric, water, sewer, and WiFi on a gated property with dump station, showers, sports courts, dog park, outdoor pool, and walking trails—provide the functional small-park infrastructure in Bonner County's lakeside corridor at the intersection of the Lake Pend Oreille recreation economy and the US-95 north-south travel route connecting Sandpoint to Coeur d'Alene. The outdoor pool, sports courts, and walking trails create the on-property recreation that the non-lake afternoon and the non-Schweitzer morning complement with the lake and ski access that the park's location provides within a short drive. The dog park and pet-friendly environment serve the outdoor travel culture's companion animal infrastructure in a region where trails and wilderness areas are fundamental to the Bonner County lifestyle. Sagle sits in Bonner County at the southern base of the Sandpoint peninsula, on the US-95 corridor between Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene where Lake Pend Oreille's southern bays—Bottle Bay, Garfield Bay, and the Trestle Creek area—provide the kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and shore fishing access that the lake's southern end creates at quieter water levels than the Sandpoint marinas' boat traffic. Lake Pend Oreille's 1,150-foot depth makes it one of the five deepest lakes in the United States—the Navy's Acoustic Research Detachment has operated submarine-scale testing on the lake since World War II, using the depth and freshwater clarity for underwater acoustic research that the classified Cold War testing history made the lake genuinely consequential in naval defense. Sandpoint, 10 miles north on US-95, provides the Bonner County resort town's complete activity infrastructure—the Festival at Sandpoint's outdoor summer concert series, the Pend d'Oreilles Winery's tasting room on Cedar Street, the Schweitzer Mountain Resort's 2,900-foot vertical on Schweitzer Mountain Road, and the City Beach's Lake Pend Oreille swimming create the Sandpoint experience that the northern Idaho outdoor recreation community has built into one of the Pacific Northwest's most recognized small resort cities. Silverwood Theme Park, 19 miles south on US-95 near Athol, provides the Pacific Northwest's largest amusement and water park with roller coasters, water slides, and family rides across 75 acres. Rest in Peace RV Park operates seasonally through the northern Idaho outdoor calendar, with the lake's boating season from May through September, the Schweitzer ski and snowboard season from December through March, and the fall color in the Selkirk and Cabinet mountain forests from late September through mid-October creating the three primary activity periods that the Sagle corridor's four-season appeal sustains. Reserve your site at Rest in Peace RV Park and let the name, the Lake Pend Oreille proximity, and Schweitzer's vertical deliver the northern Idaho Panhandle adventure that Bonner County's most memorably named campground provides.

from $65/night

Granite Point Resort

Granite Point Resort occupies 28 acres of Loon Lake shoreline in eastern Washington's Stevens County, offering lakeside sites and accommodations with a beach, boat rentals, a general store, and on-site dining. A recreation center, game room, and sports courts round out a self-contained summer destination in the inland Northwest. Lakeside sites and accommodations serve guests across a range of formats. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. On-site dining covers meals, which matters at a resort where guests tend to settle in for a week rather than an overnight. The lake frontage carries the recreation. A beach gives direct swimming access, boat rentals put guests on the water, and boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boats all run from the property. A recreation center and game room handle indoor hours, with sports courts, pickleball, basketball, volleyball, and horseshoes outdoors and a playground for families. The programming is well-rounded enough that guests rarely need to leave. Pets are welcome. Loon Lake sits in the ponderosa pine and mixed conifer country of northeastern Washington, among the clear glacially scoured lakes and quiet small towns of the inland Northwest — a summer retreat quite different in character from the Columbia River and Puget Sound destinations that draw the bulk of the state's visitors. The resort has built its reputation over many seasons as a family destination, and demand reflects that. Summer is decisively the peak, with returning families booking year to year — reserve well ahead for July and August.

Black Beach Resort

On the southwestern shore of Curlew Lake in Republic, Washington—in Ferry County in the Okanogan Highlands where the Kettle River Range's forested ridges, the Colville National Forest's 1.1-million acres of ponderosa pine and mixed conifer, and the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway's Continental Divide crossing create the remote northeast Washington outdoor destination that the Republic mining and ranching community has anchored since the 1890s gold rush—Black Beach Resort, the largest camping destination on Curlew Lake's southwestern shore, provides full hookup RV sites with 50-amp service, water, and sewer on manicured waterfront grass sites, one-, two-, and three-bedroom cabin rentals with full kitchens, lake views, and private bathrooms, three fishing and boating docks, a boat launch, boat and motor rentals, a swimming area, a playground, sports courts, volleyball, a convenience store, showers, WiFi, firewood, and hiking trails in a lakeside resort whose Curlew Lake trout fishery, the Colville National Forest access, and the Ferry County's remote high-country character create the eastern Washington lake resort experience that the Spokane and Tri-Cities markets drive to find in the Okanogan Highlands' untrafficked valleys. The largest resort on Curlew Lake. Boat and motor rentals on-site. Colville National Forest surrounds it. Full hookup waterfront RV sites with 50-amp electric, water, and sewer on manicured grass alongside one-, two-, and three-bedroom cabins—each with a full kitchen, private bath, bed linens, and lake views—create the accommodation spectrum for the fifth-wheel angler and the family whose cabin preference matches the angler's routine. Three fishing and boating docks, a boat launch, and the boat and motor rental fleet eliminate the trailer-and-launch logistics for the arriving guest whose Curlew Lake week centers on the trolling and still-fishing that the lake's rainbow and cutthroat trout population sustains through the summer and fall. The swimming area, playground, sports courts, and volleyball serve the non-fishing family members whose Curlew Lake morning does not involve a rod, and the convenience store, showers, and WiFi handle the daily practical infrastructure in a remote Ferry County setting where the drive to Republic's limited services is acceptable precisely because the resort itself provides the essentials. Republic sits in Ferry County at 2,600 feet in the Sanpoil River valley, in the county seat whose gold mining heritage and the Stonerose Interpretive Center's fossil leaf and insect collection from a 49-million-year-old Eocene lake bed—where visitors excavate actual Eocene plant and insect fossils from the shale deposits—create the Ferry County identity that outdoor recreation and heritage tourism values in northeastern Washington's relatively undiscovered interior. The Colville National Forest's 1.1 million acres encompass the Kettle River Range and Selkirk Mountains' southern flank—the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway's highest paved pass in Washington State at 5,575 feet and the White Mountain Lookout's Kettle Crest panorama create the recreation inventory accessible in 20-to-40-minute drives from Curlew Lake. Curlew Lake State Park, 1 mile north, supplements the resort's amenities with additional boat ramp access and the state park day-use area on the lake's north end. Black Beach Resort operates seasonally through the northeastern Washington summer and early fall, with the Memorial Day through Labor Day trout and bass fishing season the primary open period and the September fishing—when the Curlew Lake's cooling water improves trout activity in the shallower lake margins—extending the productive season into the fall color period. Reserve your waterfront site or cabin at Black Beach Resort and let the three docks, the boat rentals, and Curlew Lake's rainbow trout deliver the Ferry County Okanogan Highlands lake resort that the Pacific Northwest's most remote and rewarding eastern interior provides.

Warden Lake RV Resort

23 RV Sites

Warden Lake RV Resort in Warden, Washington, offers 23 full-hookup RV sites on Warden Lake with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 60 feet, behind a gated entrance. Interior and exterior back-in categories join boat docks, kayak rentals, and boat storage in the Columbia Basin's high desert. Twenty-three back-in sites run in interior and exterior categories carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and site WiFi. Cabin rentals round out the accommodations. Laundry, RV storage, and boat storage handle the practical side, with a gated entrance controlling access — and boat storage matters at a lake property where most guests arrive towing. The lake carries the recreation. Boat docks and kayak rentals put guests on the water directly, with fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and water sports all running from the property. A clubhouse and game room cover indoor hours. Pets are welcome. Warden sits in Grant County along the Columbia Basin irrigation corridor that transformed the central Washington plateau from sagebrush dryland into one of North America's most productive farming regions. The surrounding country surprises most visitors — a high desert plateau interrupted by the extraordinary geological formations of the channeled scablands, with productive wildlife terrain throughout. The resort serves the central Washington season, with summer lake recreation and fishing driving the heaviest demand. With 23 sites on a quiet lake, reserve ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $45/night

Smokiam RV Resort

42 RV Sites, 1 Cabin, 46 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites, 1 Cottage, 10 Tipis

Smokiam RV Resort sits on the shore of Soap Lake in the Columbia Basin of central Washington, a mineral-rich body of water so geochemically unique that it ranks as one of only two lakes of its kind in the world. The soap lake campground sits at the edge of waters that the region's Indigenous peoples and early settlers regarded as having healing properties—a reputation supported by the lake's extraordinarily diverse mineral content, which includes sodium, magnesium, sulfate, and carbonate compounds in concentrations that give the water its characteristic feel and the lake its name. The resort delivers a full amenity package centered on the lake's distinctive character: 900 feet of sandy beach, a pool, two mineral spas, a European steam sauna, and a dock with canoe, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard rentals give guests multiple entry points into the Soap Lake experience. A renovated playground, sport court, and miniature golf course provide recreation for guests who prefer to stay on shore. A beverage bar and espresso café are available in the renovated clubhouse, and the resort offers a range of accommodations from full-hookup RV sites to luxurious new log cabin rentals and tepee rentals for guests who want the most distinctive overnight option in the Columbia Basin. High-speed WiFi, restrooms, showers, and laundry round out the practical amenities. Soap Lake is the southernmost of a chain of lakes occupying the Grand Coulee, a massive glacially-carved canyon that runs through the Columbia Basin—a landscape shaped by the Missoula Floods, the largest known floods in Earth's history. The coulees, lakes, and basalt cliff formations of this region are among the most dramatic post-glacial landscapes in North America, and the geology underfoot at Smokiam RV Resort tells part of that enormous story. The lake's mineral concentration has naturally increased over millennia as water evaporates and minerals accumulate without an outlet, creating the chemistry that defines its therapeutic reputation. Dry Falls, about 20 miles north, is one of the great geological wonders of North America—a 3.5-mile-wide, 400-foot-tall waterfall remnant from the Ice Age floods that once carried ten times the combined flow of all the world's current rivers. The Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park that surrounds it provides camping, hiking, and additional lakes for swimming and fishing in a landscape that is simultaneously beautiful and geologically humbling. Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest concrete structures ever built and the most powerful hydroelectric facility in the United States, is about 45 minutes north and offers tours of its extraordinary infrastructure. Banks Lake, created by the dam as a pumped irrigation reservoir, provides water skiing, fishing, and boating in a dramatic basalt canyon setting. Smokiam RV Resort operates through the Columbia Basin camping season, with the dry, sunny summers of central Washington delivering reliable warm weather from May through September. The mineral lake's soaking pools and beach draw visitors seeking the therapeutic experience year-round, and the fall hunting season brings additional guests to the Columbia Basin. The combination of Soap Lake's genuinely unique geochemistry, the resort's expanding amenity set, and easy access to Dry Falls and the Grand Coulee makes Smokiam one of the more distinctive camping destinations in eastern Washington.

from $49/night