Stargazing

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

Aspen Grove Inn at Heise Bridge

30 RV Sites, 6 Cabins, 11 Tent Sites, 4 Cottages, 2 Yurts, 1 Onsite RV/Trailer, 1 House

Aspen Grove Inn at Heise Bridge in Rigby, Idaho, offers year-round accommodations in eastern Idaho's Snake River Plain — RV and camp sites, cabins, private cottages, yurts, glamper campers, and a lodge with bunkhouse giving guests a comprehensive range of lodging options in Jefferson County's agricultural and outdoor recreation landscape between Idaho Falls and the Teton Valley. The property's year-round operation and accommodation diversity serve the full spectrum of eastern Idaho visitors: fly fishing and float trip guests on the Henry's Fork and South Fork of the Snake River, Yellowstone National Park travelers using Idaho Falls as their western park approach, and the regional outdoor recreation community pursuing the Snake River Plain's volcanic geology and the surrounding public land network. RV sites with hookups, tent camping, cabins, cottages, yurts, glamper campers, and the lodge and bunkhouse give the property the most comprehensive accommodation range of any camping property in eastern Idaho — a flexibility that serves solo anglers, family groups, corporate retreat groups, and outdoor organizations whose equipment and accommodation needs span the full range that a property of this accommodation depth can address. The year-round operation maintains availability through the winter months when the surrounding Snake River Plain's fishing and wildlife activity continues in modified form from the summer peak. Pets are welcome. The Henry's Fork of the Snake River, flowing south from Henry's Lake through Island Park and the Mesa Falls corridor toward Ashton, is one of the most famous spring creek dry-fly fisheries in the world — the Railroad Ranch section through the Harriman State Park meadow, where rainbow trout of 18 to 24 inches rise in spring creek-style feeding lanes to mayfly and caddis hatches that the Henry's Fork's cold, clear spring flow sustains, is specifically cited in international fly fishing literature as a standard of difficult, technical, demanding trout fishing. The South Fork of the Snake River through the Swan Valley provides the float fishing complement — a large, productive freestone river where the rainbow and cutthroat trout populations support a guide industry of significant regional scale. Yellowstone National Park, approximately 90 miles north and east via the US Highway 20 and State Highway 47 Island Park corridor, gives Rigby the western approach to the park that avoids the congested South Entrance from Jackson Hole — a less-traveled approach through Island Park's volcanic caldera and the Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road into the park's Bechler and Falls River country in the park's southwestern quadrant. The Grand Teton National Park's western Snake River approach from Victor, Idaho, over the Teton Pass, provides the additional mountain scenery corridor accessible from the eastern Idaho base. Aspen Grove Inn at Heise Bridge operates year-round in eastern Idaho's continental climate, where the summer season from June through September provides the peak fly fishing, Yellowstone touring, and outdoor recreation activity and the winter months offer the specific cold-weather Idaho experience of the Snake River Plain landscape. The Ririe Reservoir, immediately west of Rigby, provides motorized water recreation, fishing, and the Tex Creek Wildlife Management Area's hunting access for the eastern Idaho visitor base. Reserve cabins, cottages, and lodge accommodations ahead for the peak summer fly fishing season when the Henry's Fork and South Fork guide bookings fill months in advance and overnight accommodation in Jefferson County fills from the regional fishing and Yellowstone travel market.

from $30/night

Idaho Sky RV Resort

144 RV Sites, 1 Cabin

In Rexburg, Idaho—in Madison County on the Snake River Plain of eastern Idaho where the Teton Range's volcanic peaks rise 60 miles to the east, the Yellowstone caldera lies 90 minutes northeast, and the St. Anthony Sand Dunes' desert landscape contrasts spectacularly with the irrigated agricultural plain of the upper Snake River Valley—Idaho Sky RV Resort offers 159 large full hookup sites with pull-throughs reaching 89 feet by 40 feet, vacation rental accommodations, two hot tubs, pickleball courts, 24-hour laundry, complimentary WiFi, BBQ grills and community fire pits in a premier eastern Idaho resort that serves as the most practical and comfortable gateway campground for the Yellowstone-Teton corridor that makes this part of Idaho one of the most spectacular natural environments accessible by road anywhere in the continental United States. For Yellowstone and Grand Teton visitors who want a full-service resort rather than a national park campground lottery, Rexburg solves the problem. The 159 full hookup sites include pull-throughs at 89 by 40 feet and smaller options at 62 by 35 feet, accommodating the full range of rigs the Yellowstone circuit attracts—from 45-foot motorhomes to family travel trailers—with 30 and 50-amp service on every site. Two hot tubs provide the mineral soak recovery that the day's hiking in the Tetons or exploring Yellowstone's geyser basins genuinely demands, pickleball courts serve the active resort community, and the 24-hour laundry ensures that multi-week Yellowstone-circuit travelers can maintain clean wardrobes without disrupting the exploration schedule. Vacation rental accommodations provide the furnished option for guests traveling without an RV. BBQ grills and fire pits create the outdoor gathering space that summer evenings in eastern Idaho's clear mountain air invite. Rexburg sits in Madison County at 4,865 feet on the Snake River Plain, where irrigation has transformed high-desert sage into the potato and grain production that drives the county's economy. BYU-Idaho's campus gives Rexburg its college-town character, and the city's position as the eastern Idaho hub for the Yellowstone-Teton corridor creates the service economy the resort serves. Grand Teton National Park, 60 miles east via US-20 and US-26 through Driggs, provides the full Teton mountain experience—the Cathedral Group's 13,770-foot Grand Teton, Jenny Lake, the String Lake swimming, the valley floor moose and bison that the park manages, and the Snake River float trips from Jackson Lake to Moose that expose the Teton skyline from the water. Yellowstone National Park, 90 miles northeast via US-20 through Ashton and the Marysville Road, provides the geothermal world of Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, the Lamar Valley's wolf and bison populations, and the Yellowstone Falls that make the park the most geologically extraordinary landscape in North America. Harriman State Park, 30 miles north near Ashton on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, protects one of the most productive wild trout fisheries in the Rocky Mountains. Idaho Sky RV Resort operates year-round in Rexburg's eastern Idaho climate, with the primary Yellowstone-Teton season running from Memorial Day through September when the parks are fully accessible and the eastern Idaho mountain weather at its most reliable. The St. Anthony Sand Dunes—expansive white quartz sand dunes 30 miles north—provide the off-season recreation for OHV and sandboarding enthusiasts during the shoulder seasons. Fall in the Teton Valley from September through October delivers the golden aspen groves against the Teton skyline in one of the Rocky Mountain West's most photographed autumn landscapes. Reserve your site at Idaho Sky RV Resort and let Rexburg's proximity to Yellowstone, the Tetons, and the Snake River Plain's extraordinary eastern Idaho landscape make this the gateway resort your western adventure requires.

from $52/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

Genesis Mountain Farm

6 Glamping Sites

Genesis Mountain Farm in Sandpoint, Idaho, occupies a spectacular setting in Bonner County's Selkirk Mountain foothills above the Pend Oreille River valley, offering a distinctive farm-stay and event venue camping experience on a working mountain property where the forested Selkirk Range, a tributary creek, and the sweeping views characteristic of northern Idaho's lake-and-mountain country create the backdrop for hiking, biking, birding, and the stargazing made possible by Bonner County's genuinely dark skies. Positioned near one of the American Northwest's most beautiful small resort towns, the farm welcomes guests year-round in a natural setting of rare quality. Genesis Mountain Farm's accommodations lean toward the experiential and intimate—a dining experience, showers, bathrooms, and immersion in the working mountain farm property's natural character define the stay rather than resort-scale amenity infrastructure. The property's mountain, river and creek access, and forested terrain provide the primary recreation, supplemented by planned activities, hiking and biking trails through the surrounding Selkirk foothills, and the boating and off-roading opportunities accessible from the farm's Bonner County location. The wedding venue function of the property reflects the setting's natural beauty and its appeal to couples seeking an outdoor celebration in northern Idaho's dramatically scenic mountain environment. Sandpoint, a short drive from the farm, is consistently ranked among the most beautiful small towns in the American Northwest—a community of 8,000 on the northern shores of Lake Pend Oreille, one of the deepest and most scenic lakes in the United States at 43 miles long and up to 1,150 feet deep. The town's Cedar Street Bridge public market, First Avenue's independent restaurant and retail district, and the performing arts culture of the Panida Theater create a cultural vibrancy unusual in a city of Sandpoint's size, and the surrounding Selkirk and Cabinet mountain ranges provide four-season outdoor recreation of genuinely exceptional quality. Lake Pend Oreille's cold, deep waters support a remarkable fishery including trophy-sized lake trout, bull trout, and the Gerrard rainbow trout strain introduced from British Columbia that regularly produces fish exceeding 30 pounds—among the largest wild rainbow trout in North America. Schweitzer Mountain Resort above Sandpoint operates one of the Pacific Northwest's largest and most underrated ski areas, with 2,900 acres of skiable terrain and the Lake Pend Oreille views from the summit providing a visual setting that rival resorts in more commercially prominent destinations cannot match. The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and Selkirk Mountains backcountry extend the hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities throughout the Bonner County landscape. Genesis Mountain Farm operates year-round in northern Idaho's four-season climate, where the Selkirk foothills' elevation and Sandpoint's lake-moderated microclimate create winter snowpack for skiing, spring wildflower seasons across the mountain meadows, summer hiking and water recreation, and the spectacular fall foliage display that colors the Pend Oreille valley's mixed conifer and hardwood forest through October. The farm's year-round openness and wedding venue calendar serve guests across every season, and the Schweitzer Mountain ski season from November through April creates a distinct winter recreation demand from skiers seeking a base camp above the lake in Sandpoint's immediate vicinity.

from $166/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

The Hitching Post

51 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

The Hitching Post in Snowville, Utah, offers 51 full-hookup RV sites and 10 tent sites just off Interstate 84, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 130 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Back-in and pull-through categories at both amperages join a laundry, showers, community fire pit, and dump station. Fifty-one sites span back-in 30-amp, back-in 50-amp, pull-thru 30-amp, and pull-thru 50-amp categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 130 feet, with picnic tables. One hundred thirty feet is exceptional and accommodates anything on the road with room to spare — genuinely useful on an interstate corridor where big rigs need a straightforward overnight. Ten tent sites round out the lodging. A laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and a community fire pit handle the practical side. One vehicle is allowed per site, with an extra fee for additional vehicles. Two cafés and diners are within walking distance, and two gas stations are within a mile. The grounds offer hiking, biking, and dog walking, with offroading nearby. The dark desert sky makes for genuinely exceptional stargazing — among the best you will find at a highway park. Pets are welcome. The address is 490 West Main Street, at the northern tip of the Great Salt Lake Desert in Box Elder County, where the Raft River Mountains rise above the salt flats and I-84 carries traffic between Portland and Salt Lake City. Demand tracks interstate traffic and summer travel. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $20/night