Agency-listedUSFS
Upper Payette Lake Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 45.12484, -116.02873
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,577 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower14 mi
- FFuel15 mi
- GGrocery15 mi
- MMechanic15 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- OOutfitter25 mi
- LLaundry27 mi
- WWater39 mi
- DDump39 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 39-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 15 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,577 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
45.12484, -116.02873
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletUpper Payette Lake Campground · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUpper Payette Lake Boat Ramp · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUpper Payette Lake Dispersed · ~0.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUpper Payette Lake Group Campground · ~0.8 mi NE · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Upper Payette Lake Dispersed~0.6 mi
- Upper Payette Lake Group Campground~0.8 mi · fee
- Granite Lake Dispersed~3.1 mi
- North Fork Meadows~3.2 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Secesh Summit at 6,530 ft, about 5 miles away. It sits about 953 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-21: $10 per night single site, $15 double site (group sites $20 and $30). Forest page and recreation.gov listing 234030 agree for the 2026-06-12 to 2026-09-15 season. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/payette/recreation/upper-payette-lake-campground (last updated August 19, 2026).
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading the aerial →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →