Free camping near Garden Valley, ID
Within 25 straight-line miles of Garden Valley, ID there are 39 camps: 6 free, 33 fee. The closest is Hot Springs Campground, 3.2 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Ten Mile, 18 miles out. Today's season read covers 11 of them: 11 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.
Who manages them: 39 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs Campground | 3.2 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Garden Valley | — |
| Tie Creek Campground | 8.8 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Crouch | Open |
| Swinging Bridge Campground | 10 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Banks | — |
| Canyon Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Cold Springs Group Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 7.5 mi to Smiths Ferry | Open |
| Hardscrabble Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Crouch | — |
| Big Eddy Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Smiths Ferry | Open |
| Rattlesnake Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Pine Flats Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Trail Creek Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Deadwood Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Mountain View Campground | 18 | Fee | South Fork Payette River (river) | 0.9 mi to Lowman | — |
| Hayfork Group Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 8.7 mi to Idaho | Open |
| Bad Bear Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Idaho | — |
| Ten Mile | 18 | Free | Mores Creek (stream) | 7.8 mi to Idaho City | — |
| Whoop-Um-Up Equestrian Camp | 18 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to Lowman | — |
| Edna Creek | 19 | Free | — | 8.3 mi to Lowman | — |
| Silver Creek Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Park Creek Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 3.6 mi to Lowman | — |
| Beaver Creek Group Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Lowman | — |
| Lower Silver Creek Dispersed Camp | 19 | Free | — | 14 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Grayback Gulch | 20 | Free | Elk Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Idaho City | — |
| Boiling Springs Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Smiths Ferry | Open |
| Grayback Group | 20 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Idaho | — |
| Upper Silver (Peace Cr) Dispersed Camp | 20 | Free | — | 15 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Hollywood Point Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Eastside Group Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Sage Hen Creek Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Smiths Ferry | Open |
| Peace Valley Group Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Cartwright Ridge Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 6.1 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Cozy Cove Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Lowman | — |
| Antelope Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Shady Pines Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 6.1 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Shafer Butte Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 8.7 mi to Avimor | — |
| Hower'S Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Barney'S Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Lowman | — |
| Willow Creek Campground | 23 | Free | — | 9.7 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Riverside Campground | 23 | Fee | — | — | Open |
| Helende Campground | 24 | Fee | South Fork Payette River (river) | 7.3 mi to Lowman | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Garden Valley, ID, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.