Campgrounds and RV parks near Bellevue, ID

The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is the main draw, with hundreds of alpine lakes, the headwaters of several major Idaho rivers, and hundreds of miles of trails. Summer activities include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, whitewater rafting, kayaking on Redfish and Alturas lakes, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing. East of Bellevue, Craters of the Moon offers the paved Loop Road, lava tube caves along the Caves Trail (a free cave permit is required from the visitor center, and some caves are closed to protect bats), cinder cone hikes, and designated International Dark Sky viewing. In winter, the Sun Valley area shifts to alpine and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing, and Craters of the Moon offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing along the closed Loop Road.

The Wood River Valley has a short, dry summer and a long, snowy winter. Most Forest Service campgrounds in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area open in late spring and close by late September or early October, driven by snow at higher elevations. Higher-elevation sites open later and close earlier than those closer to Ketchum. July and August are the peak booking window, with reservable sites often filling well in advance and dispersed areas along the North Fork of the Big Wood River filling on weekends. Shoulder seasons in late May, June, and September bring cooler nights, fewer crowds, and variable weather, and overnight temperatures can drop below freezing. At Craters of the Moon, Lava Flow Campground is accessible by vehicle from May through November, depending on snow, and the monument road can close in winter when snow arrives. Water is typically off in the shoulder season. Smiley Creek Lodge operates seasonally, closing in the fall and reopening after enough snow accumulates for winter recreation.

Elevations run high across the area: Bellevue sits above 5,000 feet, and sites in the Sawtooth reach well above 6,000 feet. Expect large day-to-night temperature swings, cool mornings even in July, strong sun, and dry air. Craters of the Moon is windy and exposed, with little shade on the lava fields, and dark rock surfaces can become extremely hot in summer. Cell coverage is spotty outside Bellevue, Hailey, and Ketchum, and disappears in much of the Sawtooth backcountry and at Craters of the Moon. Fire restrictions are common in mid to late summer. Wood fires are prohibited year-round at Lava Flow Campground, so bring a propane stove. Wildlife includes mule deer, elk, coyotes, and black bears in the mountains, and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area has a food storage order in effect. A stay limit of 10 days within a 30-mile radius applies within the SNRA.