Idaho’s wilderness is massive and untamed, with plenty of spaces to explore. The area surrounding Boise is no exception. One great way to explore this wilderness is camping. Pack up the essentials and rough it for a night or 5. Some good places to check out close to Boise are the Payette river near banks, the McCall area, the Stanley area, and the Featherville area.
If you are looking for a quick overnighter close to Boise. You should check out the Payette river around Banks. At 
banks the North and South Forks of the Payette come together to form the Main Payette which then continues to flow South. This means that there are plenty of miles of river to camp by. A few good campgrounds are Hot Springs Campground, Cold Springs Campground, and Kirkham Campground.
McCall is a popular place to spend the weekend, and for good reason. McCall is a cute little town right on the shore of a beautiful lake. The surrounding area is mountainous and heavily timbered. In short, an ideal area for camping. A few of the best spots are Upper Payette Lake Campground, Ponderosa State Park RV Campground, and Rainbow Point Campground.
The Stanley area boasts perhaps the most beautiful views in all of Idaho. Stanley is nestled in among the Sawtooth Mountains. These are rocky, jagged mountains which seem impossibly high when viewed from the base. Most of the campgrounds are next to one of the beautiful lakes in the area. 
Alturas, Pettit, Stanley, and of course Redfish Lake are the most popular. Some camping may be dispersed camping.
The area surrounding Featherville is slightly different in characteristic than the rest of the areas on our list. Though not what one might typically consider a dessert. The area is in fact considered a high mountain dessert. Large expansive plains filled with sage-brush and crisscrossed by deep canyons. A few great places to camp in the area are Dog Creek Campground, Chaparral Campground, and Abbott Campground.
Posted by Mike and Erica Carr on
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