U.S. Forest Service · Salmon-Challis National Forest · Idaho

Bear Valley Horse Camp

The Bear Valley (lower) Equestrian Campground has 6 tent and trailer compatible sites and accommodates campers with stock. It has water, feed troughs and hitch rails. There is a vault toilet, piped drinking water, but no garbage services. Access to hiking and horse trails along the Bear Valley National Recreation Trail.

First-come, first-servedFreeTents only

More like this: first-come in Idaho · free in Idaho · tent only in Idaho

1fire
active
Scf Nz Pile Burn Rx (prescribed burn) · 25 mi away · 223 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-26
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
Feesno fee

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

Season5/15
ForestSalmon-Challis National Forest
Bookingno reservations
Feesno fee

Salmon-Challis National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Bear Valley Horse Camp10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.32 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.26 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.66 inches of precipitationApril: 0.81 inches of precipitationMay: 1.22 inches of precipitationJune: 1.28 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.45 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.88 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.89 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.93 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.48 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.32 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.0°F averageFebruary: 26.0°F averageMarch: 34.8°F averageApril: 41.8°F averageMay: 50.8°F averageJune: 58.2°F averageJuly: 66.1°F averageAugust: 63.9°F averageSeptember: 55.5°F averageOctober: 42.7°F averageNovember: 30.0°F averageDecember: 20.5°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at May 2Sse, 17 miles from the campground at 5,050 feet, station USC00105685 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 9 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates44.7926° N, 113.7798° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Scf Nz Pile Burn Rx

    25 mi from the campground · 223 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗17.1 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Video of Bear Valley RV and Campground, UT from Samantha H.

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • under 0.1 mi
    Bear Valley Lakes NRT ↗
    5.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more · national_recreation_or_other
  • 0.1 mi
    Basin Creek-High Spur 1
    2.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.6 mi
    Kadletz Creek
    2.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 2.3 mi
    Buck Lake
    1.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 2.8 mi
    Hayden Creek ↗
    9.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 3.4 mi
    Basin Creek-High ↗
    5.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Salmon-Challis National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Guidebooks for Idaho

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Bear Valley Horse Camp?

No. Bear Valley Horse Camp is first-come, first-served. no reservations Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Bear Valley Horse Camp?

Nothing. Bear Valley Horse Camp is listed as free. no fee

Source: Forest Service

Can I bring an RV to Bear Valley Horse Camp?

Bear Valley Horse Camp is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if Bear Valley Horse Camp is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Mcfarland Campground (10.5 mi), Morse Creek Campground (11.2 mi, first-come), and Agency Creek Campground (15.4 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby