Camping in Idaho

Stanley is a tiny town with the Sawtooth Mountains standing right behind it, sharp and close enough that they look painted on. On a calm morning at Redfish Lake just south of town, the peaks show up twice, once in the sky and once in the water. Stanley has the biggest cluster of campgrounds in the state, and it's often one of the coldest places in the country overnight, even in summer.

Beyond Stanley, Lowman sits on the Payette River with hot springs along the road, and Idaho City is an old gold-rush town with Forest Service cabins in the hills around it. In the east, Island Park has campgrounds along the Henry's Fork near Yellowstone. Up north, Elk City is about as remote as Idaho gets, so fill up before you go.