Alturas Lake, Idaho (Campgrounds)
We spent the month of May in Idaho, even though it was too cold for us to camp. So we rented a condo. Then we drove to Alturas Lake and its campgrounds…
Alturas Tent Campground (more about it here) was a small campground that required a little hiking on the eastern side of Alturas Lake. This is where I must share an alert that I would never tent camp in bear country, but everyone I know thinks it’s perfectly normal and fun.
Alturas Smokey Bear Campground (more about it here) was the only campground open while we were there in May, and I loved it so much. A small Alturas campground, too, on this clear lake (with a boat ramp), surrounded by beautiful conifers and hiking trails.
Alturas North Shore Campground (more about it here) was yet another small beautiful campground in the conifers, next to Alturas Lake and its sparkling shoreline, plus near the hiking trails that can take one into the Sawtooth Wilderness area.
Alturas Inlet Campground (more about it here) was the largest and only Alturas Lake campground that accepted reservations. It was still blocked by a snowy road in May, but one of us (who is not afraid of bears) happily hiked to it on foot to relive some happy memories.
I only knew Alturas as a location where my partner experienced special childhood memories. But that was all I needed to know to be happy about spending some daytime at Alturas Lake.
While the high desert mountain experience can seem beautiful or stark, Alturas Lake was a surprising sweet spot for me. It had what I consider the best of everything this area offers.
Untouched wilderness. Clear lake. Peaceful sounds.
Just enough beautiful camping sites sprinkled about. Plus some cute rustic outhouses.
It felt remote, yet Alturas was close enough to civilization to be reached easily. For those of us who like to avoid bear encounters, I found comfort in the few human inhabitants nearby.
This was the picturesque beauty called Alturas.
