Why I love to camp in Idaho

I absolutely love living in the great state of Utah. This beautiful state is full of so many outdoor opportunities and places to visit. I enjoy exploring all of the iconic landscapes of Utah. Including it's pine forests, aspen forests, great basin fauna, to it's red slot canyons, rocky buttes and desert landscapes. There is only one problem....so does the rest of the state's residents and oh yeah the rest of the world. The Wasatch front is one giant city from Nephi all the way to Tremonton. This giant city is continually growing in every direction, and a large majority of this population loves to escape from this giant city into the mountains 5-30 minutes away. Also, throw in 5 popular national parks in the mix, several national monuments, and a large number of state parks. Utah is full of outdoor enthusiasts and they all want that same campsite that you want. It doesn't matter if you are talking about the campsites 20 minutes away to the ones 5 hours away. Camping and exploring in this beautiful state, is in high demand. I'm not discouraging anyone from coming to Utah or staying in Utah to camp. Plan ahead, make reservations just about as far in advance as you can, and maybe head out to first come first serve sites on Wednesday or Thursday to ensure that you get a spot.

Many times I will get off work a little early during the summer or I will decide to take a long weekend on a whim. Good weather and the itch to be outdoors often sends my family and I off camping for the weekend, last minute. These last minute trips are like playing the lottery if I decide to camp here in Utah. For that reason, I head north to Idaho! Idaho is a magical place for camping. I have never over payed for a camping spot in Idaho (many places are free) nor have I ever had a problem finding a nice private campsite, even for last minute trips. The state is absolutely wide open, and only a small percentage of people are taking advantage of the camping opportunities. Sure, Idaho has its hot spots, but outside of Island Park the word "crowds" is almost nonexistent.

Personally, I absolutely love the fishing in Idaho and would take it over Utah fishing any day. Not only is accessibility about a thousand times better than Utah, the entire state is drowning in lakes, rivers, creeks, and brooks. I have yet to come across a body of water in Idaho that hasn't had a healthy population of trout. Whether it's the weekend, a holiday, or a random Tuesday, besides the Henry's Fork, I have never come across another fishermen on any river or creek that I have fished in Idaho. Many times I have had beautiful high country lakes all to myself as well. I'll tell you right now that many of these places you can drive right to the spot. No need to hike 15+ miles into the backcountry for solitude.

Fishing availability is always important for me when picking a camping spot, but I also like to find places where we can do fun things together as a family. Idaho is a great place to camp with your family. We enjoy camping in forest settings usually outside of small towns in eastern Idaho where we can make day trips to explore these places. Some of the activities that I have enjoyed with my family includes white water rafting, swimming, fly fishing, site seeing, hiking, ATV riding, mountain biking, star gazing, boating, river tubing, hot spring soaking, antiquing, disc golf, wildlife viewing, and that is just the beginning of the many possibilities.

My favorite way to plan my next adventure is to head to google maps, look for the green spots on the map, zoom in, and start doing homework. Social media, books, and google can be a great tool for looking for amazing places to explore. Search hashtags for specific areas, search pictures on google earth and maps, and go find camping books at thrift stores and libraries. If you need to escape the work rat race, skip the camping rat race as well and head to the places less traveled. Camping is all about connecting with nature, relaxing, stepping away from your day to day life, enjoying time with family and doing all of that with some sense of solitude and privacy.

Thanks for checking out Creekside today! Happy camping! Warm weather will be here soon!

-Mike