Best Dispersed Camping near Athol, ID

Cute little dispersed campground approx 6 sites. At least 2 of them are good for me trailer although I wouldn't try if you're not experienced with towing. The road to get there was approx six miles of gravel winding single lane road. But so worth the drive for the beautiful shaded sites and the open Lakeview sites. Not alot of traffic comes through during the week. Has one vault toilet that was pretty clean but bring your own tp. Also it is bear county so be sure to bring bear proof containers although it was so hot when we went that the wildlife was hiding out...lol

This was my first ever backpacking experience and was a great introduction for me. We did the 3.5-mile trail. It was challenging and encouraging. My dog loved it too, and she's a larger breed! I would recommend this trek for anyone who is wanting to learn and practice backpacking skills. There are a few cleared areas for dispersed camping at the lake and a few other locations along the 3.5-mile trail and the 11-mile trail to Engle Lake. It is mostly uphill along both trails, though, so be mindful of that when considering equipment and weight. It is a gorgeous spot and is close to the Engle Peak summit with 360-degree views of the Cabinet Mountains. When we were here, there were a lot of Elk and Moose foot-traffic. They probably won't bother you. Just be aware of them and store your food properly. There have been grizzly bears spotted here, but not that frequently, apparently. Nonetheless, bring a bear canister and place it 100-300 feet from your tent. Enjoy the preserved and lightly trafficked gem! And as always, leave no trace and follow COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines :)

We were able to get our fifth wheel (40ft long, 13 1/2 ft tall) in and out easy! Lots of spaces and places to turn around. After crossing the bike path, take the first right onto the dirt road at the sportsmans access sign (parallel to the small paved parking lot.) Like another said, the best spot is past the first circular area. Keep going down the road and you’ll see a big shady area in the trees. (You can go further along to two more sites more suited for smaller pop-up campers, tents, or vans.) Close to the water so of course, there were some bugs: lots of bees and mosquitoes.

Went with the family in mid May on a perfect weekend weather-wise. If you drive past the first couple grass campsites and continue on the narrow road with water on both sides, just off to the right is a single secluded campsite amongst the tree. The best site there imo. privacy, lots of trees so the site gets a good amount of shade but sun still pokes through, perfect. 

Mosquitos weren't so bad that it affected us but we all had a few bites. My only knock on this site, which isn't much, is that you can see homes from the sites. What can I say I like to feel like I am far from everyone. 

Good site to camp for a family.

The good -A beautiful camp ground. Small space with multiple dispersed camp sites along the creek and throughout the wooded area. The creek is very small but powerful. You can not swim but still a great place to get wet. If you have a tube bring it and enjoy a short river ride. Not a good place to fish. The main camp area is completely shaded keeping things cool. The camp is very close to the creek. Still there was no issues with bugs. I did not need bug spray. There are established stone fire pits or you can gather up some rocks and make your own. Plenty of deadfall and fire wood all over the place. There is also a fence that runs the perimeter of the camp area. Helping to keep the predators out. The only animal I saw besides squirrels and birds was a skunk. Bears, coyotes, wolves and cougars are know to frequent the area.  

The bad - Many of the locals are not friendly and claim the whole creek portion of the camp ground for themselves. There are about 6 different camp sites directly on the main creek. The others are spread out through the woods. People often use the creek just to bring their kids down to frolic in the water for a few hours. More than once I have been approached and ran off by hostile creek users. Im sure there are good folks around their too. That said the few people I have met out there are nasty and will refuse to share the campground causing all kinds of drama until you just get mad and leave. Last weekend I was approached by 4 men who were not camping just using the creek to tube with their kids. I was told that I better go find another place to camp. That they were using the creek and I could not be there. I set up anyways camping away from them and was not in anyway a bother to them. Still they continued to come over and harass me about leaving. Until I finally I strapped on my pistol approached them and told them I wasn't going any where. I was met with a lot of cussing and threats. But finally They did leave! So sad a beautiful place I truly loved the area. Not sure if I will continue to go back. It was not worth the ignorance or drama of other human beings. No toilets or electricity, No wifi or fresh drinking water. If you can avoid ignorant humans I would recommend this place to camp.

Hwy 3 > Cross the 1 lane bridge called "South Bull Run Rd" > continue to the right past a few houses until you reach Coeur d'alene Trail access parking area > cross over trail and continue down parallel West Bull Run rd

4 spots that I found.  One is a large loop with fire pits already setup (where I stayed).  There's one back-in that used to be a 2 track trail next to a small pond, another pull-through loop next to the main sign, and one more site down the road towards the forest.

You're really close to highway 3 so there's road noise from that.  More common actually was the sound of boats going down the Coeur d'Alene river which is even closer.  There's another camping area across the river (which is apparently contaminated with toxic materials from mining lol).  I was here during 4th of July so people were lighting off fire crackers there as you'd expect.

Overall it's a very beautiful spot, with multiple small lakes, deer grazing around, and plenty of wildflowers.

Had no issue with my 25ft trailer as the road was in good shape.  Larger rigs would probably be okay too, but I'd scout it out.

This is Idaho Fish and Wildlife property and has a 3-day maximum stay.