USDA Forest Service · Idaho
NORTH FORK CAMPGROUND - St. CHARLES CANYON
USDA Forest Service · Idaho, United States
- Sites
- 1
- Hookups
- 1 no hookups
- Season
- May 28 to September 5
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 6,972 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Access road
- NORTH FORK ST CHARLES (NFSR 31176) · crushed aggregate or gravel · suitable for passenger cars
- Lake
- Caribou-Targhee National Forest
- Phone
- 541-351-1182
- Activities
- Boating, Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Hunting, Mountain Biking
1 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Overview
North Fork Campground is located in scenic St. Charles Canyon in southern Idaho, near Bear Lake. Visitors enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding and motorcycling on local trails, and fishing in St. Charles Creek.
Recreation
North Fork Trail, which has a trailhead within the campground, is open to motorcycles, horses, hikers and mountain bikers and connects with the Highline Trail, a 55-mile path along the backbone of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game manages the river fisheries, providing excellent fishing most of the year, including in St. Charles Creek. In-season big game hunting is also a popular activity.
Facilities
The campground offers an accessible group site that can accommodate a maximum of 50 guests. The group site is made up of five smaller sites.
Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets. Roads and parking spurs are gravel.
Natural Features
A dense, mixed growth conifer forest covers the campground. St. Charles Creek flows gently through the site.
Nearby Attractions
Minnetonka Cave is a short distance from the campground. Scenic Canyons offers guided, 90-minute tours through the nine-room cave with formations called the Bride and Groom, Three Sisters and Devil's Kingdom. The cave temperature is 40 degrees and the path through it includes 444 steps. Tickets must be purchased at the cave entrance.
Bear Lake's North Beach is 12 miles from the campground, offering swimming and fishing opportunities on one of the Inter-mountain West's largest natural lakes.
Bear Lake State Park Marina is 20 miles from the campground, with a seven-lane boat ramp, boat rentals, slips, a snack bar and general store.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 17° | -10° | 40° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 31° | 18° | -8° | 43° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 38° | 22° | 5° | 53° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 42° | 27° | 13° | 61° | 11 of 11 |
| May | 57° | 35° | 22° | 67° | 7 of 11 |
| June | 70° | 47° | 33° | 86° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 82° | 57° | 40° | 92° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 56° | 44° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 69° | 48° | 29° | 78° | 1 of 11 |
| October | 55° | 35° | 16° | 70° | 7 of 10 |
| November | 41° | 25° | 2° | 56° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 30° | 17° | 5° | 42° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Porcupine (Id) · USDA Forest Service · 1 mi · 17 sites
- Cloverleaf Campground · USDA Forest Service · 1 mi · 19 sites
- Davis Canyon Campground · USDA Forest Service · 2 mi · 1 sites
- Egan Basin Guard Station · USDA Forest Service · 4 mi · 1 sites
- St. Charles Campground · USDA Forest Service · 5 mi · 6 sites
All public campgrounds in Idaho · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.