Big Elk Campground, Irwin, ID

Big Elk Campground is located in the Palisades Ranger District, Caribou-Targhee National Forest (1 hr 9 min east of Idaho Falls, ID) with an elevation of 5,648 feet. There are a total of 3 campsites. The campground is normally open from the end of May to the beginning of September. Sites can accommodate RVs and trailers up to 50 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. There is a fee of $60.00 per night. Some amenities include swimming. Activities include biking, boating, fishing, hiking trails, floating sports.
Make a Reservation

Campsite Reviews (16)

4.6 out of 5

5 star
69%
4 star
13%
3 star
13%
2 star
0%
1 star
0%
@MarkW2201412 · Camped on Aug 30, 2024 at Campsite #B1
Camp host was very nice. Bathrooms were very well taken care off
@GayleenCCD3DBE · Camped on Sep 8, 2023 at Campsite #A1
Great campsite. Loved the creek nearby with the salmon and saw several bald eagles. Beautiful area.
@NicoleS4864408 · Camped on Aug 18, 2022 at Campsite #A1
Great location, lots to do. Very close to Big Elk for paddle boarding and kayaking. The kids loved playing in the little creek. Will definitely have our group camp out here again next year!
@KatieF5720380 · Camped on Aug 7, 2022 at Campsite #B2
Camp hosts are absolutely the nicest people. The bathrooms are exquisite as far as public/outhouse type bathrooms are. The smell was more than lovely. They take great care. Sad for Palisades that there is a drought, but we were able to find swimming and still had a blast. The view and surroundings around Loop B-2 are incredible. It is our go to camping trip if we only do one trip a year.
@carolj2599988 · Camped on Jul 5, 2022 at Campsite #B2
Our family stay at the Big Elk group campsite was terrific! Thank you so much for providing such a large area, for vehicles, campers, tents, and the grassy field that our grand kids were able to play frisbee & other games every day. We appreciated that there were plenty of picnic tables, which we used for meals, crafts, visiting, & to play Bingo in the evenings. The shade trees, the fire pit, the water spigot close by also made our camping experience memorable! The beauty of the area with wildflowers in bloom and the river running right next to our site was tremendous. We hope to reserve that site again for another summer adventure in the future.
@ShaneK2855518 · Camped on Jul 1, 2022 at Campsite #B1
Beautiful site and well cared for by the hosts!
@BradE3971023 · Camped on Jun 4, 2022 at Campsite #B2
Campsite was clean and well maintained. Camp host was great and made sure camp site and facilities were tended to daily. The veiws in early morning and evening were amazing. The group fire ring was great for evening get-togethers. There is a stream that passes right next to the camp site. There is a trail head that goes to an amazing trail system just east of the campsites. There were a few water spigots in group area B2 but no power or sewer. A gas station is close if you need it and idaho falls is only an hour away if you need something more than what a gas station can provide. The dirt road to the campsites from the highway is narrow with a steep drop off on the south side and people in smaller vehicles seemed to think it was a race to enter and exit camp sites so extra caution is needed while entering and exiting.
@RonaldS5698545 · Camped on May 27, 2022 at Campsite #A1
Place is awesome and beautiful and I can't post is awesome.
@KatieF707 · Camped on Jun 11, 2021 at Campsite #B2
This site is beautiful and big enough for our entire family. The water is nice to fall asleep to at night. The scenery is gorgeous and the swimming was fun. The camp hosts were THE nicest people in the world. Definitely camping here again.
@AnnalynJ113 · Camped on Jun 7, 2021 at Campsite #B2
The bathrooms were so clean and the campground was quiet and cleaned too. They made sure to mow down the grass before we got there! It was a great experience and cannot wait to go back.
@AnnalynJ500279 · Camped on Jun 7, 2021 at Campsite #B2
The bathrooms were so clean and the campground was quiet and cleaned too. They made sure to mow down the grass before we got there! It was a great experience and cannot wait to go back.
@DavidT5110185 · Camped on Aug 9, 2019 at Campsite #A1
Campsite was not clearly marked, so we spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out which site we were suppose to stay in. Camp host was also gone when we arrived so we couldn't get any help from him. Other than that, the site was very nice and when the host returned, he was helpful.
@DavidT949 · Camped on Aug 9, 2019 at Campsite #A1
Campsite was not clearly marked, so we spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out which site we were suppose to stay in. Camp host was also gone when we arrived so we couldn't get any help from him. Other than that, the site was very nice and when the host returned, he was helpful.
@BrandonV728 · Camped on Jul 5, 2019 at Campsite #A1
The campsite was amazing, the size was perfect for our family reunion. We had room for tents, campers, and vehicles with no issues. The restrooms were well maintained and the camp host was very welcoming and accommodating. My only complaint is that we had a lot of people walk through our campsite, literally right past us, to get to the river. Nothing serious, just kind of annoying and a little disrespectful since we had paid for that site.
@BrandonV650282 · Camped on Jul 5, 2019 at Campsite #A1
The campsite was amazing, the size was perfect for our family reunion. We had room for tents, campers, and vehicles with no issues. The restrooms were well maintained and the camp host was very welcoming and accommodating. My only complaint is that we had a lot of people walk through our campsite, literally right past us, to get to the river. Nothing serious, just kind of annoying and a little disrespectful since we had paid for that site.

Other Campgrounds Nearby

We track all the sites so you don't have to.

Reservation Systems

Campsites Tracking

Campsite Reviews

Available Tonight

Available this Weekend

Cancellations Today

PRO $2.50/month

You're in Control. We never save credit card information or auto-renew subscriptions.
  1. Availability Map Search
  2. 3000+ Interactive Campground Maps
  3. Campground Virtual Tours
  4. Save Your Favorite Campsites
  5. Favorite Campsites Availability
  6. Campground Mobile Speed Test Maps
  7. National Parks, Forests & Ranger District Layers
  8. Wildfires & Air Quality Map Layer
  9. Satellite View Map Layer
  10. Campsite SMS Cancellation Alerts
  11. Rent your Property & Cabins
  12. Love's & Super Walmart Map Layers
  13. Cracker Barrel & Bass Pro Shop Map Layers
  14. Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) Layer
  15. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Map Layer
  16. RV Propane, Parking, Dump, Water Map Layer
Pro is FREE for 7 days. (No credit card information required!)

Thanks to all our Supporting Members

@BranJen - Santa Clara, CA

I wanted to thank you for this site and especially for the notifications feature. Thanks to your site and my subscription I was able to book a campsite I've been annoyingly trying to book for 5 years unsuccessfully. So thank you.

@Wondering - Oregon

Wow! Woke up this morning to a notification that a favorite had opened at Paulina, and when I went to check, it was there. This membership just paid for itself in the first 24 hours I owned it. Couldn't take the site it conflicted with a trip already set, but it truly was there. Thanks Tons.

@CarlaLThompson - Colorado

I just love this site and I tell everyone about it! It's so competitive to secure desired campsites and the alerts really help track when sites free up. The best part of this story is our alert notified a cancellation the next day!!!!!! Just incredible!!!

Map Settings
Reset
Satellite View
Satellite
Wildfires
Wildfires
National Forests
National Forests
National Parks
National Parks
Air Quality
Air Quality
Bureau of Land Management
BLM
Motor Vehicle Use Maps
OHV MVUM
Love's Travel Stop
Love's
D
Dump Stations
W
Water
LP
Propane
P
RV Parking
Walmart Supercenter
Super Walmart
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel
Bass Pro Shop
Bass Pro Shops
 
Rating:
Price*:
Length:
Amps:
Elev:
feet
Temp:
°F
Down:
Up:
*Earn our Leave No Trace badge to see our free camping sites.