Bald Mountain Lookout, Potlatch, ID

Bald Mountain Lookout is located in the Palouse Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (2 hrs 14 min south of Coeur d'Alene, ID) with an elevation of 5,325 feet. The site is normally open from the beginning of July to the beginning of October. There is a fee of $45.00 per night.

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Campsite Reviews (17)

3.5 out of 5

5 star		24%
4 star		35%
3 star		24%
2 star		6%
1 star		12%

@TanishaDF583C8 · Camped on Jul 4, 2024 at Campsite #1

The views are amazing, however when it states on the listing that you will have frequent visitors that should be changed to constant visitors throughout the day. Everyone during the day were very respectful and most of them used the restroom, checked out the tower and would leave. The tower is at the top of an ATV mountain park and the tower is a pass through with the only restroom in the area. For those that enjoy huckleberries, they are all over the mountain but was told by a local that it gets pretty crazy when the berries come into season.The major issue that we ran into were the visitors after dark! The locals know that this tower is rented and they do NOT care and they will tell you as such. It got so bad the second night when a larger group of the returned from the first night and made a point to be loud about not caring that we were there along with some friends that were in the campsite below. They were intoxicated, armed and hung out to have more drinks. When we calmly asked them to leave, they basically told us to shove it and that they could be there(even in the middle of the night). It was so bad that we packed up and left the next morning. I contacted the ranger station about what had happened and the lack of signage about the tower being a rental and that the same camp site rules need to be posted. A police report was filed due to how bad the situation was. I hope that they do put up more security around the tower and gate the stairs off. This was supposed to be a fun relaxing weekend that turned stressful because of locals and could have been dangerous if the situation escalated further than it did. Will probably never return which is unfortunate because its beautiful up there

@jonC3773603 · Camped on Sep 11, 2023 at Campsite #1

Bald Mtn. was amazing. So thankful that thw forest service has restored and opened these lookouts up to the public. We had a wonderful time. Views are amazing and photos don't do it justice. The propane range was awesome.

@EvinB0BFECB3AF · Camped on Jul 31, 2023 at Campsite #1

One of the coolest places weve stayed ever. The flys were kinda crazy when we first got there but quickly went away.

@MandyHB46E6AB6 · Camped on Jul 26, 2023 at Campsite #1

Things to know:-There is an unbelievable amount of traffic at this tower. We stayed for for 3 nights and averaged around 8-10 groups visiting per a day. One group felt the need to pick huckleberries under the tower at 6am (they had a lovely conversation at full volume) -Because of the traffic the roads leading up to the tower consist of moon dust. -Bring your own sleeping pad/cot. The bed is a clapped out futon and very uncomfortable. -As mentioned in previous reviews, someone borrowed the propane tank so the oven and light are inoperable. -bathroom is nice-Nice windows that all work. TLDR; not a terrible look out but way too busy to get any kind of solitude. The early morning huckleberry pickers are loud.

@DavidG5648223 · Camped on Jul 3, 2022 at Campsite #1

Staying in the lookout is an awesome experience. There are a few things that folks should know however, and at least one thing that the Forest Service REALLY should do to help. The location is a very popular spot for folks on ATV's and UTV's to drive to, so don't expect to be all alone - you will be disappointed. Also, they can climb almost to the top of the lookout itself (so they can be right below the floor), and can also camp at the base of it. Fortunately no one did that while we were there, but we have since heard of some horrible experiences with this, which would absolutely ruin the trip (people camping and partying right below the tower). As a career natural resource recreation manager, I would strongly suggest the following: At a minimum, clearly and largely post a sign stating that the lookout is a rental camp facility and to respect renter's privacy. There is no indication of this anywhere, so people coming up for the day are unaware that the lookout itself has been rented. Also -make the site below the tower NO CAMPING. This is also easy to do, and very consistent with trying to provide the experience the Forest Service is doing by renting out the lookout. Allowing adjacent camping there is a mistake and poor management.

@LukeP7813550 · Camped on Sep 20, 2020 at Campsite #1

Our stay at the lookout tower was incredible. The views from the top are breathtaking. It takes a while to get up the mountain. Be advised you have to travel on a dirt forest road for 9 miles to get there. It is fine in a vehicle with all wheel drive, not sure I would take a car up there though. The location is off the beaten path - and it takes about an hour to get up and down the mountain. I would only recommend staying here if you enjoy hiking or just want to camp out at the tower. Forest service staff was helpful. We contacted them in advance to check the smoke status, etc. One complaint was that the propane stove/ heater was not working and there was no instructions provided on how to use it.

@LukeP523 · Camped on Sep 20, 2020 at Campsite #1

@PhilW387 · Camped on Jul 23, 2020 at Campsite #1

Was a great experience and a great location. The only problem was that some needy person decided they needed the propane more than the LookOut tower did, as a result, there was not any propane available in the tower to cook with. We had firewood for the little camping area but some needy person thought they needed the firewood more than we did :(. If you go, go prepared to cook at a fire on ground level and lock up your firewood! Take the time to read the user instructions in the tower. Be prepared for a very rugged experience and don't be afraid of heights.

@PhilW2798100 · Camped on Jul 23, 2020 at Campsite #1

@TimothyB926333 · Camped on Oct 9, 2019 at Campsite #1

Really beautiful spot! Well maintained, clean, and everything was as expected. Access was not a problem. We had one of the last days the lookout was open, in October, and there was some snow, which made the drive in the last bit a little dicey, but no problems in the end. The only trouble was with the heater- when we ran it, the carbon monoxide detector kept going off, so we would then have to air out the lookout. We ended up not running the heater, which made for a cold night. I wish the heater ran more smoothly, without producing carbon monoxide.

@TimothyB475 · Camped on Oct 9, 2019 at Campsite #1

@JulieM292 · Camped on Sep 16, 2019 at Campsite #1

Staying overnight in a lookout tower is a unique and amazing experience. Our stay was in September 2019. The views were amazing and you definitely felt like you were high above the beautiful landscape. The area surrounding the bottom of the lookout was clean and large enough to enjoy the picnic table, vault toilet and trails. We experienced some wind during our overnight stay, which we did not feel due to the incredible strength of the cables which secured the lookout tower to the ground. This was definitely a fun and safe experience and I'd recommend it to anyone. The road leading up to the tower is fine, but leave plenty of time and take it slow. It took us about an hour to drive the 8-9 miles from the bottom to the top where the lookout tower resides. The drive up is also a fun experience as you get the feeling you are going up to somewhere amazing.

@JulieM1485661 · Camped on Sep 16, 2019 at Campsite #1

@ErnaJ9064147 · Camped on Aug 28, 2019 at Campsite #1

Great directions from the ranger station for accessing with a passenger car, and a lovely stay in late August 2019! The views and the sunrise/sunsets were so worth it. We look forward to exploring more in the area

@ErnaJ840 · Camped on Aug 28, 2019 at Campsite #1

@StacyA996 · Camped on Jul 1, 2019 at Campsite #1

We were the first scheduled in the season to use the lookout and we knew the rangers had been up earlier to get it ready. They must have known there was a huge hatch of flies and did not bother to call us. When we arrived there were so many flies they covered the windows. There was a huge amount of dead flies all over the floor which tells me they had to use bug killer and knew there was a major problem. We opened the door and were swarmed with bugs, letting many out. It was disappointing and disgusting. It was 4th of July weekend and we turned around and went home.

@StacyA1938474 · Camped on Jul 1, 2019 at Campsite #1

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