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Tamarack Falls Campground

91%

· Donnelly, Valley, Idaho

2 acres hosted by Harmon E.

1 RV site

Primitive camping

Best for self-contained campers. There are no toilets, showers, or potable water at this Hipcamp.

Right by the shores of Cascade Lake. Just down the road from Tamarack Resort. Walking distance to the Fishing Bridge and Mountain Meadows Adventure Rentals. You can fish from the bridge, rent a jet-ski and go on the lake, or take an off-road vehicle and ride in the mountains - right from your campsite. There is even a small pond on the property. Some history and geography: Where are the Falls? I wondered that myself when first bought the property. I have asked around and done some research - and come up with two answers, although I can't verify either one. First Answer: The old Tamarack Falls have been covered up by the reservoir. That is, there used to be a waterfall in this vicinity, but now it is covered up by Lake Cascade. Maybe, but I can't find any old photographs showing that, and the reservoir has never gotten low enough to see any falls. In fact, at low level, the upper reaches just look like a meadow with the original channel of the Payette River meandering through. But maybe at the narrows by the Fishing Bridge it is possible there are some submerged falls there. Second Answer: The Falls are still there, but they also are not the classic water falls you might imagine. Instead they are the numerous streams that gush down West Mountain every spring and really never completely dry up, even in a dry autumn. They are quite pretty, but not exactly a roaring mountain waterfall. These streams can be seen everywhere, especially in the spring, and they to tumble down a steep slope. They come right out of the rocky faces of the tamarack forest, so it makes sense to call them Tamarack Falls. They are all over the place. At least two of these streams ( and more in the spring) feed the pond on this property. Hence Tamarack Falls Pond. The pond is "artificial" in the sense that it was created when fill dirt used to build West Mountain Road blocked the stream and created a small pond. The pond stays at a constant level because its outflow is a culvert that runs under West Mountain Road and from there into Lake Cascade. Two main streams feed the pond - one on the northside and one on the southside. The shape of the two little submerged valleys give the pond a lopsided crescent shape with a small peninsula curving out into the middle of the pond's west side.Primitive campsite in the woods with a pond and a stream on the property. Public access to Lake Cascade right by the campsite. Tamarack Falls Fishing Bridge Park is just across the road - easy walk. Mountain Meadows Rental is also just a short walk away - they rent paddleboards, kayaks, motorboats, jet skis, ATV's, etc. Tamarack Resort is just four miles away and several more public access beaches are just a short drive away. You can ride off road vehicles straight from the campsite into the mountain trails.

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Boating

Fishing

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Natural features

Beach

Forest

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River, stream, or creek

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Location

Donnelly, Valley, Idaho, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla and Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking

Hosted by Harmon E.Joined in September 2020

91%

23 ratings · 22 reviews

John A.recommends

October 17, 2023

Big Grove Campsite

Beautiful!!! But some traffic noise

This is a beautiful spot in mature Tamarack and fir trees. Nice graveled camp sites. Very nice fire pits! (Bring your own DRY wood) You are 100 to 150 yards from the main road on that side of the lake. Traffic noise but not too bad. Very private. Sooo much better than any of the state or USFS campgrounds near there! 2 Warnings: we were BARELY able to turn around our 30ft 5th wheel in the site. And, if you rely on solar power there is little direct sun on the site. You have to chase it around between the trees. We really enjoyed our time there! There is lake access nearby across the road. VERY well maintained! Thanks for letting us share your campsite.

Marc R.recommends

September 4, 2023

Big Grove Campsite

Nice private camp spot!

It was a great spot, we'll stay again. There are cabins nearby but people are not nearly as close as they'd be in a campground. It's very private and our two dogs had a blast chasing squirrels. Traffic is a bit noisy from the road but no worse than anywhere else you can camp between the road and the lake. There are a couple nice fire pits with gravel around them and over the areas used regularly. Take an axe and a chainsaw to make it easier to access the fallen or standing dead trees to use for firewood. We parked our F350, a 29ft 5th wheel, a class A 32ft motorhome, a 14ft enclosed cargo trailer and a Dodge 1500 and had plenty of room. That said, there are lots of trees so you want to be pretty good at maneuvering your RV.

Caryn C.recommends

August 20, 2023

Big Grove Campsite

Great location and clean, nice shade trees and fire pit. This is just of the road so if you are worried about hearing traffic this is not the spot for you. We loved it anyway. Nice to be walking distance to the lake and fishing bridge.

Allissa E.recommends

August 15, 2023

Big Grove Campsite

The camp site was wonderful.. very spacious, enough room for cars and trailers, good location and lot of trees. We really enjoyed our stay.

Tyson S.recommends

August 14, 2023

Big Grove Campsite

For those just getting started.

Great campsite that is easy to access. Great for a weekend by the lake! First experience dry camping 🏕️ with our RV and everything went perfect! Not for die hard remote campers. But if you’re wanting easy access, in the trees, but the convenience of going out for dinner this is a great spot! We will definitely be booking another weekend adventure here.

Heidi W.

August 6, 2023

Brookside Campsite

The campsites were fine, they were clean and had firewood and there was drinking water. My only complaint is that they are route right next to the highway and it doesn’t say that on their website, that’s some thing that I would’ve liked to of known. I probably would’ve gone somewhere else. Had I known it was right next to the highway.

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