Baumgartner Campground

In the Sawtooth National Forest

By Glenn Dalton

07/18/2004

Along the upper reaches of the South Fork of the Boise River lies a beautiful campground nestled amongst huge ponderosa pines. This campground has quite a story, as this used to be home to Mr. John Baumgartner who mined the area. Imagine a private home along the river, with a huge deep pool to swim and fish in. The water hardly flows due to the size of the pool, almost like a miniature lake where you can lazily float on the water and stare up at the skies…

And if the water is a little too chilly for your liking, walk up to the old home site where a large concrete pool has been built to contain the hot spring water flowing out of the smoky mountains. This water keeps the pool at a comfy crystal clear 103°F, always a fresh supply flowing through. Be careful though, as the water entering through the inlet pipe is extremely hot. I’ve enjoyed making trips between the cool river and the hot springs in a similar fashion as the people in the northern climates, who jump in the snow after a soak in a hot tub during winter to get the circulation flowing!

Due to the numerous trailheads located in the area, the area around the campground is a hot spot for trail riders on motorcycles and ATV’s. Note: off road vehicle use is prohibited inside the actual campground. If you are camping inside the campground, you will have to (ideally) shut the motor off and push it to your campsite, or hop off and walk it in. On the opposite side of the river from the campground, you can find open areas to park your RV or pitch your tent. Oftentimes it’s a little Mecca of it’s own accord, with motorcycles coming and going throughout the day.

Many other trails exist for hikers as well, if you wish to get away from the bikes, take a short (2-3 Mile) drive back to the willow springs trailhead and hop on the Idaho Centennial Trail. You’ll walk by a natural hot spring area (with a soaking pool to enjoy), through a beautiful grove of Giant Ponderosa pine trees, and the trail is off limits to motorcycles and ATV’s due to the precipitously narrow trail along the face of a cliff (The trail is not very high off the valley floor, so no need to worry about falling if you are walking)… note: you may encounter horses on the trail, and they have the right of way… step down below them, or above them. Ask them to stop (hand up, whoa!) to give you a chance to find the best place to pass.

Early in the season, the Idaho Fish and Game stocks the campground with rainbow trout (Mid May to Mid June). This offers a wonderful time to take the kids to where they can fish, swim, and play in the pool. Starting in August, the Kokanee salmon travel up out of Anderson Ranch reservoir, turning the river red with spawning Salmon. Careful when you are fishing, these waters are also home to the endangered Bull trout and you may run in to a few of them. Just upstream from the campground (Jumbo Creek) there is a trophy section where no fish under 14 inches may be kept.

Plan early if you are interested in going to this campground. Most of the sites are by reservation only and they fill up the entire season quickly! Go to www.reserveamerica.com and enter “Baumgartner” in “Idaho” to check on availability. Usually, you won’t need a reservation and you’ll find some of the sites open if you are able to go Monday through Wednesday. Elmore, Twin Falls, and Ada county residents frequent this campground heavily on the weekends. Forget about going on the weekend without a reservation! Your only option then is to find a spot outside the campground, and drive in to the day parking area next to the pool. Enjoy!