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French Creek Campground is located next to scenic Lake Cascade in west-central Idaho. It is near the town of Donnelly, at an elevation of 4,850 feet. Boating, fishing, swimming and hiking are popular activities in this scenic region.
Natural Features:
The campground is situated on the western shore of Lake Cascade and on the banks of French Creek. A forest of mixed conifers covers the campground, providing ample shade. Thimbleberry and huckleberry plants are abundant throughout the upper reaches of the campground.
A wide variety of wildlife makes its home around the lake. Waterfowl and songbirds are abundant, as well as pelicans and bald eagles.
Recreation:
Lake Cascade offers excellent opportunities for boating, water skiing, canoeing, windsurfing and sailing. Anglers enjoy casting for rainbow trout, coho salmon, smallmouth bass and perch. Many hiking and biking trails are in the area as well.
Permit Info: $15.00 - overnight. Total of 21 sites.
Closest Towns: Cascade, Idaho
The campground is divided into two sections of campsites. Some are located on the east side of West Mountain Road, closer to the lakeshore and with beautiful lake views. Other sites are on the west side of the road, on a hillside above the lake. A few of these sites have partial lake views. Some also have stairs from the parking spur to the campsite.
Campsites are equipped with a table and campfire ring. Vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided, but there is no electricity at the campground. Roads and parking spurs within the facility are gravel.
From Boise, Idaho, travel north on State Highway 55 for approximately 80 miles to Cascade, Idaho.
Turn west on Old State Highway and go a half-mile to Lakeshore Drive.
Turn south and travel 3 miles to Forest Service Road 422 (West Mountain Road).
Turn west and follow the road 5 miles to French Creek Campground.
A little hidden gem in Boise NF. Great sites, level plots for tents. Our host Carla was super friendly with good tips on the area. Super clean vault toilets and great drinking water. No showers. Super relaxing environment. Loved site 3, near the bathrooms and water with plenty of shade.
Overall it was a great campground. They allow 2 cars at most sites so we had room for our suburban and a motor home. The bathrooms were clean compared to most campgrounds I have been to. I was in site #13. The tent spot ees large enough for my 10 person tent but it wasn't level. The site around the fire ring wasn't level either but only a slight grade. My folding shovel came in handy to dig out little holes for the seats to make them level. The site wasn't too close to our neighbors. We took the kids a mile down the road to a boat launch park to swim. There is sand to road on while the kids swam. Docked one star for the less than level tent site. Overall, it was a fun weekend!
Went mid week and the place was nice and quiet. The spot we were in was tight. Made my wife cringe getting into it. The Camp ground hosts were nice and kept the place clean -- including the vault toilets. Only has potable water out of a hose and not at each site.
Really lovely campground, I really liked it. The campsites were nicely separated, so you don't feel like you are on top of each other. Every site has good shade, of course the sun might peek through the trees, but it's okay. Each side has a large picnic table and a fire pit. The views of the lake are gorgeous, and you can walk up and down the road to see more. Site number eight is so fun, the creek runs right beyond it! Gorgeous to listen to at night. Across the way spot number six is huge, with one padded area for tents, but you could definitely put more tents around. The rest of the sites are great for RVs or tents. The upper campground has a good sites too, the sides closer to the lake would be great for tent camping.
There are plenty of bathrooms and water spouts on the other campground. Only one bathroom and water spouts and trash can in the lakeside campground, so if you have a frequent pee'er, get a site that's closer to the water, because the bathroom is right next to the lake.
The only reason why I give it a 4 out of 5 stars is because it is kind of busy. I guess the dock at the end of the road is a public dock, so you will often get people with their boats coming down the road. also, I'm not sure where the campground host was this weekend, but a lot of people couldn't find them and would often asked me or my husband questions, maybe because we were one of the first people you would see. There was a lot of confusion going on about the first come first serve sites. Honestly, just reserve them on the website. So much easier!
