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Sam Owen Campground is nestled on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille in a densely wooded forest of pine and cedar. Popular activities include hiking, canoeing, swimming and boating in summer, and skiing in winter. Recreation A sandy beach draws crowds of sunbathers and swimmers. Visitors also like to hike the half-mile, accessible Sam Owen Trail #4. The trail reaches a beautiful vista of Owens Bay, where hikers can rest on benches and take in the astonishing view. Anglers take pleasure in catching kamloops, Dolly Varden, northern pike, trout and catfish. A boat ramp and dock are located on-site. Facilities Amenities include a picnic area, paved overflow parking areas and an amphitheater for educational programs. Campsites do not have electric hookups but a group picnic shelter has electricity and lights. Accessible flush toilets, drinking water and a dump station are provided. Natural Features Sam Owen Campground is situated on a peninsula on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, at an elevation of 2,000 feet. The lake spans 82,088 acres and has 125 miles of shoreline. The well-loved campground shares a peninsula with the Sam Owen Game Preserve, which provides plenty of opportunities to see wildlife up close. Deer are very easy to spot, and watching for unique birds is a rewarding activity. Nearby Attractions The Pend Oreille Scenic Byway is well worth exploring. ADA Access: N
From Sandpoint, take State Highway 200 east 21 miles. Turn right on Peninsula Road (County Road 1028) and continue 1 mile to the recreation area.
2021
Always have a good time here. The hosts are nice as always. The park was was quite different this year due to the wind damage from September 2020 but it looks like they worked pretty hard to clean up. There are some slash piles and burned stumps remaining from the cleanup work that has been done. There's still a lot left to do and many sites will have little shade. Red Sun loop took the brunt of the damage and some sites remain closed while they fix/repair tables and fire rings. Skipping Stone had less damage but a couple of sites now have little shade. Scented Leaf had little damage but again a couple of sites are less shaded. Dancing Shadow had almost no damage.
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June 2023
The area has recovered nicely. There isn't a lot of evidence from the earlier damage other than the remaining stumps. Grasses have grown back nicely to cover most of the damage. Red Sun loop which took most of the wind will have many sites without shade for years to come. The upper loops only had a couple of sites that lost trees.
Had a great experience camping here! The camp sights were clean and well taken care of. It wasn’t overly crowded. The camp hosts were really nice! The water was really clear and I didn’t feel like I was too close to other campers. We had enough space to where we still felt isolated enough and not overhear other campers all day or all night long. The fire pit was just the right size as well and the fire wood provided wasn’t too expensive.
The beach is great. The water was surprisingly warm! We went swimming and also kayaking. I will be returning to go camping here again.
Sam Owen has always been one of our family's favorite spots to camp over the years. It's located in a very beautiful spot on Lake Pend Orielle. The lake is always clear, clean and refreshing. We've camped here many times over Memorial weekend, and also later in the summer. The lake is comfortable later in the summer of course but we've swim a few times in spring as well.
The campground lost a ton of trees a couple of years ago due to high winds, so it's quite exposed now. It sadly doesn't have the same privacy it had before, but it's still a great place.
Sometimes we'll take a walk over to the Beyond Hope resort area and get a drink at the restaurant there and soak up in the sun and the view from the deck. There's a great pizza place in Hope only a few minutes away, which is a fun addition to a camping trip with the family.
Loved camping here! All sites are walking distance to the large beach. One side of the beach is a “dog beach” and the other side is no dogs allowed. We loved this! Very kid/family friendly. A small dock is located on the beach for putting in boats.
June 2023
The area has recovered nicely from the wind damage a couple of years ago. There isn't a lot of evidence from the earlier damage other than the remaining stumps. Grasses have grown back nicely to cover most of the damage. Red Sun loop which took most of the wind will have many sites without shade for years to come. The upper loops only had a couple of sites that lost trees.
