Visiting family here in ID & they took us to visit this wonderful state park. It's named after the admiral who said, "Damn the torpedos. Full speed ahead!" during the Civil War. The former site of a Naval training station: Over 293,000 sailors received basic training here. Who would've thought a Naval training facility would be in Idaho? It was also used as a German POW camp during WW II. There are so many things to do here. Tour the Museum At The Brig, go hiking of one of many trails, camp at one of their numerous camp sites, play disc golf, bring a lunch & picnic along the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille, the largest lake in ID. Fishing, sailing or boating. Visit the beautiful viewpoint at the end of South Rd. Shooting ranges or even a model airplane flying field! However, I must say their gift shops are somewhat lacking. Go for a day or a weekend, this park is just great. read more

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Beautiful area! Lots fun areas to swim. It was bust but we were able to find space in the 2 different swimming areas. read more

Farragut State Park - Beautiful swimming area - Parks Near Me - Athol, Idaho

You know how a system works well and then new management comes in and 'fixes' it, and now it's terrible.....ladies and gentlemen, I give you Farragut visitor center. Whoever is behind the idiocy of making people wait till 2pm simply to check in, should be held accountable. We booked online. Filled out all the forms and questions about our RV. But could we just come in and get our pass? no. We had to wait behind a sign with a long line of people until 2:00 pm. Everyone was shaking their heads, laughing and complaining. . Our wait was 30 minutes. Others were a lot longer. The staff (not their fault btw) are now positioned behind a long desk with glass in front. You know, like a bank only slower. When we eventually got there, the guy asked us all the questions we had already filled out online. He would stop and slowly type the exact same info in. "What is your license plate? (you need a photo, btw), "How long is your vehicle?', 'What color is your vehicle?' Beurocrasy at its worst. read more

This is our third trip to Farragut and for the third time our experience has been outstanding. The campgrounds are well maintained and the campsites are spacious. The individual campsites have full hookups, have paved driveways with fire rings and new picnic tables. The area is treed and well marked. There are plenty of of employees here both paid and volunteers. The are all friendly and knowledgeable. At night the campground is amazingly peaceful for how big it is. The pricing is a little steep for those of us from out of state, but still well worth it. We are already making plans for our return trip next year. read more

I saw this state park as being very popular so I wanted to check it out even if it was only for a couple hours. When I arrived at the visitor center there was a volunteer who asked if I was camping. I didn't have anything planned other than just walking or driving around to see what there was to do. I was charged a non-resident one day pass for $14 (resident one day passes are $7). The volunteer then gave me a map of the park and gave me some tips on what to do. You can reserve a spot at one of the many campgrounds at the park at the visitor center if there's any vacancy. Even within the visitor center you can read more about the overview of the park itself. There are also a lot of trails throughout the park if you want to go on a hike. The first thing she said was to visit the Museum of the Brig which is a museum that talks through the history of what is now the Farragut State Park. Previously it was a US Navy naval station that was basically a World War 2 training center. At the museum I learned about the life of a recruit during that time and that they even housed some German POWs. It was very informational and fascinating to see artifacts from that time still on display. The next thing was Beaver Bay which is a small area to play in the water and other water sports like paddle boarding, canoeing, or just floating around. There's not much parking and it can get full quick so I would recommend going during the less busy times. At the further end of the park there are viewpoints of the lake which are beautiful. There's also things like an adventure park and disc golf if you're so inclined. I only spent a couple hours here but I was still able to visit a lot of the park that was non-hiking or non-campground related. read more

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We stayed at Farragut State Park, in the dry cabins (ninebark) in the day use area for 2 nights. Cabin was very clean, we enjoyed the close proximity to the boat launch and the day use area. Our cabin had a double upper and lower bunk(with covered sleeping pads) and futon. Also small table and bench with AC and electricity. We also had a partial lake view, covered porch with small table and bench and porch swing. Also included a fire pit and picnic table. Out house was nearby, closest showers if you need them are in Snowberry Campground. Overall we had a great time, awesome State Park. read more

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Love it here, great hiking, camping, kayaking, snow ball fighting with the kids. Amazingly gorgeous views and landscape.

The beach, the trails, the boat ramp...what is there not to like! It's BEAUTIFUL!! Staff are always so helpful and friendly!!

They have ruined the park..too commercial..run by rude idiots..it was nice 1960s thru 1990..now not worth the hassle..

Wonderful park for biking and picnicking. Stop at the Visitor Center and buy the trail map for $1. We chose to park at the Visitor Center and ride the Lynx trail. Fortunately we chose to ride counter clockwise. The ride down the trail was surprisingly steep. We saw some wild turkeys on the trail. They're practically domesticated. We didn't phase them at all. There's a nice restroom at the Sunrise Day Use Area. From there we dropped down to the Willow Lakeview Trail Loop. There were a handful of hikers. We pretty much had all of the trails to ourselves. We jumped back on to the counter clockwise portion of the Lynx trail. It wasn't nearly as steep. There were only 3-4 sections that I elected to walk my bike. We saw deer and turkey hens on our return trip. Overall, the return trip was easier than I anticipated. Total bike ride was around 9miles. read more

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We stayed at the campground and really enjoyed our site. I think this was the nicest state park campground I have ever stayed at. The sites were very spacious. When we arrived our "driveway" and tent pad were freshly raked out and looked very nice. The bath house was clean, no soap though. We did have a bad experience with the camp host as she was not nice at all when we tried to get firewood from her. We did not spend much time out in the park as we were out and about doing other things during our stay. It seemed like there was a lot of hiking/biking trails throughout the park and plenty of activities. We did not have time to go swimming but we did go to the beach and it was very nice. read more

Farragut State Park - Our campsite in White Tail campground - Parks Near Me - Athol, Idaho

Wonderful peaceful place to camp and take the family and lots of things to explore, go fishing, hiking, check out the museum. but theirs to many people coming over from Washington here on the weekends and holidays. read more

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My sisters family has gone to this state park for years, because the lake is great. Yet, the state park was very disappointing in the 6 nights we stayed there. The outhouse near us had a broken toilet seat for two days completely out of tp on 3 different days. The main bathroom was messy most days and I only saw it kind of clean 2 times. Once it looked like the person just hosed it down, but did not pick up the garbage behind the garbage can whe there was one at all. Only once were the showers cleaned that I noticed. Lots of hair on the floor and things left behind by campers that would stay there for days. Then there is the lack of garbage cans. None throughout the campground and only 3 large dumpsters near the entrance / exit. There was one garbage can size container for recycling, but it disappeared two days before we left. We traveled 2 days to get there and 2 days to get back home, thus we will never go back! We will go to better state parks in Oregon, which are cleaner and they care about recycling. Plus, the camp hosts do more than just change reservation tags at the camp sites. read more

This is a great place to get away! It's clean and quiet and the smell of pine trees is fabulous. Staying here is like being in a different world! read more

I only am leaving one star because 0 stars is not a choice. The customer service representatives are all extremely rude and the park ranger has a superiority complex. We travelled over 8 hours in the heat with our horses, small children and dogs to this equestrian camp to meet another family. The camp site was completely empty so we unloaded our livestock and young children and went to check in. We were an hour early. They made us load everything back up and sit in the super1 parking lot until 2pm to check in. I understand this is a policy when the campsite is full. The camp sites are all currently empty and I cannot believe the lack of empathy or understanding displayed by all Farragut state park employees that we have encountered so far. We have paid $200 to stay in this park for the next 4 nights. read more

Gorgeous scenery. Beautiful beach. Will not ever be back. Camp "hosts" were across from us and were going around camp getting people in trouble for things like driving RC cars at their own campsite, us sitting in an area with chairs that isnt directly on our gravel pad, using a hammock etc. This isn't a relaxing experience in the slightest. We are being watched and monitored constantly. If you want a relaxing experience, choose somewhere else to camp. read more

This is literally our backyard... love the trails, love the lake. Best time to go is in winter from November thru January. Heavy traffic in July/Aug read more

The best State Park in Idaho with amazing camping, boat launches on Lake Pend Oreille, mountain biking, hiking, photography, event area's, zip line course, and a versus cool and eccentric marina town called Bayview right next door. Highly recommend visiting this amazing Idaho state park! read more

I stayed in the Wild Rose cabin at Farragut State Park with my spouse and two kids for four nights during the second half of June. I reserved the cabin nine months earlier, as this park has a nine-month reservation window. We chose Farragut State Park because of its close proximity (about a 15-minute drive) to Silverwood Theme Park, which was the purpose of our visit to northern Idaho. We also chose Farragut based on the fact that we could stay in a cabin. We enjoy camping, but don't have a camper, and don't love doing the tent thing. I can't remember the exact price for the cabin, but after fees and taxes, we paid less than $70/night. As a point of comparison, our camping experiences have been with both Oregon and Washington State Parks. We have had more positive experiences with Oregon State Parks than we have had with Washington State Parks. First of all, let me say that Farragut State Park is HUGE. Situated on Lake Pend-Oreille, the deepest lake in the Pacific Northwest, Farragut used to be a naval training station. The seven cabins in the park are situated at the far east end of the park, looking out over the lake. The cabin area is very quiet and peaceful, with only some day-use picnic areas nearby. The areas for tent and RV-camping are located in other parts of the park. The cabins are amazing, and appear modern and well-maintained. They have huge, partly-covered decks looking out toward the lake. A wooden swing is on the porch for guests to enjoy. A metal picnic table and fire pit are just off the deck. The ground in the campsite is covered with gravel. The interior is rather small, but sleeps five people with a bunk bed (full bed on bottom, twin on top) and futon that will sleep two. There is a table with benches inside that could seat four people. There are a couple of electrical outlets, three separate lights, air conditioning, and heat (hard to imagine needing that right now!). We were unable to get any service for our mobile phones in the cabin area, although had no problem at the check-in station/visitors' center. Farragut State Park has an extensive system of trails. As a long-distance runner, I enjoyed creating an adventure for myself. The park also has a museum to showcase some of the park's history, a disc golf course, junior ranger and interpretive programs, boat launch, and swimming area. We saw a couple of deer, bald eagles, and lots of very bold chipmunks. The visitors' center has firewood ($6 for a big bundle) and ice ($3/bag) for sale. So why the 4-star review? Everything was perfect, except...the bathroom situation. Each of the camping areas in the park have pit toilets (also known as vault toilets, I believe). In fact, the only flushing toilets in the park, that we could find, appear to be at the visitors' center, in the Museum at the Brig, and at the swimming area. Pit toilets are horrible. A couple members of my family won't use them for certain toilet, erm, "activities." I am surprised that such a nice park doesn't have more flushing toilets! The shower situation is another problem. The park is advertised as having showers. Well, the only showers in the park are open showers (no stalls) in the bathrooms with the flush toilets at the swimming area. In other words, you can't take a private shower anywhere in the park. I think that those showers are intended for people to rinse off after swimming in the lake - not for daily cleansing showers. I need to take a shower every day. A couple of other "cons": no dumpster in the cabin area (so you have to haul your trash to dumpsters in other parts of the park); no recycling receptacles for anything but aluminum cans; having to make reservations over the phone, rather than having the option to do it online. Other than those issues, we loved Farragut State Park, and will probably come back next time we go to Silverwood Theme Park. read more

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THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. The lake is gorgeous but cold. There were a lot of hiking trails, disc golf, and an awesome museum! I didnt know that the State Park used to be a Naval training ground in the 40's. Very neat story and scenery, Still some remnants like concrete bunkers etc. This campground is spread out like no other I have ever seen. You have to drive to showers and the loops are not close to each other like most state parks I have seen. We stayed in a cabin which was fairly private. The beds were ridiculously uncomfortable for 70 a night. I would suggest bringing a blow up bed if you stay in the cabins. They did offer air conditioning in the cabins although it worked 50 percent of the time. CONS: Check in - took 20 minutes standing in line. When it was my turn I stepped up to the counter and the lady said "im closed and walked off" leaving me to wait for the last remaining worker. I HATE THIS LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. It amazes me that people do this. Where I work we have to help out until we are no longer needed. They need to have two lines - one for checking in and one for purchases. Later in teh night I had to stand in line for another 20 minutes to purchase ice and campfire wood. When we went to check out and drop off keys we had to wait in line in the car at the gate. The attendant spoke to someone in a camper in front of us for a good 10 minutes. My son got out of the car and tried to give her the key so we could go but she refused and we sat and waited another 5 minutes while they chatted. I then went into the check in center and had to wait AGAIN to turn the key in. They need to streamline this process and provide a place to drop the key off near the cabins or at least allow a through lane to the check in center. All told we would go back but I dont know about paying 70 for the small cabin, for 15 more we could stay in a nice hotel with a shower. I guess it all depends on what you are in the mood for. We did love the stars at night and beautiful scenery and solitude after busy days at Silverwood. read more

Too bad the Rangers are TICKETING everyone in sight this year! We purchased a boat launch parking pass only to find out that there were no parking spaces available at the boat launch that morning. Single cars were allowed to take up boat trailer parking spaces and they are not ticketed. We specifically asked the Ranger directing traffic if vehicles parking on the side of the parking lot road near the exit boat prep lane would be ticketed for parking there and he said he would NOT ticket vehicles parking there. There is no signage about not parking there. When we launched the boat, the last open parking spot had been taken and so we parked our truck in the very same spot that we asked the Ranger about. We came back a few hours later to find that the Ranger Oliver had ticketed us with a fine of $67.50 for parking there! After PURCHASING a PARKING SPACE from this state park and NOT BEING GIVEN WHAT WE HAD PAID FOR because parking spaces had been oversold, we were TICKETED $67.50 on top of the $40 parking fee! We immediately drove to the visitor center and were told that there was no Ranger there that we could talk to about this. I spoke to a lady at the desk and told her that we had specifically asked the Ranger about parking there and after being told that vehicles parking there would NOT be ticketed, we were ticketed anyway! She replied that there was nothing she could do. It is outrageous that there is insufficient signage and parking yet the Rangers have the ability to fine you the excessive amount of $67.50 in a parking ticket that you have no ability to fight. read more

What a great park! We stayed here 4 nights while visiting family and Silverwood. We camped in the Waldron Nighthawk section and were rather taken aback by the spacious sites and open space. It was a nice change from most campsites. Well paved roads were full of kids biking and scootering, yet despite all the kids and foot traffic it was dead silent at night. Bathrooms were nice, though oddly do not provide soap? I can't speak for other loops, but neither male or female restrooms had soap (not even dispensers for soap!). I bought some handsoap at the store and put it in the bathroom and unfortunately the women's soap was stolen within an hour, but my husband says the men's soap was still there when we left. Showers are free, though lights are only on at night so cloudy days or early mornings mean showering in near darkness. So many activities to do at this large park, though we didn't do most of them as we spent the majority of our time with family and at Silverwood. We will definitely come back again! read more

Farragut State Parks Gilmore Campground is unlike any campground I've experienced. The sites are nicely spaced so you don't have to be in your neighbors' business. Lots of trees have been kept so you have a sense of camping in the forest. The sites are mostly level and paved. The amazing part was how clean and well taken care of the area is. To describe the campground as immaculate is not hyperbole. I plan to camp there again next month, read more

Went to FARRAGUT Park recently and boy have things changed. Several trees have been chopped down and butchered. Im aware beetles have infected certain areas of trees & therefore unavoidable. On some but not all when looking over them. If you see blue stripes that indicates those trees will also be logged. There are quite a few trees that are huge & beautiful who's future is inevitable but is it necessary or for profit? Debatable. The campgrounds like Whitetail used to be gorgeous but significant trees have also been cut down. Take note: In the park I've experienced; dogs off leash. $79.00 fine. There are signs posted to keep dogs on leash ( small signage) but theirs always those few who do not adhere, comply or simply unaware, so I carry deterrent/pepper spray. read more

Loved our stay here and look forward to when we can come back. The park is very well kept and the campsite and lovely. The Camp Hosts were friendly and accommodating. A wonderful and beautiful setting. read more

Beautiful place with a great history. Interest sights, beautiful views and great camp sites. (Dog friendly just confirm your dogs breed is approved) read more

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A huge park but management apparently has an ego problem! I've stayed in state campgrounds all over the country but Idaho is the only place where you go into the office, wait in line for 20 minutes and then are told what number you will be put in and given no choice in the matter, including the option to look before paying. We were given no choice, take what they offered or move on! We were also told that if we wanted to drive our yow car, we would be charged an additional $5, even though it took no additional space in our allotted site. Since we arrived on a Tuesday night, I correctly assumed that many spaces would be open all night. The assigned space was so vastly un-level that even with auto levelers and 4" blocks under the wheels we were still uneven. I could understand it if we were on a hillside but this is a flat open area. They almost had to try to make it so tilted. I'm giving them two stars only because the surrounding countryside is beautiful and we were able to see both deer and elk nearby. read more

We stayed over the 4th and it was great! Our site was 37 at whitetail which is right by the host, bathroom and play ground. They have showers and real toilets. The sites are a little small, but I think that's because I'm use to priest lake sites. They have disk golf, tree to tree and a lot of hiking. You have to drive to the beach which isn't bad but the beach area isn't great, rocky and at a slope, none the less the kids always have fun. There is a rope swing also. Over all a great place and clean. Everyone was respectful about quite hours and kept to themselves. read more

Farragut State Park - Parks Near Me - Athol, Idaho

This park is YUGE! There is so much to see and do here, walking along the equally YUGE lake, sit by a campfire outside a cabin, you might even see and hear a real live rock band at the outdoor amphitheater. We have stayed in 4 different cabins, and the only problem was the first year we were in their "cabin village", which had no proper restrooms, just a stinky outhouse. 3 of the cabins are in the regular camp loops, close to real restrooms, so we have chosen those the last 4 times. read more

Beautiful setting and easily accessed campsite. Water pressure was perfect. The cleanliness of the showers and restrooms made the visit after trail tuning several miles it was wonderful to have such amenities vs normal campground facilities. Both wife and son enjoyed the opportunities that abound and the dog loved the ground squirrels for distraction. Will definitely be back. read more

Farragut is a wonderful beautiful park with open areas and a diverse forrest with pine, firs, and cedars. It is a mountain bikers dream come true, and there are miles horse friendly trails as well as hiking trails. The campgrounds are really nice and well managed too, and the park sits on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille, so there's swimming and boating in crystal clear water. THE PROBLEM is that the park management along with the state Forrest service and the bureau of land management is LOGGING THE PARK for timber. The logging is NOT SELECTIVE, it is being done in large destructive swaths through the park, leaving foot high stumps and refuse behind. According to the park manager Mr. Randall Butts, every trail in the park will be logged on each side, and logging along the shoreline is planned as well. The park will look like a groomed subdivision and not a natural forrest. Why people have to mess with perfection is beyond my understanding. The damage to the fragile ecosystem is a tremendous tragedy. It will take years to recover, and the large trees being taken are not replaceable. So sad. read more

Lots of trails and different areas to hike! The only reason for only a 3 is due to, trails being not very well marked! Super easy to get lost....: read more

Great Camping spots with beautiful scenery as a backdrop. Apparently the lake is one of the deepest on Earth! I shudder to thing what's lurking at the bottom.....Anyway, if you want to go on night hikes, I'd think again--its too knotty. Night hikes in general are difficult and probably dangerous. The one thing I wish I knew before going was the amount of Deer and large Deer-like creatures trying to make you hit them with your veichle! The were EVERYWHERE and it was really scary. You are welcome. read more

We live in the area and this is our favorite place to camp in the local area! Very nice camp sites, well taken care of, clean restrooms/showers and friendly hosts. Plenty of RV sites, Pull-throughs and of course Tents sites! read more

Absolute love. The check in process was easy for me, a solo camper that just wanted a site. I scoped out the park before committing and loved it. The view was intense, the lake amazing and clear. The staff were super helpful. Saw deer and heard wolves howling. Was so happy here, can't wait to come back. Stayed in Whitetail site 51 and it was a great tent site close to the water and shower/toilet. Would totally recommend! read more

Very nice park! Huge with lots of campgrounds and sites. Lots of hiking and mountain biking available and on the lake for boating and swimming. Most of the sites don't have a lot of grass, mostly gravel but still a good fun place for a long weekend. There is a shooting range in the park which is kind of cool. They only downside is the Check-in process which can take forever, lack of sewer hook-ups at the RV sites, and the play areas for the kids are pretty poor with just a double swing and climbing wall only. read more

Awesome park. This place is huge. We really enjoyed hiking the beach trail and seeing the swimming area. Our campsite was very clean and well maintained. The forest frolf course is super cool too. We really enjoyed being surrounded in the pines and the forest. Make sure you book in advance because this place is popular and books up fast! We got lucky as walk ins. We would definitely come back and recommend to others. read more

Rolled into the park the day before Labor Day Weekend madness. There were plenty of tent campsites available and we scored a nice private one. I'm an Idahoan but this was my first time at Idaho's largest state park. It is huge! Very beautiful woodsy environs near Lake Pend Oreille. I'm glad we missed the weekend madness. read more

Stayed two nights in the Whitetail section of Farragut state park. The park hosts were helpful and very friendly. The sites were clean and well maintained. The bathrooms/showers were clean and had sufficient warm water and electrical outlets. There was a playground and outdoor theatre plus miles of hiking trails and disc golf! We used this site for tent camping while spending time at Silverwood Theme park; this was a great choice - relaxing and enjoying the evenings in a beautiful park! read more

Spent 5 days in a travel trailer. Had a reservation, so walked in, told them my site number, and checked in within 5 minutes. Site was nice, saw tons of deer. The areas north of the highway are amazing - tons of walking trails, did some biking, hiking, drove up north of Bayview - lots of kids in the park, very safe for my 7 year old to ride all over by himself. The place is huge! The museum on the history of the place was very cool, and the staff was very informative. Overall, we'd go back for more. read more