Big Springs Campground
- Right now
- Listed not openA database flag with no reason and no date
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there
In the agency’s own words
The Big Springs Campground is located 22 miles south of West Yellowstone, Montana in beautiful Island Park, Idaho at an approximate elevation of 6,300 feet. Visitors love Island Park for its world-class fishing and outstanding scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities. Natural Features: Island Park is composed of two areas of extinct volcanic activity. The Henry's Fork Caldera sits inside the larger Island Park Caldera. Keep reading
The area is known for its dense forests of lodgepole pine, broad grassy meadows bursting with summer wildflowers and a wide variety of wildlife, including black and grizzly bears, moose, elk, deer, bald eagles, Sandhill cranes and much, much more. The campground is situated in a clearing surrounded by a forest of lodgepole pines. Grasses and summer wildflowers dot the landscape. Recreation: Big Springs is the headwaters of Henry's Fork and is one of the largest springs in the country. Henry's Fork is considered one of the best fly-fishing streams in the nation. Fishermen cast for rainbow and brook trout. Tubing, canoeing, kayaking and rafting are also popular on the river. The Big Springs National Recreation Water Trail can be accessed from the Big Springs Boat Launch and ends 4.5 miles away at Macks Inn. It offers a lazy three-hour float or canoe trip through beautiful scenery. Wildlife, including moose, bald eagles and Sandhill cranes, are often seen along the trail. The charming and historic John Sack Cabin is nearby, noted for its unique location, construction and furnishings. Hiking, biking, horseback riding and riding OHVs are popular activities. Nearby Attractions: Macks Inn is 4.5 miles west. This full-service facility offers boat rentals, rafting, shuttle service, gas, groceries, showers and laundry facilities. Island Park Reservoir and Henry's Lake are nearby, both offering boating, water skiing, fishing, kayaking and canoeing. Numerous additional small lakes and streams are scattered throughout Island Park. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are within a short drive, offering hiking and fishing, as well as outstanding scenery.
Facilities
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, River, Creek, Meadow
Phone before you drive
recreation.gov publishes no availability for a campground you can’t reserve, so there’s no thirty-night reading to draw here. The season bar above is what the agency does publish.
Every line of the receipt · 4
What you actually pay
“Single Site $ 25.00 Group Area (Sun-Thurs) $ 75.00 Group Area (Fri-Sat) $150.00 Extra Vehicle (ea.) $ 7.00” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own fee record
How we know this receipt · 5
record Aug 24, 2026 · How we know all this
Getting there
the map and the coordinate
Where it is
Big Springs Grp. Area - Island ParkTarghee National Forest · 0.0 mi
Big Springs Warming HutTarghee National Forest · 2.4 mi
Flat Rock (Idaho)Targhee National Forest · 4.2 mi
Flatrock CampgroundTarghee National Forest · 4.2 mi
Upper Coffee PotTarghee National Forest · 5.5 mi
Buffalo CampgroundTarghee National Forest · 7.5 miThe weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Island Park, ID
Typical weather
Typical October night 22°F, day 50°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 1°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land

Big Springs Campground is in Idaho’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Mike Simpson (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →