Outlet at Priest Lake Campground
3Heads up3 fires, nearest 14 mi
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there
In the agency’s own words
Outlet campground is located on the southwest shore of Priest Lake near the headwaters of Priest River. Campers come to Outlet for sunshine, fishing, boating, kayaking, and the breathtaking views of the rugged Selkirk Mountains of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Natural Features: Outlet campground is situated at an elevation of 2,500 feet on Priest Lake. The lake is one of three largest and most beautiful lakes in the Idaho Panhandle, and reaches 300 feet in depth and covers 25,000 acres. The world's largest Mackinaw trout was caught here in 1963. Keep reading
Upper Priest Lake is part of the Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area. The entire shoreline of Upper Priest Lake is either the State of Idaho or federal ownership, and is administered as a scenic area. While visiting Priest Lake, watch for moose, black bear, wolves, deer, elk, and eagles, among others. Recreation : Visitors enjoy kayaking, canoeing, and power boating on Priest Lake and up the 2.5 mile thorofare that leads to the Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area. The upper lake cannot be accessed by car. Fishing, swimming, bird and wildlife viewing are popular activities, as well. Beach Trail #48 runs through Outlet campground and stretches northward along an 8-mile scenic part of Priest Lake. Motorcycle enthusiasts will find authorized trails like the Peewee Trail, Steep Creek Trail, and John Wayne Trail. Hike the Chipmunk Rapids Trail that traverses along the Kaniksu Marsh, Priest River, and Chipmunk Rapids. Facilities : Outlet campground has three loops, two upper view sections and one lower lake-side section. Roadways and parking spurs are fully paved. There are RV and tent sites (two of which are walk-in tent sites). Campsites vary from very large, capable of parking an RV and a boat trailer, to small, camper size, with lake side and lake view sites. Some of the sites are heavily wooded, while some are found in opened areas. Campground amenities include swimming beach, water hydrants and accessible flush toilets. Garbage service is available in "bear proof" cans.
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- “…beach, water hydrants and accessible flush toilets. Garbage service is available in "bear proof" cans.”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…amenities include swimming beach, water hydrants and accessible flush toilets. Garbage service is…”
- Bear boxes
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek, Beach
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 · 3
What you actually pay
How we know this receipt · 4
record Aug 24, 2026 · How we know all this
Getting there
the map and the coordinate
Where it is
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Coolin, ID
Typical weather
Typical October night 32°F, day 54°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical February night 22°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
who answers for it
Who answers for this land

Outlet at Priest Lake Campground is in Idaho’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Russ Fulcher (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →



