Penn Basin Campground
This is how it should work.
- 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
The Penn Basin Campground near Landmark, Idaho, offers 6 campsites in a peaceful, remote setting near mountain slopes covered in dense pine forest. Peak season for the campground is typically early June through late September. It can be accessed by most vehicles; however the road is narrow and may be rough in spots. Natural Features: The campground sits in a pretty mountain meadow a stone's throw from scenic Johnson Creek, a tributary of the South Fork Salmon River. Wildlife watchers may see deer, elk, bear and moose. Bald eagles are often spotted soaring overhead. Keep reading
Plenty of wildflowers and possible wildlife viewing. Recreation: Check on the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for non-motorized and motorized trails. The area is a popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. The South Fork Salmon River and Johnson Creek offer opportunities for fishing. Berry picking and hunting are popular pastimes in season. Nearby Attractions: The tiny community of Yellow Pine established in 1902 is north of the campground approximately 28 miles and offers limited services. The popular Yellow Pine Music & Harmonica Festival is held annually in August.
Around the campground
- On the water
- River, Creek, Meadow
Nothing to book, just show up
One of 1,623 federal campgrounds where the site still goes to whoever pulls in first. Get there before noon on a summer weekend.
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
Warm LakeBoise National Forest · 6.7 mi
ShorelineBoise National Forest · 7.2 mi
Shoreline Campground and Group sitesBoise National Forest · 7.3 mi
Picnic Point (ID)Boise 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 Yellow Pine, ID
Typical weather
Typical October night 24°F, day 55°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 4°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
Penn Basin 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 →