280 Forest Service, 39 BLM, 7 Army Corps and 3 National Park Service. 220 can be booked ahead
Sleeping on the roof in lightning and bear country
Timing and siting matter more than the tent. The Forest Service says lightning storms are common on the Lolo Motorway in July and August and that snow can come early, and the season on that road is generally July through September. On the Lewis and Clark byway the BLM says it can snow year-round at 8,600 feet, so a three-season tent is optimistic on the high ground.
Food storage is the other rule. On endowment land north of Lake Pend Oreille, attractants must be in a bear-resistant container, locked in a hard-sided vehicle or camper, hung at least 10 feet up and 4 feet out, or inside an approved electric fence.
A roof tent gets you off the ground and sets up in minutes. It also puts weight on the highest point of the vehicle, and the rack underneath matters as much as the tent. A dealer who installs will check your roof's load ratings before anything else.
What they sell and install
01Hard-shell and soft-shell roof tents
02Awnings, annexes and insulation
03Racks and crossbars rated for the load
04Installation and removal
05Parts: covers, zippers, struts and poles
How to choose a roof tent
Open it, climb into it and close it before you buy it.
01Know your two roof numbers: the dynamic rating for driving and the static load for camping with people inside. They are different, and the rack has its own.
02Hard shells open fastest and cut through wind. Soft shells give more space for the weight and the money.
03Check the mattress, the ladder angle at your vehicle's height, and whether it closes with bedding inside.
04Ask about parts and repairs before you need them.
05Measure your garage door.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The roof decides what is possible.
01Vehicle, and what is on the roof or bed now
02How many people sleep in it
03The weather you camp in
04Garage height, if it lives indoors
05A budget range for the tent and the rack together
Questions people ask
Will a roof tent fit my vehicle?
Almost any vehicle can carry one with the right rack, but check the roof's dynamic load rating in the owner's manual and the rack's rating. The lower number is your limit while driving.
Hard shell or soft shell?
Hard shells are quicker, quieter in wind and better in rain and snow. Soft shells sleep more people for less money and weight, and take longer to pack. If you move camp every day, speed matters more than you expect.
Does a roof tent hurt fuel economy?
Yes, some, and you will hear it on the highway. Lower-profile tents and a fairing help. It is a trade most people accept for the sleep.
How high is Idaho?
From Lewiston at 740 feet to Borah Peak at 12,662.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
StanleyWhere State Highway 21 meets State Highway 75 in the Sawtooth Valley. The Salmon River and Ponderosa Pine scenic byways both start here, and the Custer Motorway leaves Highway 75 eleven miles east.6,260 ft
KetchumOn State Highway 75 at the south end of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The Sawtooth Scenic Byway climbs north from here to Galena Summit.5,844 ft
ArcoWhere US 20, US 26 and US 93 meet. The gateway town for Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve and its Loop Road.5,325 ft
ChallisOn the Salmon River Scenic Byway. BLM field office, and the north end of the Custer Motorway past the Land of the Yankee Fork interpretive center.5,246 ft
McCallOn Payette Lake north of Boise, in the Payette National Forest, which reaches east to the Frank Church-River of No Return.5,013 ft
Elk CityEnd of State Highway 14 and of the Elk City Wagon Road. The Forest Service calls it a small, full-service community with fuel; the Magruder corridor starts past Red River.4,011 ft
SalmonHeadquarters of the Salmon-Challis National Forest and a BLM field office. The BLM calls it a full-service community, and the Lewis and Clark Back Country Byway starts at Tendoy, 19 miles south.3,941 ft
Twin FallsOn I-84 above the Snake River canyon. BLM district office, with the Jarbidge Field Office, for the desert south of the highway.3,733 ft
GrangevilleOn US 95 at the edge of the Camas Prairie. State Highway 14 runs east from here toward Elk City and the west end of the Magruder Road Corridor.3,398 ft
BoiseState capital on I-84. BLM Idaho state office and Boise District, with the Four Rivers and Bruneau field offices. State Highway 21, the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, runs from here to Stanley.2,700 ft
MarsingOn the Snake River southwest of Boise. The BLM’s Owyhee Field Office, which looks after the Owyhee Uplands Back Country Byway, is in town.2,297 ft
Coeur d’AleneOn I-90 in the Panhandle. BLM district and field office, and the service town for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.2,192 ft
SandpointWhere US 95 meets US 2 north of Lake Pend Oreille. Endowment land north of the lake carries a grizzly bear food storage requirement.2,101 ft
RigginsOn US 95 where the Little Salmon meets the Salmon River, between the Payette and Nez Perce-Clearwater national forests and below the Hells Canyon rim.1,806 ft
KamiahOn US 12 beside the Clearwater River. Supervisor’s office for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests and the western approach to the Lolo Motorway.1,239 ft
LewistonWhere US 12 meets US 95 on the Snake River, close to the state’s low point of 710 feet. West end of the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway and a base for Hells Canyon.740 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Borah PeakThe highest point in Idaho, in Custer County. No road to the top12,662 ft
Galena SummitSawtooth Scenic Byway: Shoshone north through Ketchum to the Sawtooth Valley8,701 ft
Magruder Road CorridorRed River, east of Elk City, to Darby, Montana7,920 ft
Lemhi PassLewis and Clark Back Country Byway and Adventure Road: A loop from Tendoy on State Highway 28, 19 miles south of Salmon7,368 ft
Willow Creek SummitUS 93 between Mackay and Challis, below the west face of Borah Peak7,165 ft
Banner SummitPonderosa Pine Scenic Byway: Stanley to Boise on State Highway 217,056 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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