A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service campground

Grayback

Forest Service campground in Boise National Forest, Boise County, Idaho. About 4,200 feet. 2.2 miles from Idaho City.

Managed by
Forest Service Boise National Forest
Elevation
About 4,200 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
14 12 standard non-electric, 2 group standard non-electric
Longest rig
69 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Boise County

Overview

Grayback Campground is located 36 miles northeast of Boise, Idaho, just off scenic Highway 21. Historic Idaho City is just two miles north of the campground. Visitors enjoy fishing in Mores Creek and exploring the Grayback Gulch Trail.

Recreation

Mores Creek can be accessed just below the campground. Anglers fish for whitefish and rainbow trout. Grayback Loop Trail begins within the site, offering a 1-mile footpath for hikers.

Numerous trail opportunities are in the area just north of Idaho City, where hiking, biking, horseback riding and off-road vehicles can be enjoyed. During the winter, the area becomes a playground for back country skiers and snowmobiles.

Facilities

The group campground contains two group sites with picnic and serving tables, grills, campfire circles and paved site pads. Site A can accommodate up to 150 people and 20 vehicles, and site B can accommodate up to 100 people and 15 vehicles. Both sites can be reserved at the same time, for even larger groups. The group sites share one accessible bathroom facility that has a men's and women's side, each with four stalls. There is also an accessible hand pump for drinking water and a dumpster that is shared between the two sites.

The campground hosts 15 single sites and 3 double sites, each equipped with a paved parking spot, picnic table, lantern hook, and campfire ring. Three vault toilets, a two accessible hand pumps for drinking water, and dumpster are provided in the campground. Sites 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 15 are not listed on Recreation.gov and are first-come-first-serve.

Natural Features

The campground is situated on a hillside about a quarter-mile above Highway 21, at an elevation of 4,200 feet. A Ponderosa Pine forest covers the site, offering partial shade. Wildlife and summer wildflowers are abundant in the area. Mores Creek flows nearby, down the hillside from the campground

Nearby Attractions

Highway 21, also known as the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, snakes along Mores Creek to Mores Creek Summit, Gold Fork and Banner Ridge, offering historic sites, hot springs pools and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and forest along the way to the campground.

The campground is only 2 miles away from historic Idaho City, which is an old gold mining town that hosts multiple restaurants, bars, shops, a vistor center, and a museum.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • hunting
  • visitor center
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Grayback

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated March 11, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.