A gravel road curving into a high mountain valley at first light, the peaks catching the sun.

Forest Service group campground

NORTH FORK CAMPGROUND - St. CHARLES CANYON

Forest Service group campground in Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Bear Lake County, Idaho. 6,961 feet. 7.4 miles from St. Charles.

Managed by
Forest Service Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Elevation
6,961 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
1 1 group tent only area non-electric
Longest rig
24 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov

Overview

North Fork Campground is located in scenic St. Charles Canyon in southern Idaho, near Bear Lake. Visitors enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding and motorcycling on local trails, and fishing in St. Charles Creek.

Recreation

North Fork Trail, which has a trailhead within the campground, is open to motorcycles, horses, hikers and mountain bikers and connects with the Highline Trail, a 55-mile path along the backbone of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game manages the river fisheries, providing excellent fishing most of the year, including in St. Charles Creek. In-season big game hunting is also a popular activity.

Facilities

The campground offers an accessible group site that can accommodate a maximum of 50 guests. The group site is made up of five smaller sites.

Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided, as are vault toilets. Roads and parking spurs are gravel.

Natural Features

A dense, mixed growth conifer forest covers the campground. St. Charles Creek flows gently through the site.

Nearby Attractions

Minnetonka Cave is a short distance from the campground. Scenic Canyons offers guided, 90-minute tours through the nine-room cave with formations called the Bride and Groom, Three Sisters and Devil's Kingdom. The cave temperature is 40 degrees and the path through it includes 444 steps. Tickets must be purchased at the cave entrance.

Bear Lake's North Beach is 12 miles from the campground, offering swimming and fishing opportunities on one of the Inter-mountain West's largest natural lakes.

Bear Lake State Park Marina is 20 miles from the campground, with a seven-lane boat ramp, boat rentals, slips, a snack bar and general store.

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

What people do here

  • biking
  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • hunting

The land around NORTH FORK CAMPGROUND - St. CHARLES CANYON

The ringed pin is this group 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 February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.