A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service campground

Sunny Gulch Campground

Forest Service campground in Sawtooth National Forest, Custer County, Idaho. 6,447 feet. 2.8 miles from Stanley.

Managed by
Forest Service Sawtooth National Forest
Elevation
6,447 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
45 45 standard non-electric
Longest rig
35 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Custer County

Overview

Sunny Gulch Campground sits along the shores of Salmon River in the forests of central Idaho.

Recreation

Excellent fishing is right out your back door on the Salmon River, with rainbow trout, Westslope cutthroat trout and occasional hybrid cutbows and bull trout available.

Sunny Gulch lies in the heart of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. A myriad of excellent hiking and biking opportunities are available, and an estimated 750 miles of trails crisscross the valley and surrounding mountains.

Facilities

Sunny Gulch offers several campsites, a handful of which are close to a large picnic shelter. These sites and the shelter are perfect for a family reunion, wedding or other special event. The shelter contains a grill, utility tables, a dutch oven cooking surface and eight picnic tables.

Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Roads and parking spurs are paved.

Natural Features

The campground offers spectacular views of the Sawtooth Mountains. Summer wildflowers are plentiful and lodgepole pines provide partial shade. Temperatures are cool with an average summer high of 78 degrees and a low of 40 degrees.

Nearby Attractions

The Alpine Way Trail begins less than a mile from the campground, and the Idaho Centennial Trail passes nearby.

Redfish and Stanley Lakes are nearby with great boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Numerous additional sparkling lakes and streams dot the area.

Popular area events include an Arts and Crafts Fair in July, and Wagon Days, Salmon Festival, Quilt Fair and Fireman's Ball in September.

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

The land around Sunny Gulch Campground

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