Payette National Forest

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	Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area
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Payette National Forest
800 West Lakeside Ave
McCall, ID 83638-3602

(208) 634-0700

Recreational Activities

[Photograph]: A family is gathered around a campfire roasting marshmallows. Their tent is in the background. So Much To Do & See
Come visit the Payette National Forest spring, summer, autumn, or winter as a wide range of recreational activities abound during any of the four seasons. Hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling. You can find a spot on the forest to indulge your recreational interest. Click here for an in-depth look at the Payette National Forest's niche.

The Payette National Forest manages many developed recreation sites, priamarily campgrounds. For information on work planned through 2010, please refer to the Payette National Forest Developed Recreation Action Plan.

Camping

The Payette's five Ranger Districts offer a variety of camping opportunities. Deep, low-elevation canyons and high peaks can keep the more adventurous camping almost year round. Campground information is divided by ranger district. Visit the district camping pages:

Reservations for individual or group sites at Cold Springs, Grouse, Spring Creek, Hazard, and Upper Payette campground can now be made in advance by contacting the National Recreation Reservation Service by calling (877) 444-6777 or by visiting their website www.recreation.gov

If you just like to wander and are not completely sure what your plans are, some sites at these units will still be available for first come first serve campers to take their chances. Reservations are recommended for holiday weekends.

Leave No Trace is an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations. Click link for more information on Leave No Trace.

Trails

Pick your difficulty level and your method of travel. The Payette has trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and motorized use.

McCall, New Meadows, and Wilderness Area Trails

Council & Weiser Area Trails

For information on responsible Off-highway motorized trail use, please click the link below:

Idaho Off-Highway Vehicle Public Information Project

Fishing

Opportunities abound on the Payette. Is your preference for rivers or do you prefer a hike up to a high elevation lake? A steelhead season on the Salmon River along the forest's northern boundary or fishing for trout in the high mountain lakes.

Wildlife Viewing

Birds, elk, .

Safety

Knowledge of the area and terrain, being prepared for varying weather conditions, and knowing what your limitations are and following them, will go a long way towards assuring you a safe and enjoyable trip.