SP Campground Review – Three Island Crossing State Park, Glenns Ferry, ID
A very green and wonderfully historic State Park in South-Central ID.
Note/ Review updated as of last stay May, 2013
Link to campground here: Three Island Crossing State Park, ID
Link to map location here: Three Island Crossing State Park, ID
- Site Quality = 4/5
The site quality here is very nice although upper & lower loops are quite different. All are long, flat paved sites with picnic table and fire-pit. Most are back-in 30Amp/water although there are 3 sites (#2-4) offering 50Amp and a select few pull-thoughs. There are also several “double hookup” sites (sized for 2 campers side-by-side)
-> In Upper loop (#1-43) the sites are wonderfully spaced around a huge (enormous!) green lawn with plenty of large shade trees. Front-facing sites (#7-20) have views of the valley too. Great separation, easy access & very green. This is definitely the loop to stay in.
-> In Lower loop (#44-82) sites are tight (most are far too close for my liking) and access is more difficult. Good shade and green, but no views. The only sites with decent space are the pull-throughs (81,82). - Facilities = 4/5
Good facilities here. The showers were large with good pressure and temperature -> only ding is they have that annoying spray-head. Lots of extra facilities around the park including a large day-use area, river access (for fishing), the wonderful Oregon Trail Interpretive center and several hiking trails. On-site dump station. - Location = 4/5
Glenns Ferry is a smallish town, but with easy access off I-84 and some cute, little touches. The main interest here is the Oregon Trail History and for that alone this is a great stop. There is also a winery (with golf course!), a small down-town and (very) basic shopping. - Pet Friendliness = 5/5
Great doggie site. The large, green lawn is perfect doggie-rolling/romping ground and there is a small, but good selection of hiking trails in the park.
Overall Rating = 4.25
BONUS ALERT = Explore the heart and history of the Oregon Trail!
Summary: We thoroughly enjoyed this stop. Southern Idaho can be scorching hot and dry in summer, and Three Island Crossing provides an oasis of a green in the desert. There is a wonderful Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, several hiking trails and huge (enormous) green lawns which are meticulously watered and tended. The campground has beautiful large shade trees, flat,paved sites nice “sitting areas”and electric/water hookups. The upper loop (#1-43) is most definitely the spot to stay with great separation, lots of space and even a few sites with views (front-side #7-20). The lower loop (#44-82) is far more cluttered and not nearly as nice. During the week the place is mostly empty, but we gather it fills up in the week-end. We found the park most relaxing and would definitely come back.
Extra Info: 3 bars of strong Verizon 4G LTE plus full 3G signal. Sites cost $23.32/night (30 or 50Amp/water), $40.28 for double-sites. There is an extra $5/day use fee ontop of the daily camping fee (can also be covered by an annual Idaho Motor Vehicle Entrance Pass for $40). Golden Age pass gives 50% off Mon-Thurs. 82 total sites, all reservable in peak season. On-site dump station.
Living in Idaho, we stay in this park several times a year and always enjoy it. The interpretive visitor center is very informative (and cool, which is a nice bonus during those hot summer afternoons). I’m glad you enjoyed your stay.
We definitely enjoyed this spot! A great little find in the area.
Nina
We spent 5 nights here in July 2011. Your review is right on. Great campground. By the way, campground fees are discounted 50% for seniors Monday to Thursday.
Thanks! We felt so lucky to have stumbled on this place in our trip through ID. Would most definitely come back!
Nina
Thanks for sharing this info! We are going to be staying here in April and your notes about the campsites were useful in reserving a great site. Happy Travels!!
Cool! Glad the review was helpful. We’re coming back through here in May this year. It’s such a lovely campground.
Nina
Reblogged this on Wheeling It and commented:
Just a quick update of our park review for Three Island Crossing State Park. Still ranks very high for us as a stop on I-84.
Hi
I love to read your blog. We hope to meet you. We have just started to full time we have a tabby cat and two dogs and a 40 ft, American Eagle and could sure us some of your ideas. sandy in the big bird
Cool! Sounds like you got quite the crew going. Maybe we’ll see you down the road.
Nina
This is one of the things I love about my “Golden Age” … Great discounts!
It’s one of the few things I really wanna get older for LOL!
Nina
You aren’t kidding, we just got ours this year in anticipation of our visit to Yellowstone, and it saved us a ton of money in campground fees, and entrance fees to the park, heck even last week when we decided to go to a local attraction we had lived near but never visited, the SD Badlands, we found the pass allowed us free access. Wonderful card, and since I am on ss disability, it was free as well. We look forward to using it more and more as we venture forth seeking adventure in these wonderful United States of ours.
Love your campground reviews. It’s great to hear about someone else’s experience to get a feel for the place.So often they aren’t as advertised. I’ll put this one on my list.
We’re planning our trip out west and this park was one of our potential stops. After doing a search for reviews, your blog came up and provided the information we needed to definitely make this a stop. Thanks.
This is a beautiful state park. We stop here whenever we can. Enjoy your trip!
Nina