Winter camping in Idaho. There’s nothing like it! Check out the photos of our long weekend in the Stanley/Sun Valley area!

View of the Sawtooths with Elk

We were fortunate enough to take a long weekend in February to do a bit of winter camping in the Stanley/Sun Valley area. Our van had just been outfitted with a heater, insulation, a freezer/fridge, and dry flush toilet so of course we had to test it out! The temps were in the mid to low teens and the van did great!

Heading in to Stanley!

The snow was quite high – due to plowing but also just because of all the darn snow that had been falling! There were snowmobilers, snowshoe-rs, and skiers all along the way.

Galena Summit is between Stanley and Sun Valley. It’s about 8,700 feet in elevation and there are beautiful views we had to stop to admire.

Stopped as we were heading over Galena Summit
Looking out at the mountains towards Sun Valley as we were going over Galena Summit

The pass is located in the Boulder Mountains in the Sawtooth National Forest.

A stop along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway
Just outside Sawtooth City

There are hot springs all around Idaho with several in the area we were in. We took full advantage and hit 4 different ones this weekend. There’s nothing like soaking in hot springs with snow falling around you!

The Boat Box
View from the hot springs in Stanley
You can’t beat this view of the Sawtooth Mountains….and from a hot springs too!

We had a great weekend and were able to snowshoe, spend time in hot springs, sit around a campfire, and look at the stars at night. If you’re looking for some winter adventure, we highly recommend this route. Because there are stores, restaurants, gas, and hotels along the way, this is a trip anyone can do. The roads are generally well plowed, people are friendly, and you feel transported to a winter wonderland. It’s one of our favorite spots any time of the year.