Hardscrabble Campground

The population of the Boise area is growing, but the number of available camp sites isn't. This factor can make weekend competition for a spot at Hardscrabble, like any other first-come-first-serve campground within a 100-mile radius of the state capital, downright cutthroat. If you are lucky enough to claim a spot, get used to a lot of IA and 2C license plates driving slowly by you, desperately seeking a place to set up camp. (Even the dispersed camping in the area is usually occupied). When you leave, you may have other campers waiting to pounce. Our Thursday afternoon arrival fortunately coincided with somebody else in the process of departing. Moral of the story: Consider booking some time off work and showing up on Sunday afternoon or midweek.

The five campsites are closely spaced and not terribly private; I unzipped my tent early one morning to campers in the next site staring right at me in my PJs and frizzy bedhead. But our riverside location, complete with a dammed off location for the kids to wade in, was the highlight of the trip.