Thomas Canyon Campground

This was an amazing find near Elko. The last sliver of LTE is at the ranch down the road, then nothing in the canyon. The prior fire is noticeable below the campground but in late June 2023, everything is green and beautiful. Loop B isn't near the water (with some exceptions on the end loop) but the views are nice to the north. The sites are spread apart and fairly private. Someone posted a description of the road and Island Lake hike on the Messages board which was very helpful. As of 6/26/23, the road was blocked by snow between the Thomas Canyon CG and Terraces. You can park at the first avalanche covering the road and walk up the canyon road. Some cars drove over the first snow area, but the 2nd one is bigger. There were about 4 snow areas to walk over. In the morning, the snow is firm to walk on. Later on, the snow was soft but doable. You get the whole road to yourself! The Island Lake hike was a nice treat. Careful at the very top, next to the lake, as you have to walk over snow that might be over water. There is a bridge over the waterfall on the way up. Total distance was 9 miles. Not sure when the road will be clear of snow, there's a lot. The bathrooms at the end of the road were open.

The hike up Thomas Canyon fro the CG is a must. It's steep to the waterfall but the views are incredible so worth it. The trailhead doesn't look like much, just a small sign near #33.

We camped here for a week to enjoy some down time and to hike. The lower part of the canyon isn’t as pretty but that’s partly due to a major fire they had in 2018.

There is a hike that leaves from the campground and you can drive to the end of the road and hike. Plus there are other trails in the canyon. Weekends are busy with locals! If you want to hike at the end of the canyon, don’t do it on a weekend.

In the campground on the weekends, especially, and even during the week the locals are here in groups and not necessarily camped next to each other. We had people driving and walking back and forth from sites around us, We liked our site because it was surround by aspens but still allowing us to see the mountains around us.

August is monsoon season and does it rain in this valley! Last year in August they had a 100 year event and had to shut the canyon down. They had 8 slides. While we were here, it rained so hard one day, and continuously, that at one point when it subsided a little bit we could hear the water and rocks rushing down the canyon walls. We ventured out in the rain and watched. An hour or two later a Forest service ranger came by and told us to be ready to evacuate. That if the rains continued during the week like today, there would be mandatory evacuations. As it was, the canyon was temporarily closed that day while they cleared the road. The rains continued in the afternoons and/evenings but not like that one day and there was rock and debris that you had to drive over or thru or around.

If you have kids that like to play in the water or you like to sit in a pool of water, there are a couple of places where people have built up the rocks creating small pools around the campground.

If you need cell service, you need to leave the canyon (about a 10 minute drive from the campground) and drive back to the first informational pullout coming into the canyon. There you have 2 bars LTE. Lots of people did that.

Well worth the detour off of I-80, and the forest service road there is newly paved. this campground is nestled right into a canyon, at the confluence of two creeks. Could not be more peaceful. You want to get a site on C loop if you’re interested in being in the creek. Nice little hike right across from site 31 also. Fresh spring water flows from the hydrants, the host is welcoming, clean bathrooms… really nice semi-private sites. Really couldn’t ask for more. I’m thrilled with this discovery and can’t wait to come back for a longer stay.

Great spot, beautiful as reported by others. I'll just add: Asphalt pitches! And, although the toilets are vault, they are immaculately clean--they even smell good. I arrived on a Monday and there were lots of spots although it did get busy around 5:00. If it is full, continue up the valley, there are a couple of pull off spots and a huge parking lot at the end of the road.

Note, there is another campground, "Terraces" but it is tent only and, if you are towing, you will not be able to turn around if you turn up the entrance.

Excellent hiking, creek running low. No fishing. And, of course, no cell service (despite Verizon having it on their coverage map, it does not reach the valley.)

Just stayed one night as we traveled cross country, but would have loved to stay more! Spots were shady and secluded; the campground was pretty full but we still felt like we had some space for ourselves (good for pandemic times). The canyon is beautiful, we enjoyed the stream running through camp and the nice hike from the grounds that went up near the waterfall. The camp hosts were friendly and accessible. Would totally stay here again, though would try for a site closer to the stream or trail head.

Beautiful campground in the Ruby Mountains close to Elko. We stayed one night in a tent and found the campground very quiet with campsites well separated. It would be best to have reservations since there were only 2 open sites available on a weeknight in early June. The campground host was helpful and friendly and nearby campers were quiet. The bathrooms were clean however there was no running water in the campground when we stayed.

This was one of our all-time favorites but the canyons next to and below the campground were reduced to ashes in 2018. The campground itself has just minor damage. We last stayed there in August and noticed it was drier than usual. We're going to go up and help with rehab when they post the dates. Of course, these photos were taken before the fire and my ratings are based on my last visit. The Island Lake Trail and the Ruby Crest Trail at the top of the canyon were untouched. Lamoille Canyon is closed indefinitely but public access is available from the Harrison Pass end of the RCT and there is camping at Ruby Lake near there.

Thomas Canyon CG is gorgeous!!! We were lucky to find a spot, as there was only 1 left to accommodate our small trailer. I would reserve if you could, we arrived on a Wednesday and was already full. However, 38A is right on the creek and our toddler had a blast playing and throwing rocks in the creek. The crickets and the sounds from the creek make for great sleeping!!

There is really only 1 complaint that I have. The FS website as well as the registration board for the CG states that you get a discount with the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass. However, the CG host stated he had never seen one of those before and then proceeded to tell us he was not sure how we even got a pass because we are under 65!?, well we pay $80 every year for this pass!!! Well, this was our 3rd CG on this road trip and the only one that did not honor our pass. I am not a complainer, but if it states right on the registration board that the pass is honored, then it should be honored!!!

This is an absolutely beautiful spot to camp... when it's summertime! I made the mistake of trying to camp here in late September. The lower two loops, B and C, which are the nicest, were closed. All the water was turned off and there was no camp host. Vault toilets and trash pickup so it was clean. The A loop, open later, has 16 sites and is next to the road, so you hear hunters' trucks passing by on and off throughout the day. I have a 16' trailer so it was no problem for me, but I wouldnt try a rig here longer than 25 feet or so. Only a few spots to fit these. However, the trail up the canyon coming out of the campground is stunningly beautiful. There are waterfalls with pools and lakes up high in the canyon. Probably icy swimming but I wasn't going to try it in September. This campground would be an ideal getaway along I80 if you are en route to Yellowstone in the summer. No bears, just mountain goats! Only $4 with America the Beautiful Pass at this time of year! I got no cell service but texts came through with my Booster on AT&T.