McDonald Flat Campground
- Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct
- best months
Is McDonald Flat Campground open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Salmon-Challis National Forest.
Stoddard Bridge Construction Closure
Agency alert covering Salmon-Challis National Forest · Order 0413-07-17 · USFS · Salmon-Challis National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Salmon-Challis National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
- At 5,404 ft
- Salmon-Cobalt Ranger DistrictSalmon-Challis National Forest
McDonald Flat Campground is a Forest Service site in the Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District of Idaho's Salmon-Challis National Forest. It sits in the backcountry of the district, and the nearest town is Salmon, about 22 miles away. The site has vault toilets, and no fees are required to use it. That makes it a simple base for an overnight stay in the district, with the essentials in place for a short stop. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Salmon run to highs around 76°F in June and 86°F in July, and the station sits well below the campground, so temperatures at the site run cooler. Winter is cold, with January highs near 28°F and several snowy days each month from December through February. Mcdonald Gulch is a hike just 0.2 miles away, and Woodtick is about a mile off. Panther Creek, a canoeing spot, is roughly 1.3 miles away. For more time on foot, Thunder Mountain Historic is about 5.8 miles away.
- Mcdonald GulchHiking0.2 mi
- WoodtickHiking1.1 mi
- Panther CreekCanoeing1.3 mi
- Salmon-Cobalt Ranger DistrictRiver fishing2.7 mi
- Thunder Mountain HistoricHiking5.8 mi
- Goodluck MeadowsHiking7.5 mi
- West Fork Iron CreekHiking7.7 mi
- Yellowjacket Guard StationCamping9.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Deep Creek CampgroundCamping · ~13 min drive
- Trapper Flat Camping AreaCamping · ~15 min drive
- Yellowjacket Guard StationCamping · ~16 min drive
- Iron Lake CampgroundCamping · ~18 min drive
- Crags CampgroundCamping · ~21 min drive
- Crags Campground ComplexCamping · ~21 min drive
- Cougar Point CampgroundCamping · ~21 min drive
- Yellowjacket Lake CampgroundCamping · ~22 min drive
- Lake Creek Camping AreaCamping · ~25 min drive
- Williams Lake CampgroundCamping · ~26 min drive
Best time to visit McDonald Flat Campground
Best months: April–June and August–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
28° / 11°
6 wet · 4 snow
Feb
36° / 16°
5 wet · 3 snow
Mar
50° / 26°
6 wet · 1 snow
Apr
59° / 32°
7 wet
May
68° / 40°
9 wet
Jun
76° / 46°
9 wet
Jul
86° / 52°
6 wet
Aug
85° / 49°
5 wet
Sep
74° / 41°
5 wet
Oct
58° / 31°
6 wet
Nov
41° / 22°
6 wet · 2 snow
Dec
29° / 13°
7 wet · 4 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Salmon-Ksra, ID, 22.3 mi away at 3,953 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
