Sam Owen

I could not find a lot of campgrounds around the Sandpoint area, so Sam Owens was a gem to stay and visit friends who lived close by. They have several loops, all with lots of shade.

Sam Owen is hard to get a reservation in but worth the effort. It is a great CG with many campsites. Lake Pend Oreille is a huge lake with many associated activities. We found early morning very quiet, calm and peaceful where later in the day boaters and water skiers invaded the solitude. If you like beaches, hikes, biking and swimming this is a great CG. Other CG's were not as spacious. We had one noisy neighbor who ran a generator all day but thankfully they left after the weekend. Otherwise a very quiet place.

We pulled in about 4 pm on a Saturday in July and was able to get a nice spot for 3 nights on the Red Sun Loop at site #2- Camp hosts for this loop were the nicest and hardest working hosts we have ever encountered - they were always out cleaning and went out of their way to make sure our stay was enjoyable - the sites are under beautiful huge pines and very peaceful - we kayaked on Lake Pend Oreille as there is a swimming area and boat ramp right at the campground and in easy walking distance - we also hiked a short trail up across the road and enjoyed beautiful of the lake - everyone in Idaho was very friendly and would love to return again in the future!

Very pleasant campground on the beautiful lake Pend Oreille. Campground host has kayak rentals which is nice. The nearby town of Ponderay has pretty much anything you need. Great laundromat called “The Laundromat “ with WiFi.

At least during my stay off the maximum of 14 days. Site costs range from $23-$25 dollars. Facilities are older but maintained, well at least cleaned. I have no gripes as I'm staying in a fifth wheel. Some campsites are very unlevel.

There is a Dump station with a place to hookup a fresh water hose, but when arriving here the turn is too much for a trailer if any length. You'll need to do a loop around and come back. When leaving note the dump fee is $8 and you'll need a credit it debit card to activate.

The campsites have a sturdy picnic table and fire ring with a grill. Firewood is available from the Host. The lake is only a few hundred feet depending on your campsite and does have a dog beach, but make sure you use the correct beach.

This campground was very nice! It sits near Lake Pend Orielle on the northern side of the lake. The hosts were awesome! Both sites were clean. There are animals that come by the sites. We saw deer, turkey, squirrels, and lots of robins. There is a dump station that is $8 to use. That is by card only.
The Leaf loop was the only one that had paved units.

Dry camping, with restrooms, potable water and dump station available. $8 charge for dump. Our site was in skipping stone loop, very unlevel. The campground manager asked about taking pictures of our RV to submit to the powered that be. They would like to get sites leveled. Our site was close to the lake, lots of shade trees. Still able to get some solar. Fire ring and picnic table is located behind/to the left of the RV. We did have Verizon signal. Able to make reservations on line. There was a cougar sighting a few days before we got the the campground. Also so deer and bald eagles.

We were shocked when we rolled up to find our own beach and a huge site. It’s probably the biggest campsite we’ve ever seen. Despite a crowded campground, it was quiet, clean, and our site felt very private. There are bathrooms but no showers. I could come back here again and stay for an extended period of time. What a beautiful area!

Sam Owen did not disappoint! We had a huge, level spot (#56) at the end of the campground (not all sites are so level). A little tight to get into with a 40’ 5th wheel, but doable. The lake is just a very short walk away (great paddle boarding!) and though there is no cell service within the CG, there is on the far side of the swimming beach, next to the Beyond Hope resort (very crowded looking camping there!).

We were considering this park and another park down the road. The lakeside spots were reserved most days for the next few weeks. They had a log company removing a lot of trees from sites in the loop near the entrance. and across the road. They had log trucks rolling down the road at dawn. The available sites had tree stumps surrounding the sites. The sites looked ugly with all of the trees gone. Seeing a bunch of tree stumps with little shade and temperature in the high 90's we went down the road to Island View Trailer Resort. We were glad we did.