Paris Springs Campground

What a find! We were looking for something close to Bear Lake and Minnetonka caves. Paris Springs Campground is 4 miles from Paris ID up a well groomed gravel road with good signage. The campground has 12 sites with a couple of group sites and all were full the weekend we were there.

The sites are all a little different and have a fair amount of privacy and space. Our site was #6 and we had to work a little to park our 20” trailer to fit our awning and slideout. Then we had a cute little wooden walkway across a currently dry little ditch lined with wild rose bushes and wildflowers. The table and fire pit were in a circle of cottonwood, pine, and aspen with the spring running merrily behind the site. It was easy to wade in the ankle-deep stream but the water was cold so I didn’t stay long. We were there the weekend after the 4th of July and were surrounded by butterflies! So charming. Also, someone left a paper plate staked to the ground just outside our site warning us to be aware of the hummingbird nest and the 2 little eggs that were hatching. The paper plate note was left by a 12year old camper a few weeks before, asking that we not disturb the mama. We stayed a respectful distance - except for one pic with a selfie stick when the mama flew off to gather food. She was taking care of two tiny new babies with only pin feathers.

There are two vault toilets on the way in by the group site, one was out of order. There are water spigots in between many of the campsites that were easy to access.

At the far end (by site #4) you can hike 300 yards up a trail to the head of the Paris Springs. It is a very picturesque, easy hike. Dipping your feet or sitting in the spring water is instantly refreshing.

Many people took off during the day to ride ATVs or play at Bear Lake near St Charles so the campground was fairly quiet during the day. Kids played joyfully around dinner time and everyone maintained quiet hours.

We loved it here and appreciated the wildness even more when we went by the campgrounds (Porcupine) by the Minnetonka caves which were right by the road and fairly crowded. The cave tour was fun and informative - Take a coat! It is a cool 40 degrees and damp for 90 minutes.

Bear Lake, 40 minutes away, was hot and crowded. I thought it was really hard to get information online about where to go, how to get there, and what amenities were available. We went in the Idaho entrance by St Charles. I understood you could bring leashed dogs but really that was only on the Utah side. They let us in only if we agreed to sit in the running vehicle with the dog the whole time (which, of course, we did - taking turns getting in the water). Cars lined the roads. People were crowded on the beach in blistering heat. Apparently the prime North Beach has been sold or is being run by some concession that only allows their customers access. I would try to find another lake nearby next time.

Paris itself is very small with one convenience store that does its best to stock supplies. Montpelier is 10 more minutes down the road with more services available.

We loved this campground and the surrounding country.

Wow! What a lovely campground. Each spot has a picnic table, fire ring, and access to the spring fed creek running alongside this campground.

We were originally a bit worried about the road when we saw that it was a gravel road on the maps, but the previous review helped calm any nerves. It was fine. It is a gravel road, but there are no potholes and minimal washboarding. It definitely looks like it is taken care of, as there are quite a few houses on the way out to the grounds.

We showed up late on a Monday in August and there was no one else in the loop we camped in. Though we heard that it is usually full on the weekends.

The spot wasn’t level front to back, but perfectly level side to side.

There are drinkable water spigots for most (not all) of the sites. A maintenance guy was out to service the tanks and adjust the chlorine level while we were packing up.

A few sweet little birdhouses (one with a porch swing!) graced the trees throughout the grounds. You can tell that nice planning was put into creating all the sites.

These are great sites for kids too. Ours had a ball playing in the calm, burbling creek and riding their bikes around the loop.

We detoured out of the way to visit Paris Springs and we are glad we did. Such a lovely campground.