Stanley RV & Camp

Stanley is a beautiful area in the Sawtooth Mountains. But unfortunately the park was one of the most expensive we have stayed in and not in great shape. The sites seem to be laid out in a way to squeeze as many rv’s in as they can. Sites are very unlevel and you don’t really have any useable outdoor space. We had a picnic table but it was on such a slope you couldn’t use it. There is a lower level where we were and an upper level. The upper level has a steep 9% grade and not really doable in our motorhome. Some of those sites do have Mountain views but most are for smaller rigs. The WiFi was barely useable and only in the morning. Seemed to stop working in the evening. No ATT signal and Verizon had 2 bars 4g and no OTA channels. Laundry facilities were ok with 2 washers and dryers. There is so much to do in the area and we will be back but will find somewhere else to camp.

We started our stay in Stanley at Mountain Village Resort, expecting little things like a bathroom with flush toilets and showers. What they had was ONE Port-a-Potty in the middle of a field. The workers there were uncaring and not helpful. I called Stanley RV + Camp and the lady on the phone was very nice, answered all my questions: Laundry, YES; Showers, YES; Availability, Check-in the next day for 1 night. She even stayed on the phone while Tom and I debated on paying $279 to rent a room at the “Resort” for showers or wait another day and move to Stanley RV + Camp. We decided to move. We are very grateful for the very clean showers! The very clean laundry room! There are a limited number of washers & dryers - 2 each, but it was only $3 per load. And I was still able to do 3 loads of laundry on a Saturday afternoon. The campground is within the trees! We did manage to get our RV up the 9% grade hill with no problem, Tom took a wrong turn and went up the hill. We stayed in the lower section, site #8. Though the grass area was sloped, there was wood supports under the table to level it and make the table useable. The campground is right off the highway. During the day there is some road noise, but at night we didn’t notice much road noise.

We spent some time talking to the owners. This is their second season as the new owners. The previous owners had a restaurant on site and most of the campsites were given to the staff members for lodging. Because of this, the campground was not well maintained. The new owners are making repairs and improvements constantly! As can be seen in the bathroom & showers. They have converted the restaurant to bunk rooms and a front office; and added cute little cabins. When we were there they were adding siding to a building by the laundry room. This couple are two hard working, friendly people with a vision! I look forward to going back and seeing their vision come to fruition.

Tom gave them 4⭐️‘S because his AT&T cell service was dismal and the sites are close together. My Verizon cell service was good. I was able to download videos on my phone. Lol! I would give them 4.5 ⭐️‘S because they also sell ice cream in the afternoons and the serving portions are HUGE!

Great RV park near Stanley. You don't have a lot of choices for full hook ups there so it's nice to have at least one decent park. Owners are great and have made a lot of improvements. Bathrooms and showers are clean. If you're in the sites up the hill you have a great view of the Sawtooths. All sites are back in except for one, but plenty of room to maneuver. Sites are a little tight but organized in a way to give you privacy. WiFi is there but gets saturated quickly. Only time it worked for me was early morning hours like 2am. Verizon was working on extended network with a slow but useable connection. T-Mobile had 1 bar and was unusable. This really is a base camp though, there is so much to do around Stanley that you won't be at the park much, at least I hope so. It was very quiet and the night sky is amazing, Stanley is a dark sky preserve so you'll see great views of the milky way and constellations.

Stayed here again, this time in the only pull through site - 11. Hosts are fantastic as always. We had to cut our earlier trip short and they allowed us to book the remainder of our stay at this time. Park was still 100% full. My only complaint would be privacy, site 12 is directly across from 11 with both door sides of campers facing each other. We spent a lot more time cross 21 to walk along and in valley creek though. Great place to bring the dog. Free coffee in the morning and they also serve beer and wine now.

Slightly better cell phone signal on t-mobile, was able to get 3 bars and about 12-16Mbs. Verizon had a strong signal as well but the phone I use as a hotspot wasn't working so the throughput was lousy. I've heard others get decent bandwidth on vz tho. Wifi again was unusable during normal hours, only really late night and early morning.

Noise from nearby hwy 21
Very clean facilities

Beautiful views of the Sawtooth mountains if you're staying on the upper sites. Small operation with <40 sites with a very friendly owner. No individual fire pits, but there's a communal fireplace that's stocked with wood. 15 minute drive to town if you need supplies. Quiet, clean, and peaceful.

The only downside is spotty cell service. According to the owner, Verizon users have signal within the site. We have AT&T and had a very slow signal with a WeBoost. We needed to drive 5 minutes towards town to get a decent signal for voice and data. This will probably improve in the future.

We nabbed the last spot for the night, up top, near the fence. (It’s odd that the fence is higher than normal and high enough to obscure the views of the Sawtooths.) Full hookups are always appreciated! Didn’t get a chance to use any of the facilities and, like most of our stays, I neglected to take photos.

We had this trip preplanned for three months with two four year olds. The 8 hour trip was worth it after the ease of setup upon arrival. Clean facilities and was amazed at the views. We will definitely be back!

Stanley RV and Camp is a small RV park with typically close RV spots but a great shower/bathroom and laundry facility. Close to Stanley Lake and town.