Let me tell you about this little gem of a campground tucked in the beautiful Idaho pines. It is hands down one of my favorite places to visit and definitely my favorite place to camp. McCall is a quaint lakeside town on the banks of Payette Lake located 100 miles north of Boise. It’s a scenic drive up Route 55 that borders the Payette River. Mining led to the boom of the area in the mid-late 1800’s and many of the towns along the way still have that old days charm.
We found out about this piece of paradise from someone Mark did business with and visited the first time in the winter of 2004. We rented a cabin in town for a long weekend to ski with our boys and my aunt and uncle at Brundage Mountain Resort. It was the perfect sized mountain for us to get back into skiing. Mark and I had taken time off from the sport when our kids were born and this trip was their first time skiing. We lucked out and were there just after their annual Winter Carnival. Part of the carnival is a snow carving contest. I’m not talking a little block of snow carved into a pumpkin. No, this is a huge amount of snow and the carvings are elaborate and intricate. One of my favorites was done at a house with the snow that had fallen from the roof. It was carved into a white water raft going through the rapids complete with a full boat of adventurers.
While there we also booked a sleigh ride in an elk preserve in the nearby town of Cascade. It was more like a sleigh stop than a sleigh ride, though. The tractor pulled us into the giant preserve and stopped. The elk quickly came over and started munching on the hay bales we were sitting on. We had a great time watching the hierarchy of the herd and dodging their huge antlers.
Our next trip to McCall was in the summer of 2006 as we traveled toward home from Banff. McCall is majestic in the in the winter and even more beautiful in the summer. The lake is a deep blue with pine trees down to the water. There are several lake houses that I would love to stay in.
Our lodging for a couple of days that first visit was at the McCall RV Resort. Little did I know that first drive down the little hill to check in that I would fall in love with the entire place. The lodge is huge with room to hold an event while you stay there and an extra-large back patio complete with patio tables and umbrellas. The sites are spacious with lots and lots of grass; blade grass that feels good under your feet. The summer grass in Phoenix is, how do I put this, awful. One thing I miss from growing up in California is the grass. Weird, I know, but it’s true. There is no laying on the grass and looking at the clouds in the summer in Arizona, even on a rare cool day.
The campground is on the banks of the Payette River. A space close to the river wasn’t available and we were given space 49; an end space right across from the pool. The grass area was big enough for us to set up our badminton net and play a few rousing games during our stay. The river didn’t have any fish, at least not any that we caught. Grass bass was the catch of the day from our poles. The pool is inside with glass garage doors for winter use. The entire campground is immaculate.
Mark chatted up the friendly staff as we checked in. The couple he talked to were there for the summer. They worked 30 hours a week between them which got them free lodging. The rest of their time was spent exploring the area. Mark told them we’d been to McCall before in the winter and what we had done. The husband told us about good rafting nearby, the bike trail and that downtown was a must see.
We hopped on our bikes and rode the bike trail down to the lake that starts right across Dinehard Lane from the campground. The main street is just so cute. Hanging plants are on every street light, stores have their doors open wide with merchandise ready to be bought. There was even a lake side city park we’d missed completely when it was covered with snow during our winter visit! Mark wanted to check out the boats on the lake so we rode over to the marina aptly named the Mile High Marina because McCall’s elevation is just that, a mile high. It was a shame no boats were available to rent for the afternoon; that would have been a fun ride around the lake. We did, however, have time for a white water rafting ride in nearby Riggins, ID. If you haven’t rafted, you are missing out. You get to see the beauty of the area from a completely different vantage point. Our stay was too short and on the drive home we vowed to be back. This was one of those places that stayed with you.
We were back the very next summer for a week including Independence Day. Mark’s mom and stepdad joined us along with his brother and family and our dear neighbors. We scored a pod campsite; this is the best for a group. Four spaces open up to the same large grass square. We put up a volleyball net and still had lots of space for the kids to play.
Mark and his brother, Matt plotted and planned an action packed week. This was another one of those alarm clock vacations and you know what, those are the best kind.
My love for McCall is too much for one post. Tune in this week for the adventures of our 2007 trip.
