Priest Lake Area

US Forest Service · Idaho

Priest Lake Area in Idaho. Ringed marker is this site; the other dots are the 722 public campsites we map in Idaho.

Priest Lake was originally called Roothaan Lake by Father Desmet in 1846 in honor of his Jesuit Superior in Rome. One of the prominent peaks in the Selkirk Range still bears the name Roothaan. In 1865, Captain John Mullan designated this same lake as Kaniksu Lake on one of his maps. It is believed that "Kaniksu" was the Indian name of Black Robe, although this has never been authenticated.

What we know about it

Managed by

US Forest Service

Fee

Not published (the agency does not list one)

Booking

first-come, first-served

Dogs

Allowed on a leash (USFS policy)

Coordinates

48.57931, -116.91215

Nearest sites we map

• Kalispell Island Boat-In Campground2 km · US Forest Service
• Reynolds Creek Group Site3 km · US Forest Service
• Luby Bay Campground3 km · US Forest Service
• Luby Bay4 km · US Forest Service
• Bartoo Island Sites5 km · US Forest Service
• Bartoo Island Boat-In Campground5 km · US Forest Service

Source: Recreation.gov, dated 2026-02-25, fetched 2026-09-07. Official listing.

All camping near Sandpoint · All camping in Idaho