Winter RV Camping & Skiing in McCall, Idaho

Here’s everything we know about winter camping in McCall, Idaho, including ski areas that allow overnight RV parking.

McCall, Idaho became my new favorite mountain town on a trip over a long 4th of July weekend in 2017. It’s like a mini Tahoe, my former beloved home, but without crowds.

Residents might argue that tourists are overwhelming during holidays and their annual Winter Carnival. However, unlike Tahoe, McCall has a legitimate shoulder season, and weekdays are regularly quiet. It’s not hard to get a break from tourists.

McCall is located in Idaho’s west central mountains on the shores of Payette Lake, just a couple of hours north of Boise. Even though only about 2,000 people inhabit McCall, they have a vibrant little community with year-round recreation.

In the summer, I love using Ponderosa State Park as a home base. I can paddle, mountain bike, hike, and explore town without ever moving the van. If you go over 4th of July, the state park also has a wonderful lawn for viewing the city-sponsored fireworks over Payette Lake.

I most especially enjoy snowy season in McCall, and thankfully, winter is still an RV-friendly time to visit. There are three ski resorts, nordic trails, snowmobiling, and more. Plus, walking paths around town and the local golf course are regularly cleared of snow making McCall very walkable in winter.

Ski resorts near McCall with overnight RV camping

There are two major ski resorts near McCall – Brundage Mountain and Tamarack Resort.

Brundage Mountain

Brundage is only a 15-minute drive from McCall. They get 320 inches of snow on average each year. And that’s measured at the base! Brundage also has close to 2,000 skiable acres and they’re just shy of having a 2,000-foot vertical drop.

This is completely anecdotal, but after skiing Brundage across several months and years, I’d say snow seems to fall consistently. While storms aren’t typically measured in feet like places in Tahoe or Mount Hood, inches will fall here and there. And because Brundage is uncrowded, those tiny snow events add up over time and you can find deep stashes all over the mountain.

Even though Brundage temperatures can drop into the single digits, Idahoans aren’t afraid to tailgate. They come fully prepared for a comfortable day to hang out slope side.

They also have a lively RV camping scene with dogs running everywhere and many campers outside of their rigs just enjoying life. Plus, camping is free.

Tamarack Resort

Tamarack is an easy 35-minute drive from McCall. Roads are relatively flat and straight with no mountain passes to climb over. Just watch out for frost heaves and potholes!

My favorite part about Tamarack is their 2,800-foot vertical and several options for taking a long run from top to bottom.

Weekdays are also quiet at Tamarack which means more powder for everyone.

If you’re looking for activities aside from downhill skiing, Tamarack also has trails for nordic skiing, fat tire biking, and snowshoeing.

Tamarack recently adopted an official overnight RV camping policy, so you can now make reservations to camp for $35 per night. While the overnight RV parking isn’t slope side, its still in close proximity to the lifts, and a shuttle comes around every 15 minutes. It’s a pretty quiet scene compared to Brundage, but the option is convenient for enjoying Tamarack in your van or RV.

Other winter camping in McCall

McCall RV Resort

While you can camp overnight at Brundage and Tamarack, it helps to spend time at an RV resort to shower, top off your RV batteries, dump, fill up on propane and water, and maybe catch up on laundry.

McCall RV Resort is 5 minutes from downtown McCall, 20 minutes from Brundage, and 30 minutes from Tamarack.

Other year-round RV parks near McCall

I don’t have experience at either of these locations, but I’m putting them here in case they’re helpful to you.

Creekside RV Park & Campground – Located in New Meadows, Idaho. It’s 15 minutes from Brundage, 15 minutes from downtown McCall, and 45 minutes from Tamarack.

Arrowhead RV Park & Campground – Located in Cascade, Idaho. It’s 35 minutes from Tamarack, 40 minutes from downtown McCall, and 50 minutes from Brundage.

The cheapest ways to ski around McCall

Indy Pass

Indy Pass is the best way to enjoy skiing around McCall as it gives you two days each of skiing and riding at Brundage and Tamarack. You can also get a 25% discount on a third day at each.

Indy Pass typically goes on sale in March and sells out quickly. 2024/25 passes went on sale for returning pass holders on March 1st and to new pass holders on March 8th. Sales closed on March 18th. The adult cost for a new adult Indy pass holder started at $349.

More information about Indy Pass.

Little Ski Hill

While they don’t allow overnight RV camping like Brundage and Tamarack, and they’re not on any multi-resort pass, Little Ski Hill’s 2023/24 ski pass was cheaper than many day tickets at other ski resorts. Only $127.50! And adult day passes are only $30.

Little Ski Hill is exactly that…little. They offer six ski runs, 405 vertical feet, a terrain park, night skiing, and uphill travel. It’s an awesome place for the community to gather, and they even have an After School Program for kids. It’s still on my list of places to ski.

The Payette Lakes Ski Club operates Little Ski Hill, as well as the Bear Basin Nordic Center. Both are located on the western edge of McCall, about a 5-minute drive from the heart of town.

Visit the Payette Lakes Ski Club website for more information.

Another ski resort two hours from McCall with overnight RV camping

Bogus Basin

Bogus Basin is a non-profit ski area serving Boiseans and the Treasure Valley that’s just over two hours from McCall. I think you’ll find it worth your while to add this ski resort to your trip as it has 2,600 skiable acres and an 1,800-foot vertical drop.

If you have a season pass at a ski resort with Powder Alliance benefits, you get three free days at Bogus. Same is true if you have a pass to a Freedom Pass resort.

They also offer free overnight RV camping. And if you’re looking for other camping options, there are a few year-round RV parks in the Boise area, including:

• Boise Riverside RV Park – 45 minutes in Garden City
• Mountain View RV Park – 50 minutes in Boise
• Hi Valley RV Park – 50 minutes in Eagle
• Ambassador RV Resort – 70 minutes in Caldwell

Other winter activities in McCall

Take a walk on the snowplowed recreation pathways around the town of McCall and the McCall Golf Club. During winter months, the McCall Golf Club allows dogs on leash, but please pick up after your pet!

Or go snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, fat biking, or tubing at the McCall Activity Barn. Groomed trails are dog-friendly.

Annual winter events in McCall

Winter Carnival is McCall’s most popular annual winter event. In January 2019, we enjoyed the parade, evening lakeside fireworks, and we walked the town to view all of the ice sculptures. Brundage had an ice sculpture at the top of their main lift that year, as well. I also saw the dog sled races at Bear Creek Lodge. As of 2024, Winter Carnival is now in late February.

Also as of 2024, the Idaho Dog Sled Challenge is now on a separate schedule from Winter Carnival.

Casual places to eat in McCall

My Father’s Place

My Father’s Place isn’t where my dad lives. Rather, it’s one of my favorite burger joints. I’m always eager to go there first after driving a couple of hours from Boise.

They are regularly busy but service is fast and friendly and their food is consistent. I love their Hotshot burger, french fries with fry sauce, and a chocolate shake. If you like sweet potato fries, they’re perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

If you go, don’t let a long line scare you. You’d be surprised how fast food comes out once you place your order.

Frenchies on Third

I refer to Frenchies on Third as “heart attack food” as much on their menu is fried. It’s not good for you, but it tastes good.

While I love the burgers at My Father’s Place, I like the burgers at Frenchies too. But they’re really known for their Po Boys. My favorites are the Chicken Fry Po Boy, Dat Burger, Blazin Burger, and Fried Shrimp. If you get the Roast Beef Po Boy, be prepared to eat it with a fork.

Service is super fast, even when they’re busy. If you place an online to-go order, it will say that your order will be ready in fifteen minutes. However, I find that it is often ready in ten minutes or less. When you walk in the door, to-go orders are sitting right inside with your name on it. Really easy.

Stacey Cakes

Stacey Cakes is one of my greatest weaknesses on the road. I can’t help myself from purchasing more than one dessert whenever we go. Everything is good and I’ve tried most of their regular items.

North Fork Coffee Roasters

McCall has a Starbucks upstairs inside Albertsons, but if you’re looking for a locally owned coffee shop, go to North Fork Coffee Roasters. Instead of whipped cream, they top specialty coffee beverages with oversized marshmallows. Be careful with the caffeine. I find it to be extra potent, so I normally stick to decaf.

Conveniences in McCall

Grocery stores

Surprisingly, for a small town of around 2,000 people, McCall has great grocery store options, including Albertsons, Natural Grocers, and Ridley’s. I can typically find everything I need as well as I can in a big city.

I like Albertsons most for fuel rewards. However, their parking lot can get very busy. Even though they have a few oversized parking spaces in the rear, there are sometimes just too many cars and vehicles towing snowmobile trailers to maneuver around easily.

For a much larger parking lot, go to Ridley’s. Ridley’s also has an outdoor/sporting goods section, clothing, shoes, and home goods.

Otherwise, McCall now has a Natural Grocers if you’re looking for supplements or harder to find organic and natural products.

All three stores offer a water refill station, great for refilling our three 11-liter Dometic GO Hydration Water Jugs.

Laundry

If you’re not staying at McCall RV Resort, you can do laundry at Aspen Market & Laundromat. The laundromat (not the market) is open 24/7. A fuel station is located here as well. Call (208) 630-6054 for more information. As far as I know, there are no dry cleaners in McCall or Valley County.

RV needs

If you’re having trouble with your RV, we like Dan’s Mobile RV Service & Repair. Dan is awesome and in high demand. He had never worked on a Winnebago Revel before ours, but he did an excellent job of diagnosing an electrical issue we were having. On a separate occasion, he prioritized an issue we were having with our AC unit during an uncomfortably hot week one summer.

If you’re looking for some basic RV supplies, May Hardware might have what you need. There is also Henggeler Home & RV Center on the outskirts of town. Call (208) 634-5310 for more information.

If you need service for your Mercedes Sprinter van, try Mercedes-Benz of Boise. This is the only Mercedes-Benz in Idaho.

Fuel

While you can redeem Albertsons fuel rewards at Chevron in downtown McCall, we’ve shied away from that station. We always seem to have issues redeeming our fuel points at the pump and have to see the attendant inside. Also, it’s a tight fit, especially with vehicles towing snowmobile trailers. We had one clip our van as it was exiting.

I prefer the layout at Maverik, also in downtown McCall. It seems to always have cheaper diesel fuel anyway.

Pet needs

For pet supplies, we love McCall Pet Outfitters. And for veterinary services, we like MCPAWS Veterinary Hospital in McCall and WestVet in Boise.

Medical services

If you need emergency medical care, go to St. Luke’s McCall Medical Center. This 15-bed hospital has a 24-hour emergency department.

For an urgent care, go to St. Luke’s Urgent Care: McCall.

Mail and shipping

If you stay at McCall RV Resort, ask them about accepting mail and shipments on your behalf. Otherwise, check with the McCall Post Office about having mail sent to you via General Delivery.

A note about businesses in McCall

Unlike more populated areas, McCall businesses may only be open a few days a week. In the off season, they might not be open at all.

Businesses in McCall open later and close earlier than what you might be used to in your home town, and their hours might change unexpectedly on any given day.

Many businesses are also closed on holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Day, including grocery stores. Plan accordingly.

Also, it’s not uncommon to show up at a business with a sign on the door announcing some sort of closure even though online information might say that they are open.

Cell service in McCall

I find that both AT&T and Verizon are not very reliable around town. Though, in an unofficial poll of locals, Verizon is their favorite. Many have Starlink in their homes. Depending on where you are though, I’ve found AT&T to work better than Starlink because of trees.

I seem to get the best cell service at McCall RV Resort, Ridley’s parking lot, upstairs in Albertson’s at Starbucks, and south of Deinhard Lane.

McCall also has coworking spaces including WorkX and CUB McCall. Last I knew, WorkX uses Starlink.

Other tips for your winter visit to McCall

We froze our Winnebago Travato’s pipes more than once during the 2018/19 season as lows were often in the single digits. Thankfully, a local gave us a tip that Riggins, about an hour from Brundage, is much lower in elevation than McCall and usually has temperatures above freezing. We went there to thaw out a few times.

Final thoughts on winter in McCall

A winter van life road trip to McCall is great as a week-long adventure or you can stay for a whole ski season. There’s so much to do and it’s always hard for me to leave after one short week.

In case you missed it, read everything else we know about ski resorts mentioned in this article: