Scout Mountain Campground sits high on Scout Mountain at about 6,900 feet, just 13 miles south of Pocatello, Idaho, and it's the natural basecamp for the whole Mink Creek recreation area, a beloved chunk of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest that serves as Pocatello's mountain backyard. Cool, forested and genuinely scenic, it's close enough for an after-work overnight and high enough to escape the summer heat of the Portneuf Valley below.

Trails are the reason most people come. A paved one-mile Scout Mountain Nature Trail loops the campground itself and leads to several overlooks, an easy, accessible walk that's rare at a mountain campground and perfect for an evening stroll or visitors with limited mobility. More ambitiously, the East Fork Mink Creek Trail begins right within the site and the Crestline Trail runs nearby, plugging the campground straight into a network popular for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and dirt biking.

The campground is well appointed. Single sites, double sites and one triple site come with picnic tables, campfire rings, utility serving tables, lantern posts and tent pads, and there's one large group site that can host up to 100 people, equipped with picnic and serving tables, grills, and a campfire ring with benches, which makes it a popular choice for reunions and scout groups. Both first-come, first-served and reservable sites are available. It's operated by Pinnacle Parks LLC under a special use permit with the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

The surroundings sweeten the deal. Cherry Springs Nature Area lies less than six miles away, with its namesake spring, a stream for fishing, paved self-guided nature trails and picnic facilities. The Mink Creek Nordic Center is about five miles off, offering hiking and horseback trails in summer and groomed cross-country ski trails once the snow arrives, which keeps the drainage busy year-round even though the campground itself is a summer operation.

At 6,900 feet the season is short and the nights are cold even in midsummer, and mountain weather in the Bannock Range can turn quickly, so packing warm layers and rain gear is wise regardless of the forecast down in town.

Come with layers, plenty of water, bug spray for early summer, and a reservation if you want certainty on a summer weekend. Between the paved nature loop, trailheads starting at your tent, overlooks a short walk away and a whole trail network in the drainage, Scout Mountain is one of the best-value mountain campgrounds in southeastern Idaho.