Summit View Campground sits high in the Bear River Range at about 7,200 feet, roughly eight miles east of Georgetown in the Bear Lake country of southeastern Idaho, and it's one of those Caribou-Targhee campgrounds that quietly does everything right. A lodgepole pine forest wraps the sites in partial shade, summer grasses and wildflowers carpet the ground beneath, and in late summer wild huckleberries ripen across the surrounding slopes, which is reason enough for some people to make the drive.

The campground is well set up. There are 18 single-family sites and three group sites, each with picnic tables and campfire rings, plus vault toilets and drinking water. There's even an amphitheater on site for gatherings, an unusual touch at a forest campground and a nice one for groups. Roads and parking spurs are dirt but suitable for passenger vehicles, so you don't need anything special to get in.

Trails are the real draw. The 3.5-mile Harrington Peak trail starts right in the campground and climbs to sweeping summit views, which is about as good an arrangement as a hiker can ask for: coffee at the picnic table, then a summit before lunch. The area also sits on the Great Western Trail corridor, and the surrounding high country laces together routes for hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and off-road vehicle riders, so there's genuine range here for a mixed group.

Access runs via County Road 102 and Forest Road 095 off U.S. Highway 30, putting it within easy reach of Montpelier, Georgetown and the wider Bear Lake area, which is one of the prettiest and least-trafficked corners of Idaho. The Montpelier Ranger District office at 322 North 4th Street can answer current questions on weekdays.

At 7,200 feet the season is short and the nights are cold even in the middle of summer, and mountain weather in the Bear River Range shifts quickly, so layers and rain gear are worth packing regardless of what the forecast says down in the valley.

Come with warm layers, plenty of water, insect repellent for early summer, and a container if you're timing the huckleberries. Between a summit trail leaving from your tent, an amphitheater for the group, huckleberries on the slopes and lodgepole shade over the sites, Summit View is one of the better-kept secrets in southeastern Idaho.