Camping at the Mountain Home Country Music Festival (Boise, Bellevue: 2014, renting)

[Merrily Gather]

"Howdeeey Ho Ideeeehoans!" This is a thread about the Mountain Home Country Music Festival. July 31st - August 2nd

We're camping up there for the three day event and with it a week away I need to get prepared.

Anyone else going? Where are you coming from and when are you arriving? They allow campers in at Noon on Thursday. I'm heading up Thursday from the Boise Metro area ahead of my friend I'm going with, to set up camp, as she has to work until Friday at Noon.

I haven't camped in this area before so any advice would be appreciated.

This is where it is on the map. It's approximately 35 miles outside of Mountain Home on the way to Sun Valley. Past Little Camas Reservoir and before Solider Mountain Game Preserve just off Forest Rd 61. We were looking at the route last night and my Uncle says he thinks that's the area where it starts to turn green.



The closest town is Fairfield, ID with a population 416 according to the 2010 census. So I took a look at the weather forecast up there to get an idea what the days and nights will be like camping. It looks like we'll be in the low 90's during the day and mid-50's during the night. With mild winds and no rain. We'll want to bundle up at night.



10 day forecast


The campsite doesn't allow alcohol and quiet time starts at midnight. They say it's a family friendly event and the videos on their facebook page shows lots of activities for kids there. This is their facebook page with videos of similar country music festivals being put on by them showing the activities.

We wish we had two extra tickets for my friend's kids to go, boy (13) and girl (10), because it would be more fun with them there. We looked at tickets on Craigslist for the event but everyone was selling GA tickets at or more than what kids ticket cost, $75. The boy would be considered an adult as kids are considered 11 and under. My friend won these tickets but she only received two. We almost didn't think we'd get to go because we had to find a sitter for the weekend and pay more than I've ever paid for a campsite before. We'll have to pack up Sunday morning to be ready to leave Sunday night when the concert ends as she has to pick up her kids and be at work Monday morning.

I also thought it was strange for a three day concert to have a no alcohol policy while camping. I did find an Idaho Statesman article on it that explains it's the first year doing this concert here and they want to keep it conservative to see how it goes.

However, they are selling $4 - $5 beers in the venue and it sounds like you can get by at your campsite if you keep it reasonable. It'll be relaxed if you aren't belligerent and openly drinking beer cans and fifths.

“We don’t have the alcohol police out there,” festival president Anne Hankins says. “No one’s going out there and doing strip-sampling of everyone’s red Solo cup. But what that does is it stopped the alcohol-fueled parties and people misbehaving that we were having in the camping areas. So if … you’re sitting in your camping area, and you and your significant other are having a glass of wine in a yellow cup and not having 200 people drinking fifths, no one’s going to be bugging you.”

It’s like tailgating at Boise State football games back when alcohol wasn’t legal outside the stadium. If you didn’t flash beer cans around, you kept drinks in cups, you didn’t get voraciously hammered — you could enjoy an adult beverage in peace.

LINK

They only allow propane grills to cook food so we're wracking out brains for what kind of food items to bring camping that we don't have to cook and won't spoil. I'm thinking to stock up on trail mix and dried fruits at the bulk section of Winco. Get some sandwich bread and peanut butter and jelly. Pack in lots of water. What else? Maybe some granola bars? If we need a hot meal we can splurge on a food vendor there. I saw they're serving pancakes and all kinds of things.

[VandalsLOL]

Usually at big events like that, especially when it's all ages, they are required by law to have a separate "beer garden" that checks IDs before you can go in. If this music festival does not currently do this, it won't be long before they will have to in order to get the proper permitting and insurance.

Sounds fun. It's a pretty stacked lineup.

[IdaD]

I don't think they'll have the festival quite where they're showing it on the map. That's the road that runs north up to Anderson Ranch and Pine/Featherville. If they literally have the stage set up there by the highway you'll basically be out camping in sagebrush. I wouldn't be surprised if they set it up north of there, maybe over closer to where the prairie drops off down to Anderson Ranch.

I'm not much of a fan of crowds, so honestly if it were me I might camp up at one of the campsites along the South Fork and commute to the concert. Elk Flats would be reasonably close and it's a nice clean campground. I prefer camping past Featherville either north or east but Elk Flats would be a good compromise just based on location, and it is a pretty spot even though it's right on the road. The phone is a nice touch too since there's no cell service up there. I don't know what the concert charges for camping but the forest service sites are only about $6 a night.

[Merrily Gather]

The phone number is based in Eugene as it's the Willamette Country Music Concerts LLC that's putting on these series of concerts annually. I think there are three versions of them in the NW region, but I get what you mean about cell service once you're there.

Yesterday was the deadline for getting a camping package and parking passes with them at the venue. It was $200 with the $50 parking pass included. I'm not thrilled about camping in sagebrush if that's the case but it creeped up on us at the last minute. We weren't sure we'd get to go as the sitter she had for the kids cancelled and we had to find another one at the 11th hour.

Thanks for the recommendations on campsites. I guess I should have asked sooner but I'm sure it will help others here and in the future. When I was looking at it I wasn't sure where to go and the campsites I did find were already booked up for those dates.

I've been out to Anderson Ranch before. One of my friends I went with got a hole in her oil pan driving over the rocks on their road as it's pretty bumpy, and we had to evacuate out of there quickly due to it so I thought we better avoid it in the car.

I remember there was a camp ground/rest area at the turn into Bellevue on the way to Sun Valley but I figured it might be too far and it's not about the money. It's about getting the experience of camping out at the concerts with the people playing guitars and jamming together. I want my friend to experience that. I'm going to bring my guitar too. Thursday night there is a special preview show just for the campers and we can go into the VIP seats. They have a couple special things planned for the concert campers.

[IdaD]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

I've been out to Anderson Ranch before. One of my friends I went with got a hole in her oil pan driving over the rocks on their road as it's pretty bumpy, and we had to evacuate out of there quickly due to it so I thought we better avoid it in the car.

You might have gone in on the lower end where the road goes into the dam. This road comes up on other end of lake and is paved all the way through Featherville. Elk Flats is about halfway between Pine and Featherville, so the only unpaved road you'd be on would be in the campground itself.

If they're charging $50 a night to camp at an unimproved site and $50 to park...no wonder they're getting some big names out there. Yikes.

[Merrily Gather]

Originally Posted by IdaD

You might have gone in on the lower end where the road goes into the dam. This road comes up on other end of lake and is paved all the way through Featherville. Elk Flats is about halfway between Pine and Featherville, so the only unpaved road you'd be on would be in the campground itself.

If they're charging $50 a night to camp at an unimproved site and $50 to park...no wonder they're getting some big names out there. Yikes.

That time was actually one of my friend's brilliant ideas to have a camping bachelorette party out there. There were several car loads of us ladies but only one of them wrecked her cars under carriage on the way into camp.

I remember some parts of the roads were ok and then when we got to the part where we're heading down hill and you can see the lake I was thinking should we be driving on this rocky dirt road because those are some big rocks and deep divots we're going over.

Regarding the concert camping my friend said, "Holy cow, these tickets aren't so free after all. I might not be able to go." We figured it out though. Also they're renting the venue area from a private land owner so that might be part of it too.

Any suggestions on what we should bring in for food items that won't spoil and we don't have to cook? I'm thinking trail mix, dried fruits, granola bars, lots of water, sandwich bread with peanut butter and jelly. What else?

I really want to get some fresh homemade peppered beef jerky. I don't want to get that chewy, sort of sweet, prepackaged stuff from a grocery store. If anyone knows where there is some place that makes their own, that is known for it being really good, that would be great!

[Merrily Gather]

They took this picture and shared it today of the site setup under process. 5 days to go! Plus the concert is going to be under a blue moon.

[Merrily Gather]

Also found this today. It gives a better view of the land in the video and the behind the scenes look with the land owner. I like what he says about how he's doing it to give back to the community and help the local economy.

Mountain Home Country Music Festival: The man behind the land

Also local artists created the art that will be on display for the country music festival for years to come. It has pictures of the pieces that will be near the stage.

New Plymouth artist on display for Country Music Festival

[delynnie]

Wow!!! Too bad I am just finding out about this!!! Southern California has a Country Music Festival called Stagecoach!!
I go to it every year, and it is so much Fun!! I am so glad, and excited they do this in Idaho!!! I will definitely have to check it out next year!! I love Country Music!!

[Merrily Gather]

Next year delynnie!

Today's the day for the campers to arrive as early as noon time to check in. On our way!