Effective earlier this summer, the beach and surrounding area at Green Bay are indefinitely closed to day-use traffic in an effort to limit overcrowding at the popular recreation spot.
The rocky beaches remain open to overnight campers with reservations, which can be secured online up to six months ahead of the desired date.
Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the campground shut down in 2024 for renovations, prompted by a massive influx of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Green Bay has been a notorious party spot among locals for decades, but with more and more visiting families recreating there, the USFS decided to tone down its wilder side with safety improvements and a volunteer full-time host, according to Josh Jurgensen, a recreational staff officer for Idaho Panhandle National Forests, who spoke to the Reader in 2024.
A view of Lake Pend Oreille from the beach at Green Bay, now closed to day use. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell
Funding from the Great American Outdoors Act paid for a new road, increased parking spaces and accessible paths to the park’s 16 sites, each with new pads, fire rings and picnic tables. The area opened again in May 2025 and, at the time, allowed all visitors; however, IPNF Public Affairs Officer Patrick Lair confirmed it was always the USFS’s intention to close the park to day users.
“The campground was redesigned a couple years ago and it was intentional that there would no longer be day use at the beach, and that’s because there had been complaints about the crowds,” Lair told the Reader. “The campsites that are there now are directly on the beach and people are paying for that camping experience. The day use folks basically have to walk through people’s campsites to get to the beach, so a decision was made that the beach area was for the fee-[paying] camping customers.”
The USFS has yet to release an official statement on the restrictions, but will work with the Reader going forward to publish additional information and clarify public use. In the meantime, would-be beachgoers have already been turned away by camp attendants in recent weeks, with multiple area residents reporting their experiences, both to the Reader and online.
A beachfront campsite at Green Bay following the 2024 renovations. Photo courtesy of Patrick Lair
“We were told today by the campground host that, starting next week, people will no longer be able to come to Green Bay for day use unless they have an overnight camping reservation,” wrote Amanda Grace on Aug. 27 in the Facebook group “Sandpoint Local Forum.” “He was very adamant about it. Said they will be enforcing even boat traffic who pull up along the shoreline.”
Hikers on Mineral Point Trail may still use the Green Bay parking lot; however, access to the beach is restricted to overnight campers. Bookings are $15 per night and operate on a six-month rolling basis, closing in late September. Availability for 2027 will be announced online on Saturday, May 1.
Visit bit.ly/GreenBayInfo for more information on the campground or to reserve a stay.
Additional reporting by Ben Olson and Zach Hagadone.
Want to support independent local journalism?
The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned and operated by people who were born and raised in Sandpoint. The Reader is owned by Publisher Ben Olson, Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone and Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
TIMBER WARS: Six-part series, February-November 2022. GO READ IT»
WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?: Five-part series, September-October 2021. GO READ IT»
THE AMERICAN REDOUBT: Seven-part series, November-December 2017. GO READ IT»
STANDOFF AT RUBY RIDGE: 25 Years Later. Five-part series, August-September 2017. GO READ IT»
Curious about what media the locals use? Check our 2018 Local Media Survey. GO SEE »
Sandpoint in Pictures
Filmmaker Jimmy Matlosz of the Idaho Film Company has made a series of mini documentaries about influential Sandpoint locals, including the late Dann Hall and Erik Daarstad as well as icons Diane Michaels and Dan Shook. He is currently working on a series of interviews connected to the history of the Panida Theater. Jimmy is a 30-year veteran filmmaker who's work can be seen at dpmatlosz.com.
Meet the Reader
Ever wonder who makes the Reader happen? Here's a behind-the-scenes look pieced together by summer 2017 intern McCalee Cain in which Ben, Cameron and Lyndsie explain what exactly about the Reader keeps them coming back to their shabby (but well-loved) office each week.
