Abandoned RVs Cost Idaho Forests Thousands

Abandoned recreational vehicles on Idaho national forest lands are expensive and hazardous to remove, prompting a nonprofit to seek a dealership partner.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Camping

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a weathered travel trailer alone in a forest clearing, with a distant ridge of conifers behind it. — Abandoned recreational vehicles left on Idaho national forest lands cost thousands of dollars each to remove, prompting nonprofit 208 Cleanup to seek a dealership partner. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think most people dispose of old RVs responsibly in your community?

Abandoned RVs left on Idaho national forest lands are costly to remove, with the Forest Service estimating thousands of dollars per vehicle. Forest Service law enforcement recorded about 36 abandoned RVs over the last 12 months.

Why it matters

Removal requires law enforcement to condemn each vehicle first, and some contain hazardous materials that cannot simply be hauled to a landfill. The problem affects public lands that residents across Idaho use for recreation.

The Forest Service recorded about 36 abandoned RVs on the forest over the last 12 months, and removing each one can cost thousands of dollars. The total number of RVs currently left on public land has not been reported.

The players

208 Cleanup

A nonprofit organization that removes garbage from public lands in Idaho using volunteers.

U.S. Forest Service

The federal agency that manages national forest lands, including the Boise National Forest where abandoned RVs have been found.

The details

208 Cleanup, a nonprofit that removes garbage from public lands with volunteers, is recruiting an RV dealership partner to prevent RVs from being abandoned on public land. Abandoned RVs have been found containing batteries, refrigerant, tires, sewage, and sometimes asbestos, and some are blatantly dumped while others were temporary shelters for homeless or low-income people.

Over the last 12 months, the Forest Service recorded about 36 abandoned RVs on the forest.
In the past year, 208 Cleanup volunteers removed tens of thousands of pounds of waste.

Seasonal Patterns

The 36 abandoned RVs recorded by Forest Service law enforcement over the last 12 months on the Boise National Forest form the documented base for this issue. The offseason timing noted in the extraction suggests the pattern is tied to when campers store or leave vehicles.

Campers who leave RVs on public land can face removal costs that the Forest Service says run into the thousands of dollars per vehicle. Recreation users in Idaho should check that their vehicles are properly stored or disposed of before leaving forest areas.

The takeaway

Responsible disposal of RVs protects public lands and keeps removal costs from falling on taxpayers and volunteers. Campers can help by making sure vehicles are fully removed from forest land.