F&G provides hundreds of boating access sites and asks people to use them responsibly

Access for today and the future

Anglers and prospective anglers say fishing access management is important to them, so it’s also a high priority for Fish and Game. One of the best ways to finding access sites is through Idaho Fish and Game's Fishing Planner, which provides a wealth of information about fishing sites in the state, including boating access. 

Most of these access sites charge no fees because they’re mostly user funded through fishing and hunting license fees, taxes paid on fishing and hunting equipment, gas taxes paid by boaters, and other small funding sources. 

Fish and Game spent $2.8 million in 2025 to operate, maintain, and improve fishing and boating access in Idaho; the large majority of which is dedicated to personnel salaries. Access sites range from small parking lots for walk-in fishing to full-service recreation complexes that include boat ramps, docks, restrooms, large parking lots, campgrounds, lighting, and more.

Fish and Game also continually looks for opportunities to secure property or form partnership agreements for new site development, while recognizing that sufficient staffing and funding must be available to do so. With so many waterways in Idaho, the department can’t do it alone, so it partners with local, state, federal and private landowners to provide public access.