October 2023 Update:
Visitor Center is now open 9-4 everyday through the winter. Camping is available until snow flies in the Gilmore campground. Water turns off on the morning of October 8 but electricity will still be available. The Museum at the Brig is closed until Memorial Day 2024.
Temporary Course Closures: Please avoid the indicated courses on the following days:
- September 23rd – Apex Trilogy, Wreckreator will be closed
- October 11th – Apex Tournament, Northstar and AWOL will be closed
- November 11th – Apex night tournament, Northstar and Little Black Bear will be closed.
Farragut State Park was the former site of Farragut Naval Training Station, a major training base of the U.S. Navy during World War II. The base was named after David Farragut, the first admiral in the U.S. Navy, the leading naval officer during the Civil War.
Ground was broken in March 1942, and by September the base had a population of 55,000, making it the largest city in Idaho. Liberty trains to Spokane ran three times daily. At the time Farragut was the second-largest naval training center in the world.
During the 30 months the base was open, 293,381 sailors received basic training at Farragut. The last recruit graduated in March 1945 and the facility was decommissioned in June 1946.
It was also used as a prisoner of war camp; nearly 900 Germans worked as gardeners and maintenance men. In 1942, Lt. Commander Henry T. McMaster, supervisor of support services at the station, contracted photographer Ross Hall to produce group and portrait photos of all recruits and companies. Operator of a studio in nearby Sandpoint, Hall employed up to 15 workers in creating a photographic archive of more than 300,000 images.
From 1946-49 it was the site of the Farragut College and Technical Institute, which did not re-open in late 1949 due to financial difficulties. The park adjoins the deepwater Lake Pend Oreille, where the Navy maintains a submarine research center at Bayview, the Acoustic Research Detachment. The land was transferred to the state of Idaho in 1949 and became a state park in 1965.
Tour the The Museum at the Brig during your Farragut State Park visit.
Current Conditions
Address: 13550 E. Hwy 54
Athol, ID 83801
Phone: (208) 683-2425
Hours of Operation: Winter VC Hours: 9am - 4pm. Day-use locations within state parks are open from 7 am to 10 pm. Day-use hours may change based on park manager discretion. Museum opens Memorial day and closes Labor day each year.
