SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile

Wide open prairie dropping down to the edge of Palisades Reservoir sets the tone at Indian Creek, a free Targhee National Forest campground outside Irwin, Idaho. Sites spread across a flat, exposed landscape with fire rings positioned throughout, some reaching close enough to the water's edge that campers can walk in for a swim or slide a kayak directly off the bank. The reservoir view is broad and unobstructed, with open sightlines across the water toward the surrounding ridgelines.

Highway noise is a consistent reality here. The campground sits in a low point flanked by road grades on both sides, and as David M. notes, "you can hear trucks, engine braking and engines roaring" during the day. Sites closest to the road carry the most noise, while spots further down toward the water provide some separation. The campground draws a mix of tent campers and RVs, including rigs up to 50 feet with electric and water hookups available. Pit toilets are on-site, though the number and condition have varied across different seasons in camper reports.

Fishing and watercraft access draw many visitors. The reservoir has a dirt boat ramp, though driftwood buildup and fluctuating water levels can make trailer launches unreliable. Paddlers and swimmers generally find direct water access workable. Crowd levels shift noticeably by day of week and season. Weekends in July bring heavy use, while early September sees only a handful of campers. Verizon cell coverage has been reported as inconsistent, so satellite internet users may have better luck. Mud near the water is a genuine concern after rain, and several campers have needed assistance getting unstuck from soft ground close to the shoreline.

The access road, formerly paved and now gravel with scattered ruts, is manageable for most vehicles when dry. Drivers towing large trailers should use caution and stick to the established track. Reservations are available, though the free sites along the reservoir operate on a max-stay basis of three to five nights. A gas station with a dump station and trash bins sits nearby down the road, a practical detail for longer stays. Campers planning a longer stretch in the region can find places to camp near Targhee National Forest across a range of settings and amenity levels.

Those wanting a more developed or sheltered setup might consider Blowout Campground Bureau Of Land Management just to the north, or Indian Creek Road Dispersed Targhee NF for a more spread-out, primitive experience along the same corridor.

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Map & DirectionsIndian Creek is located in Idaho near Alpine

Detail location of campground
Public Campground

Coordinates

43.24732204 N
111.10484728 W

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Connectivity

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    T-MobileLTE
    Some Coverage
    Verified by 9 users
    Last on 8/5/26
  • signal strength bars
    VerizonLTE
    Good Coverage
    Verified by 18 users
    Last on 8/5/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&TLTE
    Some Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 8/5/26

Connectivity

Presented byT-MobileT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More
  • signal strength bars
    T-MobileLTE
    Some Coverage
    Verified by 9 users
    Last on 8/5/26
  • signal strength bars
    VerizonLTE
    Good Coverage
    Verified by 18 users
    Last on 8/5/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&TLTE
    Some Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 8/5/26

Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Cabins

Features

For Campers

  • Market
  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Showers
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Water Hookups
  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

FREE established camping

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

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Reviews15 Camper Reviews - Indian Creek

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4.5

out of 5

15 Reviews

Guests commonly noted the spacious lakefront sites and beautiful reservoir views, plus basic amenities like toilets and fire rings. Road noise from nearby highways is a consistent concern, though visitors appreciated the scenic location and recreational opportunities.

SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile
Reviewed Jun. 29, 2026

Beautiful views

Honestly, not a bad place to stay lots of firings plenty of room you can stay as far away or as close to people as you choose the toilets are available but have not been cleaned in a while so make sure you have your own toilet paper

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Clarissa C., June 29, 2026
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Clarissa C., June 29, 2026
Reviewed Sep. 2, 2025

Free dispersed camping great for dogs

Wide open prairie down to low water level reservoir. A little noisy during business hours because there's a highway surrounding site. We're at the lowest part of the highway so there's climbs on both sides. You can hear trucks, engine braking and engines roaring. There are lots of fire rings widely. Early September there were only about four or five campers out here. Got a little chilly at night but nothing. The sleeping bags wouldn't handle. There are two clean concrete pit toilets. There's a little bit of marshy area with water running.

Siteno number dispersed
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by David M., September 2, 2025
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by David M., September 2, 2025
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by David M., September 2, 2025
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Sep. 24, 2024

Easy Access With Many Sites

The farm road that leads into this area was once paved and is now covered in gravel with a few ruts here and there but easily avoidable. Sites all the way down to the river edge many with rock fire rings. We were all by ourselves about halfway down - quiet and beautiful!

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Darlene , September 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Darlene , September 24, 2024
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2024

amazing spot

I brought my dog here and he swam and it was great. beautiful weather and tons of space. There’s some different turn offs of that main road for the beach. 100% come again

Month of VisitAugust
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Ryan B., August 3, 2024
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Ryan B., August 3, 2024
Reviewed Jul. 20, 2024

Nice spot, not for everyone

Perfect for a Friday night last minute spot! Lots of dirt bikes and generators. Also the bend in the road seems to have a lot of traffic.

Scenic with a nice spot to launch watercraft.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by David M., July 20, 2024
Reviewed Apr. 10, 2024

Beautiful place to camp

We stayed for 7 days. We stayed in the parking lot area as the campground was blocked by the snow mountains.

There was no verizon signal at all where we stayed, but starlink worked well.

Plenty of snowmobiles coming everyday along with locals walking their dogs

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Dominica T., April 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Dominica T., April 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Dominica T., April 10, 2024
  • (10) View All
Reviewed May. 4, 2023

Brilliant spot!

Well, we loved this spot! Only ones here. Travelling in an RV. Some shallow snow on the track but firm beneath. Muddy if offtrack and saw some big ruts perhaps of people that struggled to get out. But stay on track and would be fine. Good protection from wind Minimal road noise Toilets at start of unpaved track Lake half frozen, locals fishing

Sitedidn’t look to be any designated spots
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Gabrielle H., May 4, 2023
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2022

Amazing spot

Amazing view, and great fishing access. Many places along the reservoir. Close to the road so traffic can be loud. Free to stay on most of the campsites along the reservoir aside from the boat ramp site. Beach front available but be careful of tides. My tent site was a max stay of 3 to 5 nights.

Siteindian creek, palisades reservoir Idaho
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Chelsie B., October 14, 2022
  • Play button icon
Reviewed Jun. 14, 2022

Good spot!

Great spot off the highway. I think this specific area has like 10 or so designated spots. Looks to be pretty popular. I got the last one open, on a Monday. (There's a ton of other dispersed spots along the road, I initially had in the coordinates for the Palisade dispersed camping but all other areas were too mudy post rainstorm). My spot was closest to the road so it was kind of noisy but that doesn't really bug me much. The birds were chirping away and the sound of the creek made up for it. It gets really muddy so keep that in mind the closer you get to the water/ if it has recently rained all of the pull outs are a little sketchy. I helped push a girl out who was stuck near the water, and some other folks helped pull out a truck. Everyone around was super friendly (: there's vault toilets available for all to use as well as porta potties at a couple of the sites. I'd definitely come back, the lake is low but it is beautiful.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Sydney C., June 14, 2022
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Sydney C., June 14, 2022
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Sydney C., June 14, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 24, 2021

Excellent place.

First class campground. Has almost everything you could want. Has a great boat ramp on priest lake. Sites are spacious and well taken care of. No pull through spaces but back in large enough for big trailers. Nice beach to swim or sit on next to the boat launch. Does have a few boat slips.

Site125
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Lance C., July 24, 2021
Reviewed Jul. 10, 2021

Amazing views and wide open spaces

We came here just after the 4th of July holiday and it was so much more empty than the week before. The roads in can be a little tricky without a raised truck and 4 wheel drive when towing a large 5th wheel. But once you pick a spot it is so beautiful. Cool evenings and crisp mornings make the hot afternoons worth it. Gas and groceries right down the road. And there is a dump station and trash bins at the gas station. Very convenient.

Site43.2129695, -111.0637696
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Joshua W., July 10, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 28, 2020

We loved it!

My partner and I stayed two nights at this free campsite and loved both nights. We saw most people in RVs but the sites are great for tents too. The wind made tenting a little difficult but doable. It looked like each site had a fire ring and there are two public bathrooms. The lake and backdrop is beautiful and worth the visit. The clay quicksand-like ground close to the lake was fun to play in and explore!

Reviewed Jul. 25, 2019

Bring the water toys

Spacious dispersed camping on the edge of the Palisades Reservoir, but no amenities so come prepared! The road is a bit narrow and rutted, but those confident in their driving skills will be fine. There are so many options here!

There is a dirt “boat ramp”, but due to the amount of driftwood I would not recommend anything with a trailer until that’s cleaned up. Further down the road is a proper ramp if you need it, but we put our kayaks and floats right in there.

On a hot July weekend, this was a very popular spot. Not for those looking for peace and quiet in the campsite, but if you get in the water you can peacefully float around for hours, unless you kept your cellphone on! This area has pretty good service.

Despite previous reviews, I did not see toilets. There’s a few fire pits, the large one is a communal one of sorts. Bring a backup solution if fire cooking was your meal prep plan. Mosquitoes were definitely present also.

  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Katherine B., July 25, 2019
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Katherine B., July 25, 2019
  • Review photo of Indian Creek by Katherine B., July 25, 2019

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Indian Creek Campground located in Idaho?

Indian Creek Campground is located along the shores of Palisades Reservoir in eastern Idaho. The campground sits on the edge of the reservoir, offering beautiful views of the water and surrounding mountains. It's accessible via a farm road that was once paved but is now covered in gravel with a few ruts. The location is near a highway, though camping spots can be found at various points along the reservoir's edge, some providing more seclusion from road noise.

Is dispersed camping allowed at Indian Creek in Idaho?

Yes, Indian Creek offers dispersed camping throughout the area. There are approximately 10 designated spots in the main area, but numerous additional dispersed camping opportunities exist along the road and reservoir. Most sites feature fire rings, and camping is free at most locations along the reservoir except for the boat ramp site. Maximum stay limits range from 3-5 nights for tent campers. The area can be popular, especially on weekends, so arriving early is recommended to secure a spot.

What recreational activities are available at Indian Creek Reservoir in Idaho?

Indian Creek Reservoir offers numerous recreational activities for visitors. Fishing is excellent with good access points along the shoreline. The area has a dirt boat ramp for launching watercraft, though driftwood can sometimes be present. Swimming is popular, with a nice beach area for water access. The reservoir provides beautiful sunset views over the water and mountains. During winter, the area is used by snowmobilers. Hiking opportunities are available nearby, and many visitors enjoy simply relaxing at their campsite with the scenic backdrop of mountains and water.