If you're looking for a place to dispersed camp near Ammon, look no further. Dispersed camping gets you off the grid so you can disconnect from the hecticness of everyday life. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Idaho excursion.
Wolf Flats is a dispersed, undeveloped camping area with 25 locations to camp. Some large areas are can accommodate groups of 50 people. There is an adjacent undeveloped boat access to the South Fork of the Snake River. Fees/Rules/Facilities: No fees Pack out toilet and trashNo garbage collection at this facility Do not burn metals, glass, or plastic in the fire pits. Wood products only. Do not cut down trees Only use dead and downed wood (only small diameter) Do not create new camping areas by driving into the vegetation on non-designated routes Portable toilets are located in the large main site
Palisades Reservoir is in a scenic valley with forested hillsides rising from the water to the towering snowcapped mountains which form the background. The reservoir has about 70 miles of shoreline and six access roads have been built. Public use facilities include five campgrounds, five picnic areas, and six boat ramps. Two boat clubs have facilities on the reservoir and private cabins have been constructed under permit from the Forest Service. Fishing, motorized and non-motorized boating are all popular activities on the reservoir.
Remember to LNT in dispersed areas and respect any "no camping" signs you may find.
The Blackrock Canyon is associated with the Chinese Peak – Blackrock Rock Trail System, providing non-motorized and motorized users over 40 miles of trails to utilize for OHV, equestrian, mountain biking and hiking. This site is equipped with sheltered picnic tables, fire rings, vaulted restrooms and 2 trailhead parking lots. Additionally, there is an ATV loading/unloading ramp at the lower lot. Site and trail rules and regulations are posted at the trailheads. The site is closed to shooting year around.
Legend
This is BLM land. Black canyon is also used for ATVs during the summer months so there is that type of traffic i and users present. We are visiting just before Thanksgiving in November and it's quite quiet here I will add more detail after staying a couple of nights.
Ranger
If you google Pine Creek Pass, that will show you how to get there. There’s a pull off from the hwy that I’ve seen people camp at the base. To get into the dispersed camping you’ll see the driveway in the corner. Take that. It will take you to a long, narrow bumpy road. Beep the horn around corners as some of the road is on a cliff. I’ve seen atv and horses on the road as well. Along the road you’ll find spots to park and camp. I only remember a handful of spots for a camper van.
Guide
I have not personally spent the night camping here, but I do work for the Forest Service and wanted to give more information about the Darby Canyon dispersed camping sites. I also had a friend stay here for three nights last September and they had a good time. There are about 10~ sites (I will check and edit when I can) all along the canyon road, some are just right off road and others require a short drive down beaten paths to find the sites. All of these sites (except 2 or so very close to the road) are past the cattle guard. Depending on the time of year, many of these sites may not be accessible. Snow typically stays in the canyon until mid-June and starts collecting in October. The area may also be buggy at the height of the summer (July 2024 had been atrocious). There is limited cell service down most of the road and it completely disappears the closer to the Wind Cave trailhead you get. This area has a 14 day stay limit, meaning that once 14 days (13 nights) have been reached you must move at least 5 miles away to continue camping on forest service land and cannot return to this canyon to camp for 30 days. This is in a bear food storage enforced area and any bear attractants (food, pet food, soaps, sunscreen, etc.) are required to be stored properly in a locked hard sided vehicle or other bear resistant containers. Fires are allowed but must be put out dead (cold to the touch) before leaving a campsite. This canyon is regularly patrolled by Forest Service staff and ranger law enforcement officers, especially on the weekends, to keep up with the food storage and fires out dead orders. Hope this helps weary travelers that are deterred by low-rated reviews.
Traveler
Nice place for a free disperse. There is a 10$ disperse just up the street.
A few sites are by the water some not.
We were there after memorial weekend and the was a bit of trash.
GuideBlackrock Canyon BLM Pocatello, ID 8/4/22 DO NOT trust APP coordinates 42.8145, -112.3307 : Campendium 6/20/22 42.8146,-112.3307 : The Dyrt 6/30/22, 42.8142, -112.3306 : FREE Roam / 2019 These coordinates all lead to a reasonably level, fenced dirt parking lot on the left with a vault toilet and concrete walkway going across the road to a covered picnic/stream area. We were very excited. This is NOT the BLM camping area.... or rather more likely, 'no longer' is? There are 3 new looking signs stating Day Use Only, No Overnight Camping. However there is still a signboard by the toilet with the typical BLM rules/regs & 14 day limit? What's a gal to do? So I called the BLM office listed on the sign to clear up the conflicting sign info. Yep, the aforementioned parking lot is NOT FOR OVERNIGHTCAMPING - again, signs are shiney, no weathering, so this may be a new development? We were told there are 2 BLM camping areas. #1 is ACROSS from the aforementioned parking lot... big DEEPLY graveled area on the right as you come in that steeply slopes down to the picnic table area (our autolevel just laughed at us no matter what we did or where we positioned). #2 is about 1/4m further up where the road loops back on itself, and also has a vault toilet (no concrete walkway). This is a medium parking area inside the loop. Looked doable until we noticed the berm hiding under the grass. At 34' backed in, we'd have either lost the under carriage spare tire, or had our big butt sitting on the ground. So this too was a big nope for us. There is a pullout on the way to the 2nd area, but currently has a 'road closed' sign on it, and another pull out just before the 1st parking area. We could have squeezed into this one, but by this point we were wore out & the thought of all the dust ... just nope. We moved on. This is a GORGEOUS area, if you're a smaller footprint, and can get level. Verizon & ATT both usable but not very strong. Road in is a little washboard and hilly, but doable. I15 underpass ... we're 13'8" on truck & cleared both with no issues. Definitely recommend dropping your rig in the parking lot and scouting out this area 1st.
GuideDriving down to Wolf Flats is beautiful. It is forested with a butte on one side, and the snake river on the other. The campsites are somewhat primitive, but we like that. The location was beautiful and we loved the spot. However, it is a free campsite. This is nice, but I think this tends to bring in rowdy neighbors. Everyone was nice enough, but a group showed up at 9pm blaring music for at least a coiple of hours. I can't say this happens every night, but it did with us. Other than the late night noise, this was an awesome spot.
GuideI spent the night here on a cross country road trip with just me and the dog. It was free which was awesome. It was deserted which was both great and unnerving for a single newbie camper. We woke up to snow and had a great dawn hike on the hike/bike trails. The campsites are well-loved/worn and some were under water/mud. Because it was both off-season/midweek, it didn't matter at all, as I could pick almost any site.
RangerStayed here a few times over this summer, and have enjoyed it every time.
Long dusty road to get here, then a bunch of free sites open up on both sides. The river-side sites tend to be a bit smaller from what I could see, but there are a lot of sites and both times I was there it wasn't crazy busy so options seem to be plenty.
Bathrooms available. Decent cell reception on Verizon. Lots of firewood seems to be lying around to gather as well, a nice bonus. The surrounding area has a lot of trails and other outdoor things to get into. Not all that close to town for supply runs, but not so far away as to require a substantial amount of time to get what you need and get back to the campsite.
For the low low price of nothing, this place is a damn good deal.
Guide
Number of dispersed sites along the waters edge. The spots are spread out nicely.
Leading up to the water is a bit muddy but overall great place. Not much shade.
RangerDrove in midday on the the Saturday of Memrial day weekend. It was very busy with lots of campers but there were still camp sites available near the vaulted toilet. Lovely camp site and surroundings. We will be back!
Guide
Good cell service, access to a great trail, and clean campsites. Several spots have nice access to a stream that runs through that area which was great to play in with my pup!
Packed on the weekends but campsites are spread apart with vegetation in between which provides fairly good privacy.
Traveler
Dispersed campgrounds near the river. It seems that is managed during the summer season, but there was no one to check anything in May and plenty of places with fire pits. The road to access is okay from the north, but coming from the south is difficult if you use Google Maps (do not follow the instructions or you will find difficult roads). There are toilets available. Suitable for any type of RVs and trailers.
ScoutThe road is closed about 2.5 miles away from the destination. No access to campsite.
ScoutSo many rude locals! Everyone drives fast past camp sites. Not an ideal place for a family outting. Horrible locals too! Beautiful area ruined by Derelicts
Guide
Great place to rest for a night and close to Jackson. The camp site is easily accessible by cars and vans. We were the only people camping when we arrived late at night.
Be cautious of bears as we arrived and found large bear droppings.
GuideI loved this place so much that I stayed 6 nights! I was only planning 2. I had the perfect spot right by the river. There were 2 campsites on either side of me but I never heard them. It was very quiet.
There is a hotsprings about 5 miles away which was nice to get to on about day 3 of my stay.
I'm a women traveling and camping by myself and felt very safe here.
Cell reception was pretty good. I have T-Mobile.
RangerWe followed the directions from a fellow dyrter and it was really easy. Pass the Heise Pools and Campgrounds and drive about a 1/2 mile and make a right at the Kelly Campground Sign. Just follow all the way to the end to find free spots along the Snake. A few vault toilets. We stayed near the cliff where we watched marmots and foxes along the rocks.
ScoutBeautiful place to camp. The water is shallow and surrounded by mountains. You have to wade through mud to get to the water (which is also muddy). You can also still hear the highway traffic, but not bad. We visited in August, so the fires made the area hazy. The up sides: lots of space and privacy. Camp sites are super far apart in comparison to others. Fire pits are available and drift wood is everywhere. Some spots have trees for hammocks. Pet friendly and lots of bird watching.
GuideGreat spot just 45 minutes out of Idaho Falls. Lots of sites, many are right by the river.
There are a few bathrooms along the road but may be a bit of a hike from some sites.
River is refreshing and nice to watch. Only complaint is the garbage left behind. We easily filled a garbage bag full of others trash when we first arrived. Remember to pack your garbage out to keep places like these pristine.
TravelerIt's a very dusty and gravely road. But the sites are beautiful. We got one right on the river not far from vault toilets. We are in a spot that is 3 different sites, but could easily be a large group spot. Firepita. Easy access to river. It's moving a little fast early September. But it's refreshing in the heat. There is no garbage pickup, so there is a small amount of litter. Very quiet.
ScoutHad some bugs. Lots of trees, some spots have river access. Wasn’t to busy
ScoutThere are extra pull offs by the river before the main area, perfect for car camping!
RangerEasy to get to. Good access to the streams. We parked in front of a trailhead that allows motor bikes, horses and hikers. Fire rings along the sites and level land. Peaceful night sleep.
GuideThis place is nice and easy to get to. There is good trout fishing in the small creek or you can go chase the bruisers in the snake river a few miles away. It is dry camping so bring lots of water to keep hydrated.
GuideNice location away from the highway to spend the night. Dirt road that is a little rough but accessible by low clearance car. Several pull outs to car camp.
TravelerI've stayed here three times and almost always because I'm cutting a day short and I know this place is nice. Threaded with dirt roads and my little private ptions for a camp. I always head to the top of the hill. Views of the three Tetons, Palisades, and Baldy plus sunsets and sunrises. There are two fir rings I know if, by but I haven't explored everywhere.
Can here off road use sometimes in the distance, and the highway mildly during the day, but I never noticed it at night. can be windy as the top is exposed, but it's always died down at night for me.
Stayed in late July, early October, and late June. The June stay I ran into a shepherd that walks his flock of 2000+ sheep on his way seasonally to the Palisades. Harmless, friendly guy, we mostly kept to ourselves besides the introduction. Seeing the sheep was actually cool, and they came and went without incident.
I'll stay probably everytime I come through this way.
ScoutWhen you pull off into the gravel lot take the road in the left corner up to the top. There are a few pull outs along the way or a lot of space at the top. There are a few premade fire pits. There are a few other campers here but we’re spaced out enough. It’s quiet besides a few dirt bikes coming through.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Ammon, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Ammon, ID is Wolf Flats Recreation Area with a 4.3-star rating from 12 reviews.
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