Searching for a dispersed campsite near Bliss? The Dyrt can help you find the best dispersed campsites for your next trip. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Bliss's most popular destinations.
With the development of the Rickett’s RV Camp, overnight stays in the Park are now permitted. This fee-free primitive camp offers a vault toilet facility and 13 individual RV parking pads, each with a picnic table and fire ring, but no electric or water hook-ups. Additionally, a large open area is available to accommodate oversized rigs and equestrian travellers. Corrals are located adjacent to this area. Stays are limited to 5 days. Any overnight parking and dispersed camping are prohibited anywhere in the Park outside of a designated campground.
Camping on public lands away from developed recreation facilities is referred to as dispersed camping. Most of the remainder of public lands are open to dispersed camping, as long as it does not conflict with other authorized uses or in areas posted "closed to camping," or in some way adversely affects wildlife species or natural resources.
Dispersed camp sites are located along most secondary roads and may not be marked. Popular locations can be recognized by the telltale flat disturbed area that has been used as a camp site before. Not all flat spots are sites. If possible, please use existing sites to avoid creating new disturbances. To further protect your public lands, campers must not dispose of any refuse, hazardous materials, sewage, or in any manner pollute the surrounding area.
Dispersed camping is allowed on public land for a period not to exceed 14 days within a 28 consecutive day period. The 28 day period begins when a camper initially occupies a specific location on public lands. The 14 day limit may be reached either through a number of separate visits or through 14 days of continuous overnight occupation during the 28 day period. After the 14th day of occupation, the camper must move outside of a 25 mile radius of the previous location until the 29th day since the initial occupation. The purpose of this special rule is to prevent damage to sensitive resources caused by continual use of any particular areas. In addition, campers must not leave any personal property unattended for more than 10 days.
Overview: The Ice Springs Campground has 3 campsites on Fall Creek near the Anderson Ranch Reservoir. The reservoir is a popular destination for fishing, boating, waterskiing and riding personal watercraft. It is also has good smallmouth bass and kokanee fishing. This area had a major wildfire in 2012 and conditions may have altered. There is a nearby trailhead at Camp Creek, south, to the end of Forest Service (FS) road 128, which heads north past Dog Mountain, all the way to Horse Ranch Mountain, about 17 miles. A shorter hike can be done by setting up a shuttle at Bear Hole Trailhead, north on FS road 129.
Traveler
Perfect for an overnight stop during a long drive. The access road also serves residential property some distance away so is well maintained. The primitive camping spots are close enough to the highway to make it a quick drive but far enough away to buffer most noise from passing traffic. Even though the landscape seems sparse there was very active wildlife during our stay, with many species of birds throughout the night and a chorus of coyotes at one point. The water level was really low, which would probably inhibit launching larger water craft, but the reservoir still provided a peaceful atmosphere. There definitely isn't any nearby wood for fires so people do need to bring in their own.
Scout
Wonderful place for free camping, even better than some dirt but with 20bucks over....
GuideIt’s hard to believe this place is free. Nicer than some National Forest campgrounds with the same amenities. Pit toilets and that’s it. The toilets were clean and the one by our site even had a light on! It was a quiet stay and convenient to see Shoshone Falls, and resupply at Costco or Walmart just to the north in Jerome. Don’t skip the scenic overlooks at the bridge on highway 93, beautiful views, and we even watched a couple base jumpers there
LegendThis is a nice area for dispersed camping. No water in the reservoir at this time (early September). Very few other people around, even on labor day weekend, and the area was so quiet and serene.
We stayed along the western side of the reservoir, and there's are little loops you can take in off of 160 to find a spot. The path was relatively narrow and our class c made it fine, but you could hear the sides brushing along the sage.
Watch for wasps, especially around the bathroom. We didn't see any wildlife, but heard coyotes in the night.
It was hard to find a level spot, so we just ended up moving next to the bathroom since we were only there for the night.
Good cell service with all 3 carriers.
ScoutRicketts BLM RV Camp just north of Twin Falls. This fee-free primitive BLM camp offers 2 vault toilets (in case you did not bring own) and 13 level RV parking pads, each with a picnic table and fire ring, but no electric or water hook-ups. There is also equestrian and overflow parking if needed.
ScoutSnake River Canyons Park- Rickett's RV Camp offers a peaceful and convenient location for an overnight stay. The campsites are mostly clean and equipped with fire rings and picnic tables. While the area is quite dry, it provides a safe and hassle-free experience. Nothing fancy. The Sherrif did a drive through at dusk(a feature I like) and the camp filled up before the sun had set. The availability of basic amenities such as pit toilets and horse corrals adds to the convenience of the site. If you're looking for a quick overnight stay this is a great spot that is pretty much a free campsite complete with a site host.
Legend
This site is across the highway from the entrance to the Shoshone Ice Cave attraction on highway 75. If you are heading north on 75, turn right at the gift shop on the right side of the road. Proceed down the gravel road east and make a left at the first curve to the left. Right after the curve, you'll see a small concrete bridge on the right that crosses the canal. Park in the open area just across the canal. You are between the canal and the Big Wood river which is dry in the summer months. What's nice about this spot is privacy and isolation. It's a great spot near both Shoshone Ice Cave and Just a few miles from Mammoth Cave. The site is next to an old lava flow which is incredible to see and explore. Wildlife we saw includes deer and owls, wood peckers and many other birds.
There's a couple bars of Verizon here. Nice hiking and exploring the river bottom and some water-carved rocks. Just a few miles north on 75 is Black Magic Canyon which has some larger more impressive water carved rocks. You can hike the stream bed. There is an information sign about this at the intersection of 75 and Black Magic Road. Be careful as the water agencies can release water anytime. They suggest you call before hiking the stream bed. By the way - free RV dump station in the town of Shoshone 16 mile south.
Ranger
This is a clearly dispersed location. There is a single pit toilet. Camped right next to the lake. Lots of bugs being close to water but seemingly few mosquitoes
Guide
Nice open and secluded area with decent camping options. Pulled in around midnight and saw about 3 other cars but room enough for twice that. The lower area is not too far down a little dirt/gravel drive that ends next to the river. There’s a second more brushy road off to the left that ends in a secluded spot but no toilet. Decent vault toilet by the river, but didn’t see a water spigot for drinking water. Only thing is no at&t service, and the train tracks are across the river but it never blew its horn and was just a rare low rumble. With ear plugs I didn’t hear it at all. Would stay here again!
GuideThis is a very simple campsite with access to the reservoir. There isn't much shade. If the lake holds water for a couple of years, the fishing can be great.
Scout
I thought it was beautiful here. There are places to barbecue and have a fire and there is a river right below the camp sites. Very quiet.
TravelerFairly easy access off US 20. There is open grazing so we did have cattle close to our campsite by morning. Tons of bugs but not many mosquitoes. Quiet and not many others. T-Mobile worked well. There was some in/out movement around 5:30 am but as an early riser I wasn't disturbed.
GuidePretty, small area with a boat launch. No services were open in April, but parking was available and free. There is enough Verizon cell signal to text, but not to stream.
TravelerThis site is Free and easy to find, and not too far off the main road. There are a dozen or so marked sites with their own tables and fire pits. This site is surrounded by trails used for ATVs and Bikes. It also has one bathroom on site. No Hookups.
I stayed there for a night in April of 2024 while passing through and it was a convenient and hassle-free location. Decent Cell service
Here is additional info on the site:
https://freecampsites.net/#!267314&query=sitedetails
Note: This site seems like it is relatively new and still undergoing construction/expansion so some details may vary from the time of this report.
GuideNice campground with 13 campsites with fire rings and picnic tables. There is also 2 pit toilets. Only stayed one night on our way to Oregon. There is a 5 night limit. Would stay here again if in the area. About 5 empty spots when we pulled in on a Sunday evening. There is also 3 horse corrals if looking for a place to ride.
GuideAs previously posted, about a dozen sites with no hookups. I was in the process of moving across country and exhausted. I loved that this place was close enough to town that I didn’t have to cook. Haha. If you’re an atv or mtb type, tons to do here. But if you’re looking for scenery, all you will find in this campsite is the occasional amazing sunset which I was lucky enough to catch. ;-)
TravelerShowed up late October around 6. It’s quiet, just out of town and there are toilets places I guess (didn’t use) and a fire pit by my site. Didn’t use either. Cold (34* last night) rainy, super windy, but felt safe and free is great 😊
TravelerWe camped here in June 2020. There are clean vault toilets but not much else. The reservoir was practically empty. There were not picnic tables and the roads off the main road were not maintained. It was hard to tell if there were campsites there at all, but there were fire rings so we pulled in next to one and set up. One other camper came in later and set up down by the lake, but otherwise it was really quiet. Nice place to get away from everyone during a pandemic.
RangerThis is an old fashion site where everything is really old but still usable. This has been used by many campers over the years. You can tell from the wear on the site. The picnic table has a lot of names carved in. The bright side to this site is that it is free.
GuideMy camper is 32' long. There is a small turnaround on the left fork. The dirt is "moon dust" and got stuck. See photos and video. Turn right there is a paved turn around area. TMobile is good for phone calls, internet was not good.
GuideI was driving 84 east late night around 11 pm and found this place on app. I didn’t want to stay on a rest area that is only about 4 miles 84 east, it is quiet and small but only 2 other cars. There are only few spaces for tent. But I park in the dirt parking lot next to boat ramp and slept on my car. Next to snake river. Some noise because train rail at other side of the river
GuideSpent one night here on a long road trip. I was the only one there. Very easy to find. Felt safe, nice view of the river. The only negative was the trains going by at night. Quite loud.
GuideGreat little spot tucked away off the freeway and next to snake river! Not much space as far as camping goes. But there is an open lot area that says 10 day maximum. Also pit toilets by the boat launch. Didn’t stay cause I needed phone service to do work. Verizon and AT&T both did not work for me.
Traveler1st stop on our way to Moab. We were able to get our Nissan Frontier hauling a 6×10 trailer parked into the sight next to the Snake River. It was fairly level. Nice sunset viewing, not too buggy in early Oct. Lots of train noise thru the night, tho. Pit toilet was out of TP, luckily we had spare. We had an owl also visit the tree above us and serenaded us for a good 1/2 hr in the middle of the night (very cool). Overall, good stop for passing through.
TravelerTent camped here in site 6. Felt safe the entire night and the campground featured bathrooms, which was a plus. Definitely targeted more towards RVs and camper style set-ups, but good night regardless minus some weather and wind!
ScoutThere is a picnic table, fire pit, and pit toilet. T-mobile service had a few bars.
GuidePulled into this area, easily, without any obstacles. The sites were plenty to choose from, clean, and had a table with a fire ring. Watched an awesome sunset and moved on the next morning. Not much here other than the basic stuff to spend the night and feel safe. I will stay here in my travels again. Area is very dry right now.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Bliss, Idaho, where nature meets tranquility. With a variety of options available, campers can enjoy stunning landscapes and a sense of freedom away from crowded sites.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Bliss, ID is Frank C Jones King Hill Area with a 4.1-star rating from 7 reviews.
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