Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp near Horseshoe Bend? 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 Horseshoe Bend's most popular destinations.
Overview: Willow Creek Campground is located along the Middle Fork of the Boise River Forest Service (FS) road 268 and the north end of the Arrowrock Reservior. There are 9 campsites at the campground. A stay at the campground enables guests to enjoy all the beauty and recreation offered along the river and reservoir. Weather is usually good from mid-May through late September and is easily accessible by car in good weather, although the road is sometimes rough and the drive can be seemingly long. Checking with the District on road conditions before heading out is recommended. Natural Features: Wildlife watchers may want to look for deer and elk. Waterfowl, eagles and osprey are attracted to the river. Recreation: There are several trails in the area including trail #189 beginning near Cottonwood Campground, leading to Bald Mountain Peak. Check the Idaho City Ranger District Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for trails in the area that are open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers and off-road vehicles. Click here for an Idaho OHV safety message. The Middle Fork Boise River and Arrowrock Reservoir offer excellent trout fishing and good swimming holes. Big game hunting is a popular activity in season.
Irish Point is situated on the north shore of Arrowrock Lake. The hills are sagebrush covered with a few pine trees in the valleys. The camping sites have mature trees for shade. This is fairly isolated as the access road is rough and slow. This camping area is a good example of what is available at several spots along the road except Irish Point has an outhouse toilet available.
Campsites: There are no developed camping sites here. People have camped here for many years because of the trees. There are stone fire rings but no tables.
Water: No water.
Garbage Services: No garbage service here.
Restroom: There is one older outhouse toilet here.
Handicap Accessible: This is not handicap accessible.
Pets: Pets should be on a leash, however, this is not practiced from our observations.
Recreation: The main attractions here are camping and fishing. I am sure bird and wildlife watching are also available. We saw many four wheelers and motorcycles in the camps as well.
Fishing: Fishing is available in Arrowrock Lake for trout, bass and crappie. There are some small streams in the area which would also have trout fishing.
Boating: There is a boat ramp a few miles away.
Wildlife: There are deer tracks everywhere but we did not actually see the deer. There are also elk and geese seen here.
Phone service: No phone, we also had no cell service on our ATT phones.
Nearby Services: No services closer than Spring Shores Marina 13 miles away, which has a convenience store for ice, gas, drinks, telephone and other supplies, even a sheriffs office.
RV Dumping Site: The nearest RV dumping station is at Boise, Idaho.
Location/Driving instructions: Take Highway 21 NE from Boise to Arrowrock Road(turn right) then Irish Point is 14 miles. This road is a slow gravel winding road.
Within the national forests, the majority of land is open for “dispersed camping”, outside of developed campgrounds. These locations are usually wide spots off of forest roads, with no facilities provided, such as water, bathrooms or tables. Many people enjoy the solitude of camping away from developed campgrounds. Follow these guidelines to ensure that these areas can be enjoyed safely by you, and future generations.
Mann Creek Campground is located near the Mann Creek Reservoir in the foothills of the West Central Mountains in western Idaho near the Payette National Forest. The reservoir is a popular boating and fishing destination. Once on-site, you may be able to pay for your campsite(s) by scanning a QR code using the Recreation.gov mobile app, and the Scan and Pay feature. If this option is available, you will need to first download the free Recreation.gov mobile app https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app prior to your arrival as some remote areas have limited or no cellular service.
The reservoir offers 283 surface-acres of water and five miles of shoreline, although the water level fluctuates seasonally. Visitors enjoy boating, canoeing, swimming and trout fishing.
Mann Creek Reservoir lies in the rolling and arid foothills of the Hitt Mountains. At an elevation of 3,300 feet, the area is hot and dry in the summer months. Large shade trees help block some of the intense sun, but shade is limited.
For facility specific information, please call (208) 549-4200.
$15 / night
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.
Guide
Loved this spot! Parked our tow behind camper right on the beach. It is very muddy so don’t get too close to the shore, we had to help two vehicles get out of the mud. Also very buggy which is why is lost a star
GuideNice lil spot to relax . Really rough road is the only bad part
Traveler
About an hour off the highway, 7 miles of which are washboard-bumpy gravel roads along the lake cliffside (Had to drive under 10mph those last 7 miles). We were in an AWD sprinter van, and the road conditions definitely put a damper on the night. Site is right on the water gorgeous once you’re there. The stars were incredible. Toilet on site but the flies were swarming.
TravelerWe parked right beside the river, and it was absolutely gorgeous. However, I don't recommend taking a car on this road. It's definitely an ATV road as it's very rough.
GuideThere are many group sites and single sites. Many sites own a corner turn. Also your entire campsite will be visible to every car passing. There are other sites on the other side of the road that are more private. Be wary the road is very dangerous getting in. Take it slow.
Some people park their trailers at lake front but beware of the dune sand , you might get stuck.
I love being able to jump into the lake and ride my bike along the lake.
T
GuideBad roads, high tension wires crackled with electricity, and a lot of traffic on the main road.
LegendEntering the park is beautiful! There’s a paved road with campsites you need a reservation for. Where the coordinates are on this map is about 30 minutes down a gravel road that looks ok, but is very rutted. I drive a cargo van and it shook everything to the point where I didn’t want to do 30 minutes of it. There are signs that say “no roadside camping next 7 miles”, but after mile marker 7, you’ll notice fire rings off the sides of the roads on both sides, including lake front. So I just want to make sure y’all know that you don’t actually have to drive all the way down to the dispersed spots to find camping. Other than that, it’s a gorgeous area. No Verizon service for me.
Traveler
A variety of free and dispersed sites, most of them with rock campfire rings, near a nice shallow creek. A fair amount of RV and ATV traffic but still feels pretty secluded. No bathrooms or anything like that but it's only a 3 minute drive from Idaho City.
TravelerWas fairly trashed campground. Cleaned up two trash bags full of garbage. Random shoes, shell casing and mysterious empty glass containers.
GuideFree camping among the sparsely located pine trees. Great views of the water and mountains. Vault toilet nearby.
Guide
Nice oasis. Clean bathrooms and good sized sites. Even sites have the table and pit on the back side of your trailer. Lots of skeeters to take your spray. We also ran into a couple bull snakes.
TravelerGreat place to stop on our drive from CA to ID. The other campground is just a few hundred yards up the road and it is a very park like gorgeous setting with restrooms. It was completely full on a weekday so we came to the primitive site. Wonderful. Level. Lots of respectful families Boondocking. We parked with our carryall trailer and our two vehicles and slept in our truck. What a gorgeous view and skies to wake up to. There’s a day use area further south that you can stop at on your way out for the restroom. If we go this way again, we will definitely stop here. Follow the directions, not the GPS coordinates. There is two roads to get in more creek and man creek. More creek will make you wish you had a sports bra on and a new suspension for your car when your finally get to pavement...
TravelerRode in on my GS fully packed and as previously reviewed it was a bumpy road from the dam but not difficult. I was the only one here but the neighboring site had a couple people. Very quiet location. Happy I didn’t stop at hotel as it was getting near dark as I rode in and wasn’t sure what to expect. If I’m ever passing through Boise again I’ll be stopping back here for the layover. Also, a toilet was available. That was unexpected.
LegendLocated on the shore of Arrowrock reservoir, this camping area is bare bones. The road in is all gravel on a steep hillside along the shore and several miles to get in. Many potholes and ruts. It will take you about 20-30 minutes from Boise to get to the dam and then another 30 minutes to get to Irish point if you are towing a trailer. You'll have to go slow. This is a nice reservoir and great sunsets and some shoreline camping. In the late season, the water level is usually quite low making it difficult to launch boats. We have a 30ft travel trailer and once was probably enough for quite some time. Tough access. Bad road. The only site improvement at Irish Point is a vault toilet.
GuideWe drove way past Lucky Peak Res until we saw trees. There are 2 pull offs here with lots of spots to camp. There are lots of firepits around the area and water access. Cool spot.
LegendThis is a great campground near the reservoir. Lots of shade trees, almost a park like setting. Plenty of room to roam from this base camp. It does get pretty hot in the summer.
LegendThis is a great area. There is camping around the reservoir and at the near by campground. Up past the reservoir there are roads to ride ATV's. There is not a lot of shade and it gets hot in the summer. Spring and fall are really nice times of year here.
LegendThe road is severely pot-holed. with many lengths being 4-ish MPH if you are towing a trailer. This road is mainly good for razors and toy haulers, not RVs. Many spots are 1 lane only. There are also washouts intruding into the roadway making it a little tight to get by for a pickup truck sized vehicle
Legend
If you are a fan of motorized vehicles and access to lots of off road adventure, this would be a great campground for you. I like quiet tent camping, hence the 3 star rating, others might rate it higher. We were here in the fall and there were a lot of hunters staying here. We did see some road hunting so be careful if you are out here during hunting season.
ScoutSuper great spot that is close to town - pro's and con's are already covered and i agree - especially packing out more than you pack in as trash spoils the appeal. Driving a large bed camper isn't so bad but is slower for sure and the narrow spots can be sketchy with multi-vehicle with trailers meeting there. I like the shoulder seasons best - wish i had a boat to add additional fun. Your results might vary but I've had nothing but fun in the area.
TravelerThis was a super fun spot to go play in the water for the day. Only thing I would change is the fact that there is no shade. The weather wasn’t great so while camping at night, it was crazy windy which was rough haha. Also, there were people blasting loud music until super late, but otherwise this is a nice spot.
ScoutI 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.
TravelerAwesome place! Like some of the others said, drive in could be a bit sketchy it you’re towing or have a large vehicle - but we passed plenty of boats/RV’s, just have to go slow. There’s multiple spaces and if you’re not too specific about being near the water, you can have some decent privacy.
GuideWe camped at Irish Point at Arrowhead's designated dispersed camping area. The road around the reservoir is pretty tight, though that doesn't discourage long trailers and toy haulers. We're pretty self-contained so didn't miss any usual camp ground amenities. Our neighbors were sparse and quiet and we enjoyed the peace of this area.
TravelerDeer carcasses and no toilet. The campground is used by hunters in RVs/trailers. The place was rancid, we did not stay here.
TravelerI’d go back here for sure nice person runs the place and the lots are big enough you don’t hear your neighbors.
ScoutGets busy in the summer
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Horseshoe Bend, ID?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Horseshoe Bend, ID is Arrowrock Reservoir Dispersed with a 4-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Horseshoe Bend, ID?
TheDyrt.com has all 13 dispersed camping locations near Horseshoe Bend, ID, with real photos and reviews from campers.
