Best Dispersed Camping near Menan, ID

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.

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.

Driving 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.

I 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.

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.

We decided to camp on the way back up from Jackson and found this little gem! There were plenty of RVs camping in open areas right by the entrance but if you follow the dirt road, there’s more secluded spots within the trees. The road was a bit rocky, but our sedan made it through with some careful maneuvering.

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.

The road is closed about 2.5 miles away from the destination. No access to campsite.

So 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

I 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.

We 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.

Great 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.

It'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.

Had some bugs. Lots of trees, some spots have river access. Wasn’t to busy

There are extra pull offs by the river before the main area, perfect for car camping!

Nice 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.

Easy 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.

This 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.