Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp near Salmon-Challis National Forest? Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Idaho camping adventure.
This recreation site has 11 campsites and a day use picnic area along the shore of Mosquito Flat Reservoir near Challis. Nearby, the Yankee Fork Trail (#147) provides access to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Each campsite is equipped with picnic tables and fire rings. The campground accomodates motorhomes and trailers up to 32-foot long. There are vault toilets on site, but no drinking water or garbage services within the site. Fish Your National Forests: This site can be accessed by Passenger Car; Fish available include: Trout; Types of fishing available include: Wade, Shore, Non-motorized boat, Float tube, Fly, Spin, Bait;
Deadman Hole has 5 first come, first served primitive campsites adjacent to the scenic Upper Salmon River. Anglers have access to great fishing opportunities. Amenities include restrooms, picnic shelters, drinking water, ample parking, and a boat ramp. This site has limited cell service.
Two primitive campsites surrounded by Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Sites include picnic tables and fire rings, vault toilet is in the campground. Multiple trails for hiking and stock use are nearby.
Guide
In this video we provide a comprehensive review of 3 of the free boondocking(dispersed camping) sites near Stanley, Idaho in the Sawtooth National Forest. Salmon River Designated Spots 1, 2 and 3. All locations are in the Sawtooth National Forest and there is a 10 day stay limit between May 1- September 15th with an unlimited stay limited outside of that time period.
LegendIf you show up to Redfish Lake on a busy weekend and all of the campgrounds are reserved/full, no worries. There is a bunch of free dispersed camping all along highway 75. A quick stop at the Forest Service Office down the road and I had a pretty good map of the forest roads in the area, but more importantly, a tip about free camping a stone’s throw away from Redfish Lake and Sunny Gulch campground. The road in is a bit rough with ruts and rocks, but there are several established sites with fire rings. There was a loop to the right with about 8 such sites and a loop to the right with about 5 sites as well as one that was hidden behind the site I chose that you had to walk in to(it was actually a nicer site than the one I chose, but I was tired and set up before I saw it on my explorations. There was one vault toilet that was not especially clean, but free is free, and if you really wanted to, you could walk less than a quarter mile across to the developed Sunny Gulch campground. There are no picnic tables or grills or tent pads, but definitely stone fire rings at each site so no worries as long as you brought your own camp chair. If you need a shower, head into Redfish Lake to use the public pay showers there.
Guide
This is a dispersed camp spot with no services at all, but it is free. Nice and quiet, but a few folks did pass by in the dirt road/trail. The road in is a bit bumpy, but not terrible, just go slow. I was able to get my 30ft dual axel travel trailer in without much trouble. The spot could fit 3/4 rigs or 5-6 tents. Great view of the night sky.
Legend
This area along lower Iron Creek Road had some rough free dispersed spots that had cell signal from Stanley. As of June 2023 there are info boards and signage that notes dispersed camping only in designated spots marked on the ground with new signs. I saw an A group and a B group and may be more farther up but the road was so rough washboard potholed I did not check. These sites are small and not suitable for RVs and large TTs in my opinion. No toilets, no dumpsters and no water. However, this is very close to Stanley town.
Guide
I love this place as dispersed camping is our favorite. We are not stacked in n together and have great views of tue Sawtooth. My speed test was done with Verizon and I was using a WeBoost.
Guide
On left, out East Fork Rd from Challis. Long ways. Decent dirt road but great drive. Just past private land into National Forest, can see Germainia trailhead from there. Old settlement remains on river. Small metal fire ring Great views and quiet!
Legend
Alpine lake is approx. 5.5mi from the Redfish Lake Inlet. With a 2000ft elevation gain and some killer switchbacks as you hike into altitude, the lake rests at about 8300ft. Never have I witnessed such beauty and serene, crystal clear waters. Absolutely no services, only dispersed camping—pack in/pack out and worth every step! We have snow mid-June that was up to our thighs on the way up (ouch!) but by two days later had melted enough to reveal the trail floor. Don’t forget your sunscreen ;) You will not regret visiting this heaven on earth spot
Guide
I drove up to check out this area since we were staying in Salmon River Designated Spot 2 and there are now no camping signs all over in this area. It is very hard to tell if the signs are meant just for the specific area where they are posted as it is clear those are in previous camping spots, but there are other spots that do not have signs right next to those. You may want to check with the ranger station before heading up to see if camping is still allowed in this area. On a side note, as others have mentioned the road up is pretty steep and rutted so enter with caution. I would not have pulled my 30ft travel trailer up there for sure.
Guide
A good friend of ours brought us up to Stanley, ID to explore for a week on horseback, hiking, and camping. I have been a professional photographer for many years, although I have seen stunning jaw dropping landscape photos in magazines I had yet to find myself in a location that would take my breath away… Until the day we set up camp at Decker Flatts.
I wont rattle on about how we were within 2 mins of a hiking trail that leads you to "Hell's Roaring lake", or about the amazing Trout fishing within 10 feet of my tent, or even the stunning sunrises every morning. I wont even describe the Beauty of the 5 other lakes that were all within a 10 min drive and a 5-10 mile hike or horseback ride from our camp. (Upper Marshall Lake, Alice Lake, Petti Lake, Alpine Lake & Sawtooth Lake) I'll just let you see the photos attached to this review and hope you'll make the life changing camping trip we did.
a few things to know:
The Sawtooth Mountain camping areas are designed for self-sufficient camping. the USFS campgrounds do not offer trailer hookups for water, sewer, or power. Because of heavy winter snows, most area campgrounds are open only from mid-May through Labor Day. The area you'll find Decker Flatts will amaze you when you see that the terrain flattens and broad meadows push back the forests. This sprawling preserve encompasses four mountain ranges, several large lakes which i have only explored a few. It's the sort of place that begs you to unplug your phone chargers let them die, lock the car, and put some ground under your feet, maybe even get knee deep in the crisp cool water of the river nearby.
Natural Features:
Dispersed campsites are stung along the flat river side, find yourself between pine and spruce trees that tower in stark contrast over the surrounding sprawling meadows. Although, this area is inaccessible during the winter months the meadows are wide and utilized by local ranchers to rise cattle.
Visitors may want to keep their eyes out for elk, deer, coyotes, and hawks as you take in the surroundings. Bobcats, mountain lions, and bear do live in the park, however they are rarely seen near humans.
Recreation:
Hikers, fisherman, photographers, mountain bikers and the average nature junkies flock to the Sawtooth Mountain range for the variety of available activities of the park.
ScoutGot here on a Friday (8/26) around 7:30 pm. There were already some folks out here, but there were still some spaces. Although, they were a bit close to each other in the main area where you pull in. Found a spot up the way by the creek that was further away from being around everyone there for a more secluded feel. Clean and easy.
LegendThere are many camp sites along the road. Good cell service. Verizon. Only a mile or so to Redfish lake. Awesome lake. There is a paid shower, laundry and dump available there. Road narrow and is loose gravel.
GuideOn salmon river right off hwy. can’t complain it was free
ScoutPrimitive campsites along the Salmon River. There was road noise from the nearby highway but otherwise it was quiet. I saw people fishing so I assume it's good for that. The river is great for rinsing off as well. Beautiful views, close to Stanley for essentials.
GuideI enjoyed my 2 night stay here. I pitched a tent however it was quite windy due to it being an open area so just stake your tent down well. I had a spot right beside the salmon river and was able to access this campsite via my Honda Accord vehicle.
Traveler
Got to Stanley area around 6pm on a Friday. Drove to Stanley Lake and Iron Creek but everything was full. Decided to drive down Rd 653 then to Rd 633 to see if there was anything open and found a good spot about 2 miles in from hwy 21. I passed quite a few people but spots are pretty far apart and the only people I could see from my campsite were all the way across the valley. Only animals I saw were some antelope, ground squirrels, and cows. Pretty wildflowers all around too. It was a good place to stop for the night!
Guide
Felt like absolute royalty at this backcountry campsite i the Sawtooth Mountains! Backpackers looking for the money spot, this is your jam. One must be willing to hike 9 miles to get this spot. It it is absolutely worth it, views across Middle Cramer Lake and the waterfall flowing down from upper Cramer lake. Tent sites a plenty, trees galore for hammocking, a fire pit in place and some downed logs to make seats for everyone to kick back and take a load off after the long hike.
Take the shuttle across Redfish Lake for $18 RT per person or it’ll be 11 miles!
Legend
These sites are on the old highway to Yellow Pine. There are 7 of them with two pit toilets. Sites are right on the water overlooking the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River. The road is narrow, so I would not suggest a big camper or rv in this area. The sites only consist of a fire ring a d a small parking area, but they are free.
LegendWe are full-timers and have a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow and had scouted the area before arriving with the RV. The roads in to this area, NF-563/Stanley Creek Rd and NF-633/Nip and Tuck Road are in pretty decent shape for all vehicles coming in from the West off of Hwy 21, but be warned, do not come in from the East on NF-633/Nip and Tuck Road off of Hwy 75 as just a short distance in, there is deep and narrow wash across the road that will likely ruin the underside of your RV unless you have a very high clearance vehicle. There are many dispersed sites around along the road, but most were taken when we arrived, and only a few facing Stanley have cell service. We found a decent site (44.2382,-114.9692), a little off of the main road, with a great view of the Sawtooth Range and the valley. The site sloped a bit from side to side, but we were able to get mostly level. There were a few flies around during the daytime, but not the biting kind, just annoying. Mosquitos were an issue only in the evenings. There are a number of hiking trails in the surrounding area. AT&T service was fair with 2-3 bars of LTE and speeds up to about 1.5 MB/s. T-Mobile service was good with 3 bars of 4G/LTE and speeds up to about 1.3 MB/s We were able to get DISH coverage on all three western satellites at our site. Also, there were no OTA channels to be had with our fixed omni antenna.
Legend
Though this campground sits along the highway it is easier to tolerate noise when its free!
The campground loop is gravel and has “pull next to” (bump out?) type sites with covered picnic table and a fire pit. There are also pit toilets and a hand pump water spigot. There is also a boat ramp and a day use area.
The river is very shallow and the bank is quite muddy -- our little dog sank up to her belly.
No privacy here and lots of road noise but you get to see the river and the meandering cows across the river.
Did not see any wildlife unless you count the swarms of tiny bugs of the variety that squeeze their little bug bodies through your screens.
Zero cell reception ATT, verizon or TMobile. The WeBoost was able to give us bars of LTE but still was not very usable.
Good for an overnight but not much around to keep us occupied for anything longer.
GuideStayed here for two nights. The first night I have the whole area to myself. The second night there was two other campers. Doesn't seem to be super popular or high in demand. So finding a spot shouldn't be a problem. There was about six or more parking/camping areas. No Wi-Fi or Verizon signal. There is a toilet available. Access to the river as well.
LegendPros: *Views for miles *Steps from the Salmon River *Boat launch for rafting,kayaking,fishing *Covered picnic table *Generous spacing between sites *Serious star gazing opportunities
Cons: *No shade *Close to road, so some road noise.
Pros out weigh the cons for us. 2 thumbs up.
ScoutIf you get one of the site overlooking the sawtooths count yourself lucky
TravelerTook advice from the other review and entered through the east from hwy21. Found my spot about 2.5- 3 miles in. This was the only one I saw at about 7pm on a Wednesday. Had entertainment from cows in the distance!
LegendArea of FS road #638 and #630. Large flat area around an old burrow pit. Very popular and lots of campers when I visited. Not a lot of privacy in my opinion, but it is only a few miles from Stanley Lake boat ramp.
Scoutthis camping site is great, super bumpy dirt road takes you to a few hidden plots tucked away by a river. private and easy to crash for the night
LegendWhen I got to redfish lake, it was already to late in the season (September) to camp here. I was still able to check out the campground and it had amazing spots right on the lake. There were nice restrooms and water available. I would like to come back here in the summer and camp here when the water isn't to cold and the campground is open!
ScoutIf redfish campgrounds are full this is a nice alternative that’s close by.
Experience the beauty of nature with dispersed camping near Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho. This area offers a variety of spots where you can immerse yourself in the great outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of developed campgrounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Salmon-Challis National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Salmon-Challis National Forest is Mosquito Flat Reservoir with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Salmon-Challis National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 23 dispersed camping locations near Salmon-Challis National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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