Best Campgrounds near White Bird, ID

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon in October. There were many spots available along the road leading up to this site. But they were close to the road and we wanted to be off the road. We ended up at the last spot on the road right before the interpretive trail at the end. This spot was tucked into the trees. And once we got our camper backed in, we didn’t even know the road was there. And the VIEW! Wow!! Looking across the lake with the most beautiful sunsets. We stayed for 3 nights. We set up Starlink so we could work on Friday and had no issues with the connection.

We were riding the Idaho BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) and needed a place to camp near Pierce.  There aren't many options that are accessible for our Support Truck but found Deyo Reservoir as a welcome spot.   The West sites are very open and close to each other and are what you see first.  I kinda stumbled down to the East Campground which is more for Truck/Tent camping and is wooded and cooler (it was 95 degrees when we rode in).  Typical for Idaho the sites were nicely spaced, well maintained (it is hosted) and the Vault Toilet was very clean.

This is a little pullout off route 95. Has about 10-15 feet of separation from main road, which gives privacy and protection from cars. The surface is a gravel and can fit a fairly decent amount of vehicles. The sign says you can camp up to 10 days consecutive, we only stayed for the night and continued on. This is also right on little salmon river.

Great free camping on the Salmon River. We stayed there one night and it was very nice picnicking along the Salmon. The campground has a single vault toilet that was very clean. The campground can accommodate large RVs as it's mostly a large gravel parking lot. We would definitely stay here again.

Took my nephews here. The rangers were amazing and full of info that my boys just soaked right up! It really is full of green serene… bathrooms are clean as well as the whole campground.

There aren’t too many campgrounds between Orofino and Kooskia, Idaho except for a few RV parks. We finally found a beautiful campground off highway 12 or the scenic Lolo Highway. It was small but had quite a few open sites so we snagged one close to the river and bathroom. The highway noise was noticeable but not bad at night. Our picnic table had a view of the Clearwater river (yes, it is very clear and has salmon.). There were steps down to the rocky shore of the river. We net a couple from elsewhere in Udaho who always choose this campground.

I recommend this section of Wallowa-Whitman NF Rd 46 (4600) between Thomason Meadow Guard Station and Buckhorn Lookout because it is grazed less than surrounding areas, and thus has more plant diversity--i.e. great WILDFLOWER BLOOM in the spring. At 5000 feet, June to early July is a peak bloom time.

This is the top of the Imnaha River breaks, and you can see fully down into the BEAUTIFUL canyonlands of the Imnaha and Snake. Birdwatching was good for us out here too, especially raptors. One of the trailheads to the historic Nez Perce Nee -Me-Poo Trail is near this "Camp-1" dispersed spot.*

*One of our maps calls the marked spot "FSR 46 Camp-1," but the dispersed camp sites are all along NF Rd 46 from here north to Buckhorn.

The drive up to this area is well-maintained gravel, and an SUV with decent tires can do it. (We did it with a truck hauling a toy-hauler trailer). Bring all the water and supplies and tools you need--this area is REMOTE.

Take Crow Creek Rd off of Hwy 82 (btwn Enterprise and Joseph). All is paved until your intersection with Zumwalt Road, where you veer R to stay on Zumwalt (aka Zumwalt-Buckhorn Rd). It's gravel after that intersection.

Follow signs to Zumwalt Prairie or Buckhorn Lookout.

Crossing over Zumwalt Prairie is a GORGEOUS drive. The Nature Conservancy has their Zumwalt Prairie Preserve here, and it's a great side trip from the camp spot.

This section of NF-46 road is extremely quiet. Only the occasional ranch vehicle travels through. In fall this is a popular camp area for hunters.

I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of zero water, zero data, the ecosystem/soil that has been abused in the past (not wilderness), the 50-minute drive to WiFi/ restaurant/ water refill/ black water dump. But if I was comparing primitive camping to primitive camping, this would be a 5 of 5.

I would go back here (in late spring or early fall) in a heartbeat.

I went to book this for a weekend for a family trip in the summer.. They do not have any tent spots. She was OK with our motorhome and one tent but the minute I said we had two kids and two small tents. She immediately informed me that she would not be renting to us. 

Clean campground and decent space between neighbors. Didn’t use any of the facilities. No sewer hookups. Would visit again. Lake was low and lots of geese so messes everywhere.

I will definitely be back soon, even frozen it was very enjoyable

We were hired as the park's camp hosts for the summer 2022 season and traveled over 2,000 miles for the job. We were extremely excited about the opportunity because it seemed like a dream job in a dream location. It is a family- owned and operated business and had all the indications of an excellent work opportunity. The agreement was 20hrs a week in exchange for our site. Our duties were the typical duties you see; cleaning the bathhouse, checking in guests, maintaining the sites, etc. We had the opportunity to earn additional wages on a case-by-case basis. Simple enough. We saw no red flags during our two phone interviews. However, over the next three months, things deteriorated rapidly. We found out some things the hard way (like, for example, the fact that they flew through 5 camp hosts during their first two years in operation- and the park is only three years old), and I'd like to spare anyone else from making the same mistakes we did.

So, let's get into the ugly.... It's a long read, but I promise I'm not being dramatic.

The owners' communication skills were almost non-existant. This created unnecessarily difficult situations on more than one occasion. Coupled with the fact that they frequently flip-flopped on the directions they gave their employees and waffled on the demands they made, working for them became increasingly frustrating and unrewarding. This became a massive sticking point because they claimed to excel in communication, when any employee could tell you that was a complete crock of (you know what).

They micro-managed unlike any employer I have ever seen (and I was active duty military for six years), which added to the stress. They also seemed to be completely out of touch with how long work around the park actually took. This is probably due to a combination of the facts that they were used to employing primarily family members (who would not mind selflessly working without having every hour of labor compensated) and that they had never actually done the work themselves. Things look very different from an air conditioned office than they do out in the heat. Appropriate attempts were made to handle issues through the proper channels, but at best they were ignored and at worst they were responded to with passive aggression. Apparently, as part-time employees, we were expected to read their minds, anticipate their needs, and go far above and beyond what any reasonable person would consider appropriate to communicate.

There were a thousand little cuts that added up to an insurmountable degree of inconvenience, but a few of the biggest were feeling that my time and labor were undervalued, that I could not leave the property on any day other than my off day (but could not expect to be compensated for the hours I was essentially held hostage there), that I had to walk an impossible balance between working enough hours but not working too many (a vague detail of our contract that we never did receive clarification on, no matter how many times we asked), a lack of clear communication, and feeling that we were looked down upon as "less than" them. And since we lived on the property, it was impossible to leave the work at work, and find any peace at home.

The kicker and final nail in the coffin of this whole thing was when, after leaving an honest review and feedback of the company through a public channel, one of the owners sent my spouse a nasty wall of text message, full of ageist inuendos and rude implications about the type of employment we would be best suited for. Apparently, when their behavior had the potential to make them look bad in a public space, the owners were all too eager to "communicate". The entire thing came off as tacky and unprofessional, and I regret giving them so much of our hard work and effort.

I'd like to give an honorable mention to some of the other, full-time employees, like our manager Chris who was very sweet (but very much not in control of anything). If it had been possible to only work for her, we would not have left. But the owners' personalities are toxic and overbearing and it was completely untenable. Since we left, the RV park ran an aggressive hiring campaign ad on Facebook, so there's a chance you may have seen it. Please save your sanity (and gas money) and do not entertain the opportunity.

Super fun fact that actually isn't fun at all- one of the owners is now the Idaho County State Senator....😊

Beautiful log cabin in the mountains of Idaho, located in Nez Perce Clearwater National Forest, so astonishing views are plentiful. There is no cell service here, so prepare for the trip ahead, print out your maps to the station, otherwise getting lost on your way here is a very likely possibility. BYO drinking water, headlamps and sense of adventure. Pack out what you pack in..must respect the power of nature.

Near by attractions are Florence which is a well known location for gold mining in days past, nice place to hike and explore the area’s history.