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I am driving through Idaho and Wyoming on a Yellowstone road trip with a small trailer and wondering if dry camping is easy to find in Idaho? I'm from Nevada and we are used to driving down any dirt road and camping overnight on BLM or Forest Service land while road-tripping...can we do that in Idaho as well?
If not, are the RV parks or campgrounds busy at the end of August? Do we need reservations? I would rather wing it, but not sure if that is a good idea....
I don't think you'll have any problems dry camping here. You may find some campgrounds that are closed, but a check on Idaho.gov should give you all the info you would need about them.
Probably can wing it anywhere except maybe Stanley ID or close to Yellowstone, if you are ok with possibly using plan B campground or dispersed camping.
Might be a few places where dispersed camping is restricted. Check forest service website pages for that and / or watch for signs.
If your saying dry camping is the same as dispersed camping, there are hundreds of locations around stanley ID, but not sure where there are any if headed up hwy 20 to Yellowstone's west entrance. I disperse camp as much as possible, but still hit some campgrounds just for convenience.
However, your route would help others to help you. For one, a route would tell me what NFs you are going through and BLM is not anywhere as large in ID as it is in NV (and UT). Here it is mostly NF. (BLM lands in Nevada 194 million acres...in ID 11.9 million acres; forest service in Idaho 20 million acres). And my experience in camping on Federal lands, the BLM is more open than the FS. Not that the FS is not open to dispersed camping, but they request you pick an area that has already been used. Whereas, the BLM is more open but in states like NV and UT, they are more likely in the desert areas than forests.
As for reservations....most likely you would need reservations but again, depends on where you are driving.
And this year, campgrounds have been flooded with people and that means an overflow into dispersed areas.
Yes, I mean dispersed camping...I am bringing my dogs and we do not like RV parks anyway...
So probably going through the Preston-Pocatello area and swinging through Wyoming to Sheridan area, then Cody, Yellowstone and might try for Northern Idaho through Montana and then down to Nevada. We want to check out some long term camping/fishing spots and I have not been through these areas before...love road tripping and experiencing all types of natural wonders...we are bringing our mountain bikes and plan on biking and hiking as well.
Interesting information about BLM lands in Idaho...I do like that BLM is pretty live and let live in their attitude about any type of recreational use and have noticed the FS can be more restrictive.
I am noticing the RV parks and camping areas in the Sierra's and Northern Nevada are pretty full, even places I have not seen anyone camping before so I am a little nervous about this being the case in Idaho and Wyoming as well....
If any of the typical highways in the areas I mentioned are scary to drive towing a 18 foot trailer, please warn me now!! For instance, Tioga Pass out of Yosemite is terrifying to me. Although I drive all over the Sierra's near me and don't have much problem...I guess it is cliffs straight down on narrow highways that get me.
So, if from Poky you are headed east to WY that mean you will most likely go over the Teton pass. Not a bad drive, about a 10% so as long as your vehicle can pull the trailer with no problem it should not be a problem,. No extreme drop off on either side that are noticeable. Plenty of trees. (I'm a bad person for judging a trip for me the steeper the better.) But it will be like most passes in the Sierras.
Once in WY, after passing through the Shoshone NF you have mostly BLM and private lands up to the Big Horn Mtns which are NF. Once over the Big Horns you are in Sheridan.
From Sheridan back toward Cody you have a lot of BLM lands and one area in particular from Greybull to Cody, of Hwy 14, on the north side are roads going off toward McCullough Peaks that is vacant except for wild horses and it appears to be unlimited places to pull off the road and set up camp. HOWEVER, the areas close to the peaks are considered a Wilderness area, but a lot of distance from hwy 14 to the start of the WSA. Best to call the BLM Cody Field office 307-578-5900.
West of Cody to Yellowstone you are in the Shoshone NF (be careful camping here, it is known to have the highest concentration of Grizzlies in the lower 48. I've run into them while hiking a few times, and found bear spray works great, and also my two 130+ Malamutes also works since bear generally don't like big dogs.
There are some fantastic campground between Cody and Yellowstone off Hwy 14, 16, 20 (same road, three hwys). They are FS campgrounds and dogs are not a problem, and they have a lot of separation between campsites so plenty of privacy.
If looking for river fishing, plenty of that in all states you will be passing through (this is per a friend of mine since only fishing I do is in a food isle at the local store).
Wow! Thank you for the great information! I am looking at maps and trying to piece this together. Thank you again.
Also, good you mentioned grizzlies. I am used to black bear and they aren’t much of a threat here even though we have so many in the Sierra. Grizzlies scare me. They seem more prone to charge than run away like our black bears.
Do you know a good camping spot around Preston or Pocatello? Maybe we should stay overnight in the Ruby wilderness near Elko NV instead?
Grizzlies, as I have learned like to make noise but they do not like large dogs or bear spray. But the three I have had a run in with have never given the impression they were going to attack, two just gave notice I was not wanted and were advancing slowly toward me at which point the spray came out was used and we both went in different directions. Third one was scared more by the dogs since I was not in a position to spray nor even in a position to pull my .44. From what I saw it was more perplexed as to why the dogs were going crazy and decided just to go into another direction away from the mean dogs and crazy human.
You also have wolves wondering the area and most likely some large cats, but you have the cats in CA too.
As for dispersed camping in and around Poky. I have no idea. Needless to say, I live in this area and when I camp I head far away. BLM is not a large identity in this area, the FS is a lot bigger. I would suggest a look at the Caribou-Targhee NFs
Or go to the specific forest for campgrounds or dispersed camping info.
The roadside campgrounds in the Rubies might be busy. I'd call and ask.
City of Rocks near Almo and Utah border / southwest of Pocatello is cool and not that far off.
Last edited by NW Crow; 08-07-2020 at 08:17 PM..
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