About this place
There is a high mountain lake here, and a campground well out of the way.
There is a lot of fishing, in the lake and in the streams. Walking and ATV trails run from here.
Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring with a cooking grill.
There are vault toilets and a day use picnic area.
On Bayhorse Lake there is a boat launch and two docks, for boats with no motor.
The dirt road in is narrow and steep, and while trailers are allowed you should take care, with about 32 feet the practical limit.
There is no drinking water. Take your trash home.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Roads around it
- A narrow, steep dirt road. Best for trailers and motorhomes under 32 feet
- Drinking water
- No, bring your own
- Toilet
- Yes
- Type
- Specific campsite
- Managed by
- Salmon-Challis National Forest
Rules and restrictions
The limit for RVs here is 32 feet. Measure yours before you set off if you are anywhere near that.
Getting there
About six miles from Challis on Highway 75, turn onto the Bayhorse Road, Forest Road 051. It passes the old Bayhorse mining town on the way, then climbs about 7 miles to Big Bayhorse Lake.
Coordinates 44.410626, -114.399080
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What is near here
There is another spot of ours within reach, and some better-known places further out.
- White Cloud Peak 1 Directions
- White Cloud Peak 3 Directions
- White Cloud Peak 2 Directions
- Borah Peak Directions
- Borah Peak Wilderness Study Area Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Clayton, ID Directions
- Ketchum, ID Directions
Ketchum is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Why “at least”: this route is hard to measure. We worked the drive out twice, with two separate mapping tools, and they gave different answers. That usually means there is no road close to the campsite, so the drive doubles back a long way. The figure above is the longer of the two. The real drive could be further still, so check the route before you set off.
Why the drive to town is usually twice what the map says — what we found measuring every campsite in this guide.
When it’s time to move on
On most public land you can camp for 14 days before you have to move on. Check this site’s own limit before you plan a long stay. This is Forest Service land, and each forest sets its own rule for how far you have to go, so check before you travel.
The nearest other free campsite in this guide is Salmon River, Idaho — 26 miles in a straight line, but at least a 37 mile drive. Nine more sit closer than 25 miles, if the rule here allows them.
Why “at least”: there is no road right at this campsite, so the drive is hard to measure and the real one could be further. Check the route before you set off.
This guide covers five states and does not list every free campsite, so there may be something closer that we do not hold. Check this site’s own rule before you rely on it.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
Thank you. A person will read it before it goes on the page.
Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Forest Service’s own records, read in August 2026.