About this place
Over 9,000 acres of public land, kept for its scenery, its recreation and its history.
The Skitwish Monuments stand nearby. They are unusual rock structures, tied to the religious ceremonies of the Coeur d’Alene Indians.
People walk here, camp, look at the country, hunt, fish and pick berries.
Most head for Crystal Lake. The trail starts at Sheep Springs, just outside this area, and runs about 2 miles, steep and rocky. It is for walkers only. You may camp at the lake.
Sheep Springs has three free campsites with fire rings and picnic tables, and a vault toilet.
The dirt road up to it is narrow, steep and rough.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Roads around it
- A narrow, steep and rough dirt road
- Type
- Open area. Camp anywhere within it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
About ten miles northeast of St Maries. The way in is from Interstate 90, though. Take the Cataldo exit, exit 40, and head south on Latour Creek Road to Sheep Springs, where the Crystal Lake Trail starts.
Coordinates 47.395277, -116.387222
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
Nothing nationally famous is close. These are the landmarks nearby.
- Kings Peak Directions
- Burke Canyon Directions
- Coeur D'Alene Lake Directions
- Lake Hayden 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
- St. Maries, ID Directions
St. Maries 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 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. When you move on, the Bureau of Land Management usually wants you at least 25 to 30 miles away. So the free campsites closest to you are the ones you cannot use.
Two in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Little Lost Lake, Idaho — 31 miles in a straight line, but a 56 mile drive.
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 Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026.