About this place
Nearly 25,000 acres of public land, out in north-central Idaho. Nearly 15,000 of those acres are recommended for wilderness designation.
The country is remote, rugged and mountainous. It runs from foothills through grassy meadows to steep cliffs along the Continental Divide.
Sagebrush and grass grow lower down, and higher up the ground carries Douglas fir and lodgepole pine.
No motors of any kind are allowed here. That leaves it popular for big game hunting on foot in the fall.
There is solitude here, and there is walking, backpacking, rockhounding and wildlife to watch as well.
From December through May the access roads around it are usually shut by snow, so the area is out of reach.
Ask the Salmon Field Office for maps and for access information before you set off, because the roads change.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Roads around it
- Mostly gravel with some dirt. Can be impassable when muddy
- Type
- Open area. Camp anywhere within it
- When it’s open
- Generally not December through May, when snow closes the access roads
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
From Leadore, drive about 8 miles south on Highway 28 and turn east onto Eighteen Mile Road. After 1.9 miles turn right and go 4.7 miles, then turn right again for 3.3 miles. Turn left, and the McGinty Trailhead is 6.4 miles on. The roads are mostly gravel with some dirt, and they can be impassable when it is muddy.
Coordinates 44.49555556, -113.0413889
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
There is another spot of ours within reach, and some better-known places further out.
- Scott Peak Directions
- Bell Mountain Directions
- Hawley Mountain Wilderness Study Area Directions
- Flatiron Mountain 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
- Leadore, ID Directions
- Dillon, MT Directions
Dillon 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.
Five in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Big Eightmile Campground/Trailhead, Idaho — 28 miles in a straight line, but a 38 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.