Free Camp Guide
Aerial view of Friedman Creek Wilderness Study Area

Idaho Bureau of Land Management

Friedman Creek Wilderness Study Area

Camping fee unknownCamp anywhere in it
Camping fee not confirmed Nobody has written down what it costs to camp here, so we can’t tell you. It might be free. It might not. We read through the Bureau of Land Management’s records in August 2026 and found nothing either way. Watch for a sign when you pull in, or ask them before you set off. How often is a free campsite actually confirmed free? We counted.

About this place

Nearly 10,000 acres of public land, and the ground is steep and mountainous. Deep side canyons cut through it.

There is a small trout fishery in the creek. The broken country makes for good walking.

Getting in is the hard part. Private land blocks most of the way, so check a map and ask permission before you cross anyone’s ground. Once you are in, expect rough canyon walking.

The facts

Cost
Camping fee not confirmed
Type
Open area. Camp anywhere within it
Managed by
Bureau of Land Management

Getting there

It sits in Blaine County, Idaho.

Coordinates 43.5675, -113.8277778

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

A few more of our own spots are within reach of this one, along with some better-known places.

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

Bellevue 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. 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.

Seven in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Little Deer Wilderness Study Area, Idaho — 25 miles in a straight line, but at least a 33 mile drive.

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.

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.

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; opened and read by a person on 2026-08-27.