About this place
This is nearly 15,000 acres of public land in the Mount Bennett Hills.
Those hills roll between the Sawtooth Mountains to the north and the Snake River Plain to the south.
The southeastern part is a set of deep canyons cut into rhyolite. Rhyolite columns rise more than 100 feet out of them.
There are hoodoos here. A hoodoo is a thin spire of rock left standing when the softer rock around it wears away. The biggest ones are down in the side canyons, so you have to walk in to see them.
Where the canyons are shaded, willows, aspen, cottonwood, serviceberry and chokecherry grow in pockets.
Elk, deer, coyotes and bears all live here, along with birds of prey and upland game birds. There are cutthroat trout in the water.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Type
- Open area. Camp anywhere within it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
From Gooding, drive Highway 46 north about 18.5 miles to City of Rocks Road. Turn left and go about 5 miles to the BLM sign for Gooding City of Rocks. Turn left again and drive about 3.75 miles to a parking area. The last stretch is a dirt road that gets little upkeep, so take it slowly.
Coordinates 43.13805556, -114.8091667
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.
- Gooding City of Rocks West Wilderness Study Area Directions
- Black Canyon (I) Wilderness Study Area Directions
- Little City of Rocks Wilderness Study Area Directions
- Buttercup Mountain Directions
- Smoky Dome 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
- Fairfield, ID Directions
- Gooding, ID Directions
Gooding 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.
Eight in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Lava Wilderness Study Area, Idaho — 27 miles in a straight line, but a 55 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.