Free Camp Guide
Aerial view of Hawley Creek Lower Campground

Idaho Salmon-Challis National Forest

Hawley Creek Lower Campground

Free to campSet campsiteWater on siteToilet
Free to camp The Forest Service record for this site says there is no charge to camp, as of August 2026. Records get old, so look for a sign when you pull in.

About this place

The lower campground has 4 sites, and there is drinking water. It is a stiff climb.

You can fish Hawley Creek and the reservoir.

The Hawley Creek Trail is under 2 miles long, but it climbs over 1000 feet in that distance. ATVs and motorcycles may use the trail, though not off it.

A spur runs to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Near the top the trail opens out into grassland.

The facts

Cost
Free to camp
Drinking water
Yes
Toilet
Yes
Type
Specific campsite
Managed by
Salmon-Challis National Forest

Getting there

Coordinates 44.667736, -113.190639

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.

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

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.

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 Forest Service’s own records, read in August 2026.