Free Camp Guide
Aerial view of Jerry's Creek Camping Area

Idaho Salmon-Challis National Forest

Jerry's Creek Camping Area

Free to campSet campsiteSome roads are rough
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

A secluded site in the timber, behind the dredge piles. There are about three camping spots, and room for a small group.

Those piles are gravel left behind by gold dredging on the Yankee Fork. The dredge that dug them still stands farther up the road, and you can tour it between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The dredge pond close to camp has fish in it.

The access road is narrow and rough, so bring a high clearance vehicle. A vault toilet is on site. There are no hook-ups.

The facts

Cost
Free to camp
Roads around it
The access road is narrow and rough. High clearance advised
Toilet
Yes, a vault toilet
Type
Specific campsite
Managed by
Salmon-Challis National Forest

The roads around this place are not maintained for a regular car. That comes from the US Forest Service, who grade every road by the kind of vehicle it is looked after for. Those records cover the roads nearby. They do not cover the last stretch in to the campsite, and nobody has checked that part. Treat this as a warning. We are not promising what you will find when you get there. If you have driven it, tell us what it was like and we will say so here.

Getting there

From Stanley, drive 11 miles east on Highway 75 to the Sunbeam Dam overlook. Turn left onto Forest Road #013 and go about 5 miles.

Coordinates 44.330000, -114.720000

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

There are some well-known places within reach of this site.

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

Ketchum 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. This is Forest Service land, and each forest sets its own rule for how far you have to go, so check before you travel.

The nearest other free campsite in this guide is Josephus Lake Campground, Idaho — 26 miles in a straight line, but a 43 mile drive. Eight more sit closer than 25 miles, if the rule here allows them.

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