About this place
Rock towers are the reason to come. Hoodoos, spires and arches stand over about a third of this ground, nearly 6,000 acres in the Mount Bennett Hills, all of it public.
Those hills are a belt of rolling foothills. The Sawtooth Mountains rise north of them, and the Snake River Plain spreads out to the south. Most of the area is gently sloping plain, and the rhyolite rises out of it.
A trail follows a small creek up the canyon and crosses it several times. By summer the creek has usually dried up. Summer is hot, with little shade, so spring is the best time.
Watch for rattlesnakes from spring to fall.
The road in crosses private land. When it is wet, the owner shuts the gate. Park there and walk the short way in, or come back when it has dried out.
Elk, mule deer and coyote live here. Look up for birds of prey, and expect upland game birds in the sage.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Roads around it
- A short dirt road across private land. The owner shuts the gate when it is wet
- Type
- Open area. Camp anywhere within it
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
On Highway 46, 12.5 miles north of Gooding, a Bureau of Land Management sign marks the turn. A short dirt road runs from there to the trailhead.
Coordinates 43.14083333, -114.6875
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.
- Black Canyon (I) Wilderness Study Area Directions
- Gooding City of Rocks East Wilderness Study Area Directions
- Gooding City of Rocks West 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
- 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 Silver Creek (North and South), Idaho — 36 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.