About this place
Five campsites in tall timber near Mallard Creek. There is a toilet.
That is all there is. No tables, no fire grates, so bring something to cook on.
Any water here comes from the creek. Filter it or treat it before you drink.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Drinking water
- No, bring your own
- Toilet
- Yes
- Type
- Specific campsite
- When it’s open
- All year, though snow can shut the way in
- Managed by
- Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Rules and restrictions
Nobody collects trash here. Everything you bring in has to come out with you again, food scraps included. Bring a bag for it.
Getting there
Turn off State Highway 14 onto Road 222, the Red River-Dixie Road, going south. Carry on about 3 miles beyond the closed ranger station at Red River, then go east on Road 1190. Follow it to Road 421, and take that about 6 miles to the campground.
Coordinates 45.579200, -115.308600
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
Nothing nationally famous is close. These are the landmarks nearby.
- Stripe Mountain 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
- Elk City, ID Directions
- Grangeville, ID Directions
Grangeville 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. 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 O'Hara Saddle Campground, Idaho — 28 miles in a straight line, but at least a 39 mile drive. 21 more sit closer than 25 miles, if the rule here allows them.
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.
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 Forest Service’s own records, read in August 2026.