About this place
The North Fork Owyhee River runs in a steep vertical-walled canyon, 200 to 500 feet deep.
As it flows toward Oregon the rock changes. Rhyolite monoliths and pinnacles give way to sheer walls of blocky basalt. Groves of old juniper line the shore.
In high spring flows, expert boaters run it from North Fork Campground down to Three Forks, and part of it is Class V whitewater. Brush and fallen logs choke the channel in places, and many of the corners are blind. This is no river for a beginner.
Look on the shady rhyolite cliffs in May and June for a pale blue flower, the Owyhee River forget-me-not. It grows in this river system and nowhere else.
The river has been Wild and Scenic since March 2009.
The facts
- Cost
- Camping fee not confirmed
- Roads around it
- Some need four-wheel drive
- Type
- Specific campsite
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
The roads around this place are not maintained for a regular car. That comes from the Bureau of Land Management, who record the kind of vehicle that uses each route. 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
It runs through the Owyhee River Wilderness and meets the Owyhee River at Three Forks, Oregon. The usual way to the water is North Fork Campground, about 27 miles southeast of Jordan Valley. That is where the Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway crosses the river.
Coordinates 42.5936111, -116.9808333
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.
- North Fork Owyhee Wilderness Area Directions
- Pole Creek Wilderness Area Directions
- Jordan Craters Directions
- Mahogany 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
- Jordan Valley, OR Directions
- Owyhee, NV Directions
Owyhee 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.
Four in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Deep Creek Wild and Scenic River, Idaho — 25 miles in a straight line, but a 29 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.