Owyhee River Wilderness Area

About this place

More than 267,000 acres of public land make up the Owyhee River Wilderness. Congress made it wilderness in 2009, together with five other pieces of the Owyhee country.

Crutcher Crossing and the 45 Ranch, at the end of the long drive in, are where boaters launch onto the East Fork of the Owyhee.

All of this belongs to the Owyhee Canyonlands, a vast, empty stretch of high desert where southwestern Idaho runs into northern Nevada and eastern Oregon. Three rivers have cut it open: the Jarbidge, the Owyhee and the Bruneau.

Solitude is the thing here. The river runs from slow pools to hard whitewater, and the canyon walls go from sheer rock to steep grass. Look for California bighorn sheep on the ledges, and for a wildflower called the Bruneau River phlox.

The facts

Cost

Camping fee not confirmed

Roads around it

Hard going even in a high clearance four-wheel drive

Type

Open area. Camp anywhere within it

Managed by

Bureau of Land Management

Getting there

From Bruneau, head south on highway 51 to the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, on the Idaho and Nevada state line. A quarter mile south of the gas station and grocery store, take Boney Lane. Stay on Boney Lane onto the 45 Ranch Road. That leads either to Crutchers Crossing or to the 45 Ranch, both signed for the East Fork Owyhee.

This wilderness is very remote. The roads in are hard going even in a high clearance four wheel drive. The drive from Bruneau takes about 4 to 5 hours one way. Take extra maps and emergency supplies, and fill the tank at Duck Valley.

Coordinates 42.26361111, -116.7

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Nearest town and supplies

• Owyhee, NV nearest settlement · 154 miles by road · about 1,000 people 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.

Eight in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is North Fork Owyhee River, Idaho — 27 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.