Poet Creek Campground

About this place

Poet Creek sits in tall timber on the Magruder Road. That's a one-lane dirt road over the mountains from Elk City, Idaho, to Darby, Montana. It runs between two huge wilderness areas, the Selway-Bitterroot on one side and the Frank Church on the other.

The road carries a dark name. Lloyd Magruder was a packer. In October 1863, he and four men traveling with him were murdered in camp along this route. The road is named after him.

Four stock mangers stand just south of the campground for anyone traveling with horses. There is a vault toilet. Any water here has to be filtered or treated first.

The facts

Cost

Free to camp

Roads around it

Not for a low-clearance vehicle, a motor home, or anything towing a trailer

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

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.

Rules and restrictions

No stock animals in the campground.

Low-clearance cars, motor homes and anything towing a trailer will have a hard time on the way in.

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

Coordinates 45.722800, -115.034400

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

Nothing nationally famous is close. These are the landmarks nearby.

• Stripe Mountain 21 miles by road · mountain Directions
• Trapper Peak 87 miles by road · 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 nearest settlement · at least 41 miles by road · about 170 people Directions
• Grangeville, ID big enough to expect fuel and a shop · 87 miles by road · about 3,600 people 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 Sam's Creek Campground, Idaho — 25 miles in a straight line, but at least a 43 mile drive. Twelve 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.