About this place
Three camp sites on the Upper Selway River. There is a boat put-in below Selway Falls. The water is serious.
A trailhead at the campground runs east along the Selway River and into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. There are stock facilities for anyone riding.
The wild and scenic stretch of the Selway runs from Paradise Campground to Selway Falls, and it holds Class IV rapids.
Getting about here is very hard for anyone with a disability.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Type
- Specific campsite
- When it’s open
- All year, though snow can shut the way in
- Managed by
- Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Getting there
From Lowell, on US Highway 12, follow the Selway River Road up the river for about 24 miles. The campground is at the very end of the road, where the Selway River Trail begins.
Coordinates 46.079820, -115.507440
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What is near here
Nothing is close to this one. Everything below is a long drive away, and each line says how far.
- Tolo Lake Directions
- Dworshak Dam 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
- Kamiah, ID Directions
Kamiah 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 Meadow Creek Campground, Idaho — 27 miles in a straight line, but at least a 62 mile drive. 17 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.