Rocky Bluff Campground

About this place

Rocky Bluff sits right on the edge of the Gospel-Hump Wilderness, at about 5,200 feet. It is a good base.

There are four campsites with picnic tables and fire rings, plus parking, and a trailhead marking a trail along the Wilderness edge.

Walkers, campers, anglers, hunters and families all use it.

A towed trailer much longer than 15 feet will struggle for room to turn. A pickup camper will manage.

In winter, snow can block the roads in.

There is fishing nearby in Slate Creek, and there are a lot of old mining sites around it.

There is a vault toilet and no drinking water.

The facts

Cost

Free to camp

Roads around it

Some need high clearance

Drinking water

No, bring your own

Toilet

Yes

Phone signal

None. This is rugged wild country

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

There is no cell phone signal out here. Work out what you need to know before you leave, because you will not be looking anything up once you arrive.

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

From Highway 95, go 0.5 miles north of the Slate Creek Ranger Station and turn onto Slate Creek Road, Forest Road 354. Follow it 19 miles to the Grangeville-Salmon Road, Forest Road 221. Turn east and go 1 mile. The campground is at the bridge over Slate Creek.

Coordinates 45.637370, -116.009520

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

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

• Tolo Lake 42 miles by road · lake Directions
• Payette Lake 88 miles by road · lake 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

• White Bird, ID nearest settlement · 28 miles by road · about 87 people Directions
• Grangeville, ID big enough to expect fuel and a shop · 33 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 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 Sing Lee Campground, Idaho — 26 miles in a straight line, but a 52 mile drive. 16 more sit closer than 25 miles, if the rule here allows them.

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.