Free camping near Placerville, ID
Within 25 straight-line miles of Placerville, ID there are 31 camps: 11 free, 20 fee. The closest is Hot Springs Campground, 8.0 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Grayback Gulch, 10 miles out. Today's season read covers 12 of them: 12 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.
Who manages them: 31 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs Campground | 8.0 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Garden Valley | — |
| Grayback Gulch | 10 | Free | Elk Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Idaho City | — |
| Grayback Group | 10 | Fee | — | 2.2 mi to Idaho | — |
| Ten Mile | 12 | Free | Mores Creek (stream) | 7.8 mi to Idaho City | — |
| Bad Bear Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Idaho | — |
| Hayfork Group Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 8.7 mi to Idaho | Open |
| Shafer Butte Campground | 13 | Fee | — | 8.7 mi to Avimor | — |
| Pine Flats Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Whoop-Um-Up Equestrian Camp | 16 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to Lowman | — |
| Edna Creek | 16 | Free | — | 8.3 mi to Lowman | — |
| Beaver Creek Group Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Lowman | — |
| Bald Mountain Campground | 17 | Free | Middle Fork Thorn Creek (stream) | 7.3 mi to Idaho City | Open |
| Deadwood Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 2.1 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Swinging Bridge Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Banks | — |
| Tie Creek Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Crouch | Open |
| Canyon Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Cold Springs Group Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 7.5 mi to Smiths Ferry | Open |
| Mountain View Campground | 19 | Fee | South Fork Payette River (river) | 0.9 mi to Lowman | — |
| Black Rock Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Idaho | Open |
| Hardscrabble Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Crouch | — |
| Willow Creek Campground | 21 | Free | — | 9.7 mi to Lowman | Open |
| Big Eddy Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Smiths Ferry | Open |
| Park Creek Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 3.6 mi to Lowman | — |
| Cottonwood Campground | 22 | Free | Cottonwood Creek (stream) | 8.5 mi to Robie Creek | Open |
| Troutdale Campground | 22 | Free | Rough Creek (stream) | 13 mi to Idaho City | Open |
| Rattlesnake Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Badger Creek Campground | 23 | Free | Boise River (river) | 13 mi to Prairie | Open |
| Willow Creek Campground | 23 | Free | Boise River (river) | 12 mi to Robie Creek | — |
| Neinmeyer Campground | 23 | Free | Big Five Creek (stream) | 14 mi to Idaho City | — |
| Trail Creek Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Smiths Ferry | — |
| Irish Point Dispersed | 24 | Free | Cottonwood Creek (stream) | 8.3 mi to Robie Creek | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Placerville, ID, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.