Free camping near Ponderay, ID
Within 25 straight-line miles of Ponderay, ID there are 134 camps: 125 free, 8 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Green Bay, 11 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Huckleberry, 11 miles out. The circle crosses a state line: ID and MT and WA.
Who manages them: 134 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay | 11 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Hope | — |
| Huckleberry | 11 | Free | Trestle Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Hope | — |
| Huckleberry Campground | 13 | Unpriced | Trestle Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Hope | — |
| Sam Owen | 13 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to East Hope | — |
| Grouse Falls | 14 | Free | Grouse Creek (river) | 8.2 mi to Naples | — |
| Maiden Rock | 14 | Free | — | 3.1 mi to Talache | — |
| Upperpackriver01 | 15 | Free | Pack River (river) | 9.5 mi to Naples | — |
| Upperpackriver02 | 15 | Free | Pack River (river) | 9.4 mi to Naples | — |
| Upper Lightning -16B | 15 | Free | Smorgasbord Creek (stream) | 8.1 mi to Hope | — |
| Upperpackriver03 | 15 | Free | — | 12 mi to Coolin | — |
| Upperpackriver3C | 15 | Free | Pack River (river) | 9.4 mi to Naples | — |
| Upperpackriver04 | 15 | Free | Pack River (river) | 9.5 mi to Naples | — |
| Upperpackriver04 | 16 | Free | — | — | — |
| Pee Wee-002 | 16 | Free | Ranger Creek (stream) | 7.7 mi to Priest River | — |
| Evans Landing | 16 | Free | — | 4.5 mi to Cocolalla | — |
| Porcupine Lake | 17 | Free | Porcupine Lake (water) | 5.1 mi to East Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning 1C | 17 | Free | Lightning Creek (stream) | 8.3 mi to East Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning 3A | 17 | Free | Quartz Creek (stream) | 9.6 mi to Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning 2 | 17 | Free | Quartz Creek (stream) | 8.7 mi to East Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning -5A | 17 | Free | Quartz Creek (stream) | 9.9 mi to Hope | — |
| Lees Point | 17 | Free | Clark Fork (river) | 3.4 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Headwaters Pack River | 17 | Free | Pack River (river) | 9.8 mi to Naples | — |
| Upper Lightning -4B | 17 | Free | Quartz Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning -6 | 17 | Free | Quartz Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning -7 | 17 | Free | Quartz Creek (stream) | 11 mi to Hope | — |
| Headwaters Pack River | 17 | Free | — | 12 mi to Coolin | — |
| Whiskey Rock Bay Day Use | 18 | Free | — | 2.2 mi to Cedar Creek | — |
| Upper Lightning -10 | 18 | Free | Gordon Creek (stream) | 11 mi to Hope | — |
| Headwaters Pack River | 18 | Free | — | 12 mi to Coolin | — |
| Upper Lightning-9C | 18 | Free | Gordon Creek (stream) | 12 mi to Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning-11 | 18 | Free | Gem Lake (water) | 11 mi to East Hope | — |
| Upper Lightning-9B | 18 | Free | Gordon Creek (stream) | 12 mi to Hope | — |
| Headwaters Pack River | 19 | Free | McCormick Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Naples | — |
| Upper Lightning -15 | 19 | Free | — | — | — |
| Lightning -01 | 20 | Free | East Fork Creek (stream) | 5.8 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Low Lightning 09A | 20 | Free | East Fork Creek (stream) | 7.2 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Lower Lightning 07 | 20 | Free | — | 6.4 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Lower Lightning 10 | 20 | Free | East Fork Creek (stream) | 7.2 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Lower Lightning - 02B | 20 | Free | East Fork Creek (stream) | 6.0 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Lower Lightning 08 | 20 | Free | Savage Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Low Lightning 06 | 20 | Free | Savage Creek (stream) | 6.5 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — ID #520 | 20 | Free | — | 6.1 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Morris Creek Trailhead | 20 | Free | — | 5.8 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Low Lightning 04 | 20 | Free | East Fork Creek (stream) | 6.2 mi to Clark Fork | — |
| Headwaters Pack River | 20 | Free | West Branch Pack River (stream) | 11 mi to Naples | — |
| "Mm 28, Fp Disp Site #270" | 21 | Free | — | 7.3 mi to Granite | — |
| Headwaters Pack River | 21 | Free | West Branch Pack River (stream) | 11 mi to Naples | — |
| Binarch-004 | 21 | Free | Binarch Creek (stream) | 1.8 mi to Outlet Bay | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — ID #253 | 21 | Free | — | 6.8 mi to Granite | — |
| "Mm 29.1, Fp Disp Site #269" | 21 | Free | — | 6.7 mi to Clark Fork | — |
The other 84 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Ponderay, ID.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Ponderay, 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.