Sawtooth National Recreation Area

Learn about camping and boondocking in Sawtooth National Recreation Area of Idaho.

Forest Road 146, Ketchum, ID

Forest Road 146 runs north of Ketchum, ID through Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It branches off of State Highway 76, right at the Sawtooth NRA visitor center, then heads for 5 miles where it ends at North Fork Big Wood River Trail Head. Along the way, there are numerous developed campgrounds, but also dozens of free, dispersed campsites.

Salmon River Dispersed Area #3, Stanley, ID

Camping at Salmon River Dispersed Area #3 Video Review Free Camping Near Stanley, Idaho- Salmon River Dispersed Camping- Sawtooth Mountain National Forest

Salmon River Dispersed Area #2, Stanley, ID

Camping at Salmon River Dispersed Area #2 Video Review Free Camping Near Stanley, Idaho- Salmon River Dispersed Camping- Sawtooth Mountain National Forest

Salmon River Dispersed Area #1, Stanley, ID

Salmon River Dispersed Area #1 is a designated dispersed camping area marked by a sign along the east side of Highway 75, but unmarked on forest service maps. There are perhaps room for 12 to 20 vehicles depending on vehicle size. Many of these sites are large enough for full-sized RVs.

Cougar Dispersed Camping Area, Ketchum, ID

Cougar Dispersed Camping Area, Ketchum, ID Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) covers a large area of land with hundreds of options for boondocking and developed camping. The most popular area to camp is along the North Fork of the Big Wood River, at a place the Forest Service has named, “Cougar Dispersed Camping Area”. Cougar starts where the North Fork Visitor Center is located, right at the intersection of SR-75 and and FR-146. When driving north from Ketchum, you’ll see a sign for “SNRA Headquarters”. If you keep going up FR-146, it turns into gravel. The road runs for about 5 miles ... Read more