Free Camping in Stanley Idaho on the Salmon River
Stanley Idaho, Population 63 is a rugged mountain town situated right smack dab in the middle of the Sawtooth Mountains. This town has a lot going on from white water rapids to picturesque mountain lakes, and plenty of hiking and backpacking for the more adventurous type. Per usual, we were here to do it all, and most importantly spend as little money as possible. Luckily there are tons of options for free camping in Idaho, most sites even have drop toilets to really make you feel like a 5-star dirtbag. We found this awesome little site right on the salmon river (44.171831, -114.905370). It was just a few minutes ways from Redfish Lake a camping hotspot that’s expensive and overran with Grizwald kooks!
We spent a few days at this free river campsite while we enjoyed all the splendor that Stanley has to offer. We paddled around Little Redfish lake for a day with our van friends. We also went on a nice short easy hike to Fishhook Creek. This is a very chill hike that takes you to an amazing viewpoint of the Sawtooth Mountains, we recommend this short hike it was very quiet on the trail.
The highlight of the Stanley experience was soaking in the Boat Box hot springs. This is one of the coolest Hot Springs we have ever been to. So nice that we went twice! This spring is situated on the Salmon River in a large steel bowl that holds about 4 people, you can control the temperature pretty easy and if it gets too hot you can take a dip in the cold Salmon River. If you hit the springs in the summer expect to wait your turn as it’s a popular spot. We took our vans and waited on the side of the road and made breakfast while others soaked. Stanley can get pretty crazy in the summer so stick to the kookz tips to avoid the Grizwalds out there.
