KAMIAH — The upcoming July 4 holiday will be an amazing time to enjoy the numerous recreational opportunities available on Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. This updated information should help you plan a memorable visit this holiday.
Please be advised that all Forest Service offices on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests will be closed on July 4, 2024
Summary: All campgrounds on Highway 12, the Palouse District, and the South Fork Clearwater are open for public use. Most campgrounds on the North Fork Clearwater, and Red River Ranger District are open to the public. Trail maintenance is occurring, but downed trees and snow above 6200 feet should be expected and trails can change from snow free to deep snow depending upon tree coverage and the aspect which a trail faces. Roads in the high country, such as the Magruder Corridor and Lolo Motorway are only open in limited amounts due to snow..
Camping and Trails
Most campgrounds on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests offer first-come, first-served site selection, although you can reserve campsites at a few campgrounds managed by the forest. Contact your local Forest Service office for a list of local campgrounds that accept reservations. To reserve a campsite, call Recreation.gov at 1 (877) 444-6777, or visit www.Recreation.gov. Reservations should be made at least four days in advance.
Visitors can also camp in areas outside of developed campgrounds, called “dispersed sites.” However, campers who choose to stay in dispersed sites should take extra care to protect natural resources such as vegetation. If you camp at a dispersed site, leave no trace of your stay. Use existing fire rings if available and pack out your trash.
Numerous trails on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests are currently available for use by forest visitors. Please consider hazards involved with hiking before heading out on the trail, such as uneven terrain and steep grades. Hazards such as falling trees, rolling logs and rocks, poor tread, and holes from burned-out stumps are evident in places recently impacted by fire. Make appropriate safety considerations before heading out, which may include changing your travel plans. Be aware that conditions can change very quickly.
PALOUSE RANGER DISTRICT: All campgrounds on the Palouse Ranger District are now open. Laird Park, Little Boulder, and Giant White Pine Campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Elk Creek Campground, near the town of Elk River, features 23 sites with electrical hookups; a portion of these campground sites can be reserved through Recreation.gov.
Water is available at all campgrounds on the Palouse Ranger District except for Laird Park where testing and improvements necessitate a water shutdown for the 4th of July week. Snowpack has been light this year on the Palouse, so trails are dryer and more accessible than in past years. This early in the season, visitors should anticipate the possibility of fallen trees across trails.
Old Sampson trail is closed from the Junction with 221-A North due to logging activity, Klawa Creek and Disalto are closed their entire length this year. Trails cleared this year include the Old Samson, Jim Dewey, Elk Creek Falls, Falls Reservoir Connector, Upper Basin Interpretive, Potlatch Canyon Loop, Feather Creek (both the 5 mile and 10 mile loops), Palouse River Connector, North Fork Palouse River, Poor Man, Wemp, Greenhorn Connector, Hath, and Little Boulder Campground Loop.
You can reserve group picnic areas at Little Boulder and Laird Park Campgrounds, as well as the pavilion at Elk Creek Campground, by calling the Potlatch Ranger Station at 208-875-1131
NORTH FORK RANGER DISTRICT: Aquarius, Purple Beach, Washington Creek, Weitas, Hidden Creek, Kelly Forks, and Noe Creek campgrounds are open.
High country trails on the North Fork Ranger District are currently inaccessible due to snow and downed trees. The most recently cleared trails are Black Mountain which has been cleared to the Junction with trail 685 where the trail is inaccessible due to snow, the North Fork Downriver which has been cleared with logout and tread work, and Salmon Creek which has been cleared its entire length. Fish Lake Trail is closed to motorized use. The closure order is in effect 05/30/2023 to 05/30/2025 or until rescinded.
LOCHSA/POWELL RANGER DISTRICT: All campgrounds on the Lochsa/Powell Ranger District are currently open except for Jerry Johnson. Recreation crews will attempt to open Jerry Johnson Campground later this season if major brushing projects can be completed. Campgrounds currently offering potable water include Powell, Whitehouse, Wilderness Gateway, Apgar, and Wild Goose. Reservations can be made at Powell and Wilderness GatewayRecreation Managers are still accepting applications for campground hosts in Powell and Wilderness Gateway (Visit Volunteer.Gov for more information).
The 100 road is clear to the Musselshell. Rd 360 to Elk Summit Campground is open and the road to Kooskooskia Meadows has been cleared of debris from past fires.
MOOSE CREEK RANGER DISTRICT: All campgrounds on the Moose Creek Ranger District are open. Reservations can be made for Johnson Bar Group site and O’Hara Campground. Potable water is available at Johnson Bar Campground and Cedar Flats Dump Station. The water system in O’Hara Campground is down until further notice pending maintenance. A volunteer camp host is on site at O’Hara Thursday – Monday.
The bridge across the Selway will receive new planks, but is in contracting. As you head up O’Hara Cr. Road the first little bridge (0.25 miles up) is scheduled to be replaced between July 15th and August 15th. O’Hara Rock Pit is scheduled for culvert replacement during the same period as are two more culverts further up O’Hara Cr. Road. The take away is expect impacts to travel up O’Hara Road above the CG from July 15th on.
Coolwater Lookout road is clear to Andy’s Hump, then High clearance 4×4, or walk, to the lookout. Road is very rough.
SALMON RIVER RANGER DISTRICT: All campgrounds and day-use areas located along the South Fork of the Clearwater River are open, including Castle Creek and South Fork Campgrounds, which are fee sites and have potable water available. Our friendly campground host is onsite and available to help you settle in! All campgrounds and day-use areas located along the Salmon River are open, including Spring Bar Campground, which is a fee site and has potable water available. Camp 58 Campground (McComas Meadows) is accessible via the 244 road and provides great camping opportunities this time of year
Several of our most popular trails on the district, including Rapid River Trail, located along the Salmon River, and Johns Creek Trail, located along the South Fork of the Clearwater River, are open. Many other trails located on the Salmon River and South Fork of the Clearwater River are open and offer early season hiking opportunities due to their relatively low elevation.
RED RIVER RANGER DISTRICT: Legget Creek, Newsome, Sing Lee, Crooked River 3 and 4, Five Mile Pond, Orogrande 1 and 2 are open but are lacking some amenities due to recovery from the Williams Fire, Red River, Trapper Creek, are open. Many Forest Service roads on the Red River Ranger District are still closed due to snow.
The Magruder Corridor (Forest Service Road 468) between Elk City, Idaho and Darby, Montana is still not fully open. On the Idaho side you can get to Poet Creek- 25 miles in. On the Montana side you can almost get to Observation point. The Elk City Wagon Rd is due to receive maintenance the first week of July. The road to Wildhorse Lake is open but Buffalo Hump is still inaccessible.
Roads
Road condition reports and road closure notices can be found on our website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/nezperceclearwater/alerts-notices. Construction on highway 12 from the milepost 121.4 to milepost 130.3 may impact travel with delays of up to 30 minutes anticipated during the day. Please contact the Ranger District where you plan to travel for the latest updates on road conditions. Currently, a closure order is in effect for National Forest Service Road (NFSR) 680 is closed from the Forest Service boundary to Sheep Saddle and the JCT with NFSR 681 and NFSR 681 is closed from Sheep Saddle to Swanson Saddle.
Off-highway vehicle users, please note that ATVs and motorcycles driven on National Forest roads and trails are subject to state of Idaho registration laws and requirements. Contact your local motor vehicle department or the state of Idaho Parks and Recreation website (http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/) for a listing of registration sticker vendors and regulations. Also, please remember that all vehicles classed as UTVs (side-by-sides), regardless of weight or width, are not allowed on forest trails.
More Information
For more information about activities on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, please contact your local Forest Service office or visit our website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/nezperceclearwater. Our website provides information about campgrounds, road and trail conditions, and contact information for your local Forest Service office.
Trail Conditions Reports: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nezperceclearwater/home/?cid=fseprd506117
Alerts & Notices, including Road Conditions: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/nezperceclearwater/alerts-notices
Contact Information for Local Offices: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nezperceclearwater/about-forest/offices