Bootjack Dispersed Camping
Dept. Fish & Wildlife
Write a Review Bootjack Dr. Island Park, ID 83429 208-525-7290 Official WebsiteGPS: 44.5781, -111.3406
Overview of Bootjack Dispersed Camping
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by CaraOstara on 7/27/2023
Longest RV Reported: 50 feet (Class C)
Reported by WheelsUnhitched on 6/28/2021
Pad Type grass
Open Seasonally Yes
Elevation 6,463 ft / 1,969 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Bootjack Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 208-525-7290
Boondachshunds asked on 5/26/2023
Hows the access right now with all the rain? Appreciate any input!
Reviews of Bootjack Dispersed Camping 34 people have reviewed this location.
“Found big rig friendly spaces, decent main road, COWS!!”
Reviewed 7/27/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 12 |
Site Number: | 0 |
RV Length: | 38' (Class A) |
We full time RV in a 38 ft Class A motorhome towing a car. We set up camp close to the Starlight Glamping area which was closer to the dirt road but as far as we felt comfort driving into this location. We were able to work full time with Starlink. We would not have been able to work here without Starlink. We pulled in on a Sunday morn... more
We full time RV in a 38 ft Class A motorhome towing a car. We set up camp close to the Starlight Glamping area which was closer to the dirt road but as far as we felt comfort driving into this location. We were able to work full time with Starlink. We would not have been able to work here without Starlink. We pulled in on a Sunday morning at 10AM and had no trouble finding a site. We left on a Thursday evening and it was the emptiest we had seen the place.
Positives
-Within 30 minutes of West Yellowstone Entrance and a hour from Old Faithful
-Open spaces for solar and starlink to work.
-And could find shade in trees to cool off.
-Large enough area for big rigs to find space to spread out.
-big rigs tended to stay closest to dirt road and out of forest. Due to rough and rutted hard packed dirt roads past that.
-Short walking access to river, we cooled off in it with the cows a few times.
-Also, free water fill up 7 miles down the road towards Yellowstone. Bear activity on 7/25/23.
-During our 12 days here we had two other rigs parked within eye site of us. Other than that this spot wasn’t as packed or crazy as other previous campers made it sound.
Negative/Things to think about
-Close enough to road to hear road traffic 24/7.
-Takes some creativity to get big rigs level.
-Cows, Cows, and Cows! During our visit a rancher had their cows in this area. Most rigs tried to build make shift fences around their slide outs as the cows are not shy. We ended up with a dent in our slide out where a cow leaned against it. It was small but other rigs left early due to the friendly cows and cow poop everywhere.
-bring some bug spray for mosquitoes, lots of flies, and spiders.
-The weekends bring ATVs and all off road toys out here.
When visiting west Yellowstone again we would camp here.
Hint: before we pulled into this spot we camped 1 night at the rv park up the road. Camping close to this spot the day before gave us the ability to scout out this spot in our tow vehicle and scout out potential parking spots a day before we brought the rig over. Plus we dumped, did water fill up, laundry, etc before boondocking for 2 weeks.
CaraOstara would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Location, Not Such Great Company (cows)”
Reviewed 7/24/2023
Days stayed: | 7 |
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RV Length: | 45' (Class C) |
As the previous review stated, the herds of cows were not shy about approaching. They damaged another persons basement door just down the way from us. While it was a great location to explore from, because of the cows, and potential damage, after a few nights we moved to a different location.
CindyM would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Stay again? Well.. it depends. ”
Reviewed 7/7/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Bootjack Drive (on the map it's Drive, not Road) is an immediate right turn off Red Rock Pass Road (Forest Road 053) from Highway 20 and over the cattle guards. If you drive down Bootjack Drive with your MH or a trailer in tow, don't worry, there's a turn around at the end. It's quite a small circle but I made it (going on the grass) w... more
Bootjack Drive (on the map it's Drive, not Road) is an immediate right turn off Red Rock Pass Road (Forest Road 053) from Highway 20 and over the cattle guards. If you drive down Bootjack Drive with your MH or a trailer in tow, don't worry, there's a turn around at the end. It's quite a small circle but I made it (going on the grass) with my 40 ft and car in tow. Just go slow. Bootjack Drive, itself, is an excellent road... I walked it to get my car after I set my MH up and it appears to actually be asphalt under all the dirt.
Speaking of cattle.... at least 150 - 200 head. They just keep grazing in a circle and are not concerned with my motorhome; they just eat around it. They do not like it if I have the generator on because of the exhaust so I keep it off until they've moved on. If you don't like cows, don't come here. They free roam constantly and go everywhere (that includes pooping).
UPDATED TO ADD: the cows have absolutely no qualms about bumping your RV. My 40 footer was moving and I looked out and they were pushing against it to get to the grass under it. I just opened the window and shooed them away before they could hurt anything. A lighter vehicle could possibly be overturned depending on how many wanted to get the grass under it. Just be forewarned.
i had also had my door open for my cats and noticed the door was closing and there was no wind. I got up to look and, sure enough, a cow was pushing the door closed trying to get to grass under my steps. If she had been pushing it the other way she could have done permanent damage and/or ripped it right off the hinges. I'm not saying don't come to Bootjack, I'm just saying that if you do, be vigilant.
Camping.... well.. the place was packed and I arrived on the Tuesday afternoon following the 4th of July figuring most campers would be leaving to get back to work on Wednesday morning. Not so, apparently. It seems that the vast majority of folks here are pretty permanently camped. Don't see a lot of people around at all but there are practically zero open spots. I think they leave their campers in place all the time because I've only seen 2 people leave in the 4 days I've been here and, again, the place is packed. There should be at least one family/camper leaving per day and it's not happening.
Now.... there could be another reason for that but I'm not sure..... all the off-shoot roads from Bootjack (camping spots are only on the left side of the road - further away from Hwy 20) are so messed up... I left my MH at the front (huge, huge lot to unhook and scout) and even with my 2020 jeep, trying to get up those roads was like straddling the grand canyon. EVERY SINGLE ROAD. There is no way I was going to take my MH up any of those roads. I didn't even go that far with my jeep because I knew it wasn't going to happen. The ditches in the roads are easily more than a foot deep. I'm not even sure a high clearance vehicle (outside of an ATV) should attempt it. Straddling works but do you really want to try and pull a trailer up there? Motorhomes - absolutely DO NOT TRY.
That said, let me tell you where you can access a spot for a MH but I can't promise the spots will be empty when you arrive (refer to Paragraph 3 above). From the Google Earth screen shot below: the spots where a MH should be able to get in (because there were/are some there now) are marked in order as you drive down the road (not by which is the best or worst). Blue is the first available, Yellow, then Red, then Green. On the map it's hard to tell which is which because the words overlay.
Anyway. there was a big schoolie on the blue spot. You can see this from the cow guards if the spot is empty or not.
The yellow spot had 2 rather large 5th wheels on it. They had separate trailers and ATV's so there should be plenty of room for a motorhome or two if there are two traveling together.
The red spot is the one I took. There is NO FIRE RING but it appeared that the grass was lower in this spot than in the rest of the "field" so I figured it would be ok. I backed in on the left side of the not entirely well traveled dirt road so that my door side is facing Bootjack and Hwy 20. This spot was exceptionally level right away. I still put some wood under my levelers because it's just grass and dirt and I wanted something more substantial under them. I did have to relevel a bit the morning after my first night but nothing major.
The green spot has room for 3 RV's.... there is a MH sitting on the right at the top of the "road" and then inside the wooded area, facing the motorhome, are 2 largish fifth wheels. One of those was driven out the other day and then returned (likely went to dump the tanks). Haven't seen anybody else over there at all before or since.
The white spot would be he last one that I believe a MH could get to although I didn't check the road as well as the others because there were people up there in a 5th wheel.
Aside from those spots, NOTHING ELSE IS ACCESSABLE to a MH. There's a beautiful spot alongside the creek down the hill on the right where the top of the white "balloon" is but there's no way to get to it because the road is washed out and rutted very deeply. It was rough in the jeep.
If the state were to fix the roads in here a lot more people could camp here. it's a great spot. about 17 miles to West Yellowstone and the west entrance to the park. Dump station is down at Last Chance and it's excellent (I did leave a review).
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Extreme Crowding”
Reviewed 6/20/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
RV Length: | 30' (Travel Trailer) |
Verizon speeds were 54 Mbps download and 14 Mbps upload with a roof mounted Pepwave antenna. This was the most overcrowded boondocking spot we've been to of the dozens of units of public land we've been to. It was absolutely packed with very few spots remaining on a Tuesday evening. It's a fairly small boondocking area for how popul... more
Verizon speeds were 54 Mbps download and 14 Mbps upload with a roof mounted Pepwave antenna.
This was the most overcrowded boondocking spot we've been to of the dozens of units of public land we've been to. It was absolutely packed with very few spots remaining on a Tuesday evening. It's a fairly small boondocking area for how popular it seems to be.
One group had the gall to "claim" an entire field for a family event without actually parking in the area being "claimed". That wasn't super fun after a long travel day as the sun was going down.
The access road is in bad shape with deep potholes and rutting. The ruts get deeper the farther down the road you go. The road next to Starlight Retreat has a ~2-3 foot deep rut on the edge that would get any trailer stuck if you aren't careful. There are some scraping trees as well. With all the rain, it was fairly muddy and we had to use 4WD to avoid wheel slippage.
Do yourself a favor and scout some of the other boondocking areas in the vicinity that have more room.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice Spot”
Reviewed 5/29/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 6 |
We stayed for 6 days, found a nice sized clearing on the left, was pretty level, we had good solar and starlink reception. The only problem we had was with a large group that stayed close to the front of the road, they had lots of dirt bikes, dune buggies and 4X4. They road donuts around my site, less than 5-6 feet from our trailer, to... more
We stayed for 6 days, found a nice sized clearing on the left, was pretty level, we had good solar and starlink reception. The only problem we had was with a large group that stayed close to the front of the road, they had lots of dirt bikes, dune buggies and 4X4. They road donuts around my site, less than 5-6 feet from our trailer, tore up the grass and ran over a cone we put out to let folks know we have a dog on site, their dogs were off leash and running all over the area barking at people and other dogs. We usually ignore loud people having a good time but this was a bit excess.
We dumped and filled up the dress water tank at Grizzley RV park, outside of Yellowstone, cost $20.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Easy access to Yellowstone”
Reviewed 5/24/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
RV Length: | 16' (Travel Trailer) |
Free camping 20 minutes outside of Yellowstone? I'll take it! Beautiful views of the mountains, plenty of space for big rigs. Snow was fully melting by the time we left 5/19/23.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Was Able To Camp For A Night On The Way To Yellowstone And Enjoyed Some Snow ”
Reviewed 5/6/2023
Days stayed: | 1 |
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Site Number: | 0 |
Enjoyed Some Snow and got some rest before heading to Yellowstone in our cruise America
camper-814054 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 10/16/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 10 |
RV Length: | 34' (Travel Trailer) |
This is a great area for exploring Yellowstone np. Easy access. Road is a little rough but nothing crazy! You don’t have to drive far on the dirt bumpy roads to get to good sites. Not crowded in October but it is very end of the season here id imagine. 20 mins from Yellowstone west entrance. Not the best cell signal but Starlink worked... more
This is a great area for exploring Yellowstone np. Easy access. Road is a little rough but nothing crazy! You don’t have to drive far on the dirt bumpy roads to get to good sites. Not crowded in October but it is very end of the season here id imagine. 20 mins from Yellowstone west entrance. Not the best cell signal but Starlink worked like a charm.
Water spigot at a gas station -
44.45287° N, 111.36082° W
Rv dump (donation) during summer months (closed during fall/winter): 44.35558° N, 111.41230° W
Where we stayed in our 34 ft airstream:
44.5793824, -111.3418899
Better spot - any sized rig:
44.5793101, -111.3427686
Taylor would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Free Spot Near Yellowstone”
Reviewed 8/21/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Easy to find , directions and reviews were spot on.
A little road noise during the day , coyotes at night.
T mobile had 3 bars. Highly recommended
Mark would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great free spot near West Yellowstone ”
Reviewed 8/16/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 11 |
Site Number: | Meadow |
RV Length: | 34' (Fifth Wheel) |
Bootjack Dr. Island Park, ID 44.5781, -111.341 Dept Fish & Wildlife 14 day limit (doesn't seem to be enforced, but seems to be more seasonal campers, not permanent) Verizon 4g/4 bars (no booster) ATT 4g/3 bars No OTA channels Dump & water available at Henry's Lake St. Park Amazon Locker in Idaho Falls Large parking are... more
Bootjack Dr.
Island Park, ID
44.5781, -111.341
Dept Fish & Wildlife
14 day limit (doesn't seem to be enforced, but seems to be more seasonal campers, not permanent)
Verizon 4g/4 bars (no booster)
ATT 4g/3 bars
No OTA channels
Dump & water available at Henry's Lake St. Park
Amazon Locker in Idaho Falls
Large parking area as you exit I20 to Red Rock. visible from the hwy.
Good place to drop a rig & scout out (highly recommended).
Snow plow turnaround at the end of Bootjack Dr, so you can get turned around on that road.
Coordinates lead to the main area off the left on Bootjack Dr.
There are 4 offshoot roads we saw, some going way back, but most people were parked fairly close to the tree line, or just in front of them for solar.
Use Google satellite and then scout them out as the roads can get pretty rutted the further in you go.
This area gets pretty full in season, but we still found a spot pretty easily, and an even better spot down in a meadow by a creek (we needed sun for solar) with the help of a neighbor.
CAUTION: if you park down by the creek, watch the weather. It can get a bit mushy in spots, and the road in/out can rut out.
This is a local ATV & Fishing hole.
There will be traffic. Had a few joy riders on a Friday night, but everyone else great.
If you park by the creek, you will have fisherman coming down to fish. They were fun to talk to, and we never felt unsafe. Just be aware this IS a public area, and the local public uses it regularly. If you don't want people passing through to the creek, the meadow area might not be for you.
Wild West Pizza, Firehole BBQ, Old Town Cafe our favorites in W.Yellowstone,
Cafe Sabor in Island Park.
Groceries & Supplies are at tourist prices, come stocked if you don't want to pay them.
We loved this spot. Peaceful, friendly neighbors, cows across the creek on private land, and Moose in the creek 3 days, easy access to Yellowstone, and free. Mid 80's high, mid to low 50's at night. We did have rain, and even some pea sized hail, but mostly just gorgeous days & nights.
This one is on the 'return to' list.
RTBGirl would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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