Dunn Creek Flats Campground

What a nice surprise this campground was. A lot of sites located right on the river. Water available and generators are allowed. We went to the visitors center at the Libby Dam to use their Wi-Fi to pay a few bills on line! The staff is very friendly, As we initially pulled in, 2 bald eagles flew overhead! You are totally off the grid here. No cell service, radio stations or tv stations! The town of Libby is about 14 miles away! We did our laundry in town. We were able to see the milky way at night! We left within 30 minutes after we noticed that the canyon filled up with smoke! (false alarm!)

We were trying to get to Blackwell Flats but got on Hwy. 37 and ended up in Dunn Creek. It was a Friday so we got there about 8:30 a.m. since this is strictly FCFS. About half the sites were already taken but we found a few that worked for our 34' trailer and the truck, too. Most sites are large pull throughs, and many are right above the Kootenai River. These sites are spaced very far apart with a big meadow in the middle. It was hot so we chose one with trees for shade. Being that this is such a beautiful campground and free, we expected people to be rolling in but, no, there were still sites available all weekend. But it was a record-breaking hot weekend, and we are glampers, not serious campers, so we left after one sweltering day and headed for a private campground in Libby so we could have AC. We did go to the Libby Dam Visitors Center, and they have free tours on Fridays and Saturdays. They also have WI-FI and cell service there. None in the campground. We needed relief from the heat so we went to River Bend, a restaurant/bar just a little ways back toward Libby and it was a pretty decent place. Also, Libby, a decent sized town is only 13 miles away. There is some noise from the traffic on the highway but it is negligible in comparison to what you get here for FREE.

Dunn Creek Flats is one of the nicest free campgrounds I've stayed in. The sites are spacious with most being pull-throughs and quite a few are right on the river. There are vault toilets, garbage service, and a hand pump for water. The only downside is that there is no cell service (at least for Verizon and AT&T). For the most part all of the sites are in the sun, though it looks like two might get some shade. If you come through this area know that there are three other nearby COE campgrounds. Blackwell Flats is a decent sized campground. Possibly less well known are two spots with two campsites each. One is directly below the dam in the area called "downstream" and the other is on the NW side of the river a mile or so below the dam called "Alexander Creek." There is a COE brochure listing these two spots posted on the bulletin board at the Dunn Creek Flats Campground or https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Locks-and-Dams/Libby-Dam/Recreation/

So we spent two night here the last week of june.. weather was nice,, highs in the upper 80's and nights were cool which made sleeping nice.. (no need for ac)

the other reviews give good info.. just wanted to add on the water pump, (manual pump) the TDS was at 60 and the taste was good.. we full 2 - 5 gallon containers to take with..

There are several other COE camping places in the are.. you can go to the dam and get a nice view up the road on the left,, or turn at the sign with " Administration " on it and go to bottom and over bridge to welcome center up the road..

Got to talking with one of the COE guys that handle the outside maintenance of the area and he was telling me the Worlds largest rainbow trout was caught just past the bridge several years ago.. they maintain water temps at certain levels for trout and sturgeon downstream and produce power as well.

THE FOLLOWING IS NOT ADVISED FOR BIG RIG(or any rig) UNLESS YOU ARE GOOD AT BACKING and have sense of adventure.!.

If you are heading to Kalispell there is a "backway" that avoids the trip back to Libby to hwy 2.. When you come back down the road to the bridge you crossed coming from town,, look to the left and see Fisher Creek Rd. This will take you through some nice backcountry areas on this NF road. it is paved but can be a bit bumpy at times,, we ran like 35 to 40 MPH with no issues.. If you use GPS not on a cell phone you are good..

be sure to watch for Info SIGN on left when you get down where the RR track are beside the road, for a turn to the right..(HWY 2→) it show up as NF 763 on google maps.

Some ways down there is a fork in the road,, stay to the left on NF 535 (Mckillop Creek Rd) there is a section where the road gets narrow and no space to pass but we did not have any issues with log trucks at all. IF you have a CB they run channel 22, (more cars on the first part and none from the right turn on to hwy 2.

We did see some deer and a bear for a brief moment along the way..

you get to hwy 2 around Loon Lake.. enjoy the ride and view. ( this is at your own risk)

or go back to libby on hwy 37 and hit hwy 2 there easy peisey..

It was a lovely site. Only 13 sites in this campground about half of which give you some sort of waterfront access or view. Lots of space between sites. They do have a dock and a boat launch as well. Park rangers came around daily until The end of the Labor Day weekend. Clean vault toilet. Stayed for eight days and thoroughly enjoyed! There is a tad bit of traffic noise from across the river but calms down in the evening.

Fire pit, spread way out from neighbors, right on the river (our spot did have a precarious trail down to it), just perfect for the price! There's this massive field in the middle spreading out all the sites and in between the sites along the river there is tons of room. Bushes along the river and swimming access at our site at least. Manual pump water too!

Clean and quiet free site! 13 sites with room between each. Not much to do in the area unless you have a boat/kayak or like to fish. Trash cans, pit toilets, basketball net, boat launch, water pump. Tested water-yum! Saw some osprey over the water. Not much for shade except for site 1 and the sire near the water pump. Paved road coming in.