John Blue Canyon Dispersed Camping

The reservoir is seasonally low right now in early June so only the main channel of the Bighorn River exists. The rest is a beautiful, wide plain of green grass. So, so quiet.

Our spot about 2 miles in looks like it was used as a party spot on a couple of nights. I picked up 5 bags of broken and intact beer bottles that some terrible people had chucked in every direction on top and down the hillsides. Countless bits of broken glass exist everywhere else on the hilltop. There were also a couple areas with lots of nails where ne'er-do-wells burned pallets, but those were easy to avoid. Bring some extra little trash bags with you so we can clean up after these slobs and keep these beautiful spots open.

By the way, if you happen to see the old campground circle just north of the boat launch in the satellite imagery, don't bother. It's overgrown and pretty much unusable.

This was an unexpected gem to find! Although the sign at the entrance says John Blue Canyon 2.7 miles, the dispersed camping sites are between the entrance and about the 2 mile marker if you are towing a rig. Further than that and you'll find no place to turn around. Sites are along the lake. Lots of sun for solar. Lovell RV camp in Lovell has free overnight camping with a free dump station and both potable and non potable water you can use.

We stayed here in September when the California fire smoke was heavy in the area, so the views were not as they should have been, but we still enjoyed our stay while hiking in the Bighorns. There were very few campers around so we had our choice of spots along the reservoir. We had a large herd of antelope nearby every morning and evening.

This place is gorgeous, has plenty of space and is easy to access. Very level, too! It’s probably fine on a windy or rainy day.

But at 7pm on a warm, windless evening — more mosquitoes than I have ever seen in my life. They’re so thick that the whole area has a high-pitched background ambience from their wings. Be prepared to cower indoors if you arrive in similar conditions.

Fourth of July week, had been staying at Horseshoe Bend Campground. By July 3rd every spot that did not have electric had a generator running! So we went on a quest to find this boondocking site that was peaceful, quiet, great view of the lake, and no generator noise! Large flat camping spots. Campfire rings. Access Road is a little bumpy but no problem. Large, flat camping sites are spread apart nicely with lovely sites right at the edge of the lake. Boat ramp accessibility. We are in a 36-foot Outdoors RV trailer pulled by a Chevy Silverado Duramax. We have had no hookups for 9 days. We were able to dump and refill with water at Horseshoe Bend. Due to the fact that we are loaded with two solar panels and inverters that sustain us with no generator noise, we love the quiet that boondocking spots such as these offer! **People... We live in the twenty-first century...load your RVs up with solar and inverters and stop with the generator noise pollution!