Morgan Bar Campground

What an amazing little find! We were headed up towards Glacier but needed to work for the week and needed to find service along the way.

We headed in on a Friday afternoon mid-June and there was one site open even with 3 sites were closed because of flooding. There were a few after us who turned around but with three more sites open, they likely would have been able to snag a spot Friday. During the week and after all sites were open again, there were consistently 3-4 sites open.

On the entrance sign into the area it states 1/2 price for senior and access pass holders.

As other reviewers mentioned, site 4 is the best site, right on the river. After it opened, we decided not to move though because we needed solar and it would have been tough there for a week. No one ever moved in there though so we could go sit at the picnic table and enjoy the river all week.

Next to site four, there is a gate that you can pass by and take a walk next to the Salmon river for about half a mile. There is also a large field back there so we were able to let the the pup go for a run. No one else was ever back there.

The camp host was nice, his dog still walks around off leash and does bark when we walk by but the dog looks pretty old and didn't try to approach us. BLM comes by about twice a week to check on payments and pick up trash.

And for the service! AT&T - 100 down/8 up with hot spot and just a little mimo antenna on it, Verizon 80 down and 20 up with just a little mimo antenna on it, TMobile 130 down and 25 up on my phone. Even without the mimo antenna, there was plenty of signal. No issues all week.

We camped here in June 2021 in a 40’ Motorhome.

This campsite, and the town of Salmon, stole our hearts last Summer. If we weren’t heading to Glacier on a timetable, we would have stayed longer.

These sites are first come first served. $5 per night with additional vehicles $2 more. As a Motorhome towing a Jeep we didn’t know if we should pay $5 or 7, so we asked the camp host and he said “pay what you can”. Seems like a pretty low-key operation. It’s all dry camping but they do have vault toilets and a water spigot.

We pulled in on a Saturday morning and had the incredible fortune of scoring site #4. Very private, lots of shade, right on the river. Definitely the best spot in our opinion :)

We were able to rent duckies and float from downtown Salmon all the way to our campsite, and the rental company (Idaho Adventures) picked up the boats from us at Morgan Bar. The river ramp/ put-in on site is pretty sweet if you’re planning on water sports.

Plenty of cell signal on Verizon and ATt for work, we were on multiple video calls at a time.

The town of Salmon was so cool. If you’re in the market for a hat be sure to visit Jaxson Built Hats, it’s worth the experience (even if you don’t need a hat honestly).

Here’s a tour of the campsite: https://youtu.be/OuhvIX9vhZE

And nearby Goldbug Hotsprings are amazing if you’re up for a rewarding hike: https://youtu.be/cwCL0xRCjZM

The campground was fine. As others have said- along the river, close to town, well taken care of, and quiet (well, except for the incessant generators that fire up at 7am and finally get shut down well after 10pm).

The 6/27 review says the camp host is as friendly as his dog Lucy, which I originally took as a compliment. But after being razzed by Lucy as we walked the campground, I’m not so sure. We love dogs, but I don’t like feeling that I’m trespassing as the dog is running at you, barking, defending its ground…while the owner (ie the campground host) looks on silently. Perhaps if the dog was on a leash (as the sign says) or at least under voice command, the campground walk or the the walk to the toilets would be more enjoyable.

So I give 5 stars for the campground, less 1 star for generators and less 1 star for feeling threatened by walking through the campground.

BLM has some great campgrounds and Morgan Bar is worth the drive. The campground is small, just 8 sites, but for a pittance ($5 a night) we had a large grassy spot with river access. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Most sites are back-in and several were large enough to accommodate any size rig. A few are right along the river. There are two small boat ramps and a reservable group pavilion with water, bbq grills, and firepit along with a rec area with horseshoe pits. There are pit toilets and potable water with a regular threaded fitting.

The camp host is friendly as is his dog, Lucy, who has the run of the place. If you have a reactive pooch, be aware leashes appear to be completely optional regardless of the signage.

Getting here was a little confusing, since our GPS appeared to be sending us down a private drive. Nope, continue a few miles past the sign warning of “Primitive Road Ahead” and you’ll come to Morgan Bar. The primitive road was well graded and smoother than many of the state highways we drove to get here.

We had 3 bars of Verizon 4G.

Made a plan last night a stuck to it for once....which was to make the short trip north from the Mackay reservoir to Salmon, about 120 miles on Rt. 93....now called the Salmon River scenic byway. Once again an absolutely gorgeous drive. Just mountains after mountains that seem so close you can touch them, and its not that hard of a drive for your rig...bc most of it is in the valleys. Passed thru some interesting little towns, that seemed a little depressed. About halfway, 93 starts to hug the Salmon river and all its twists and turns and through gorges. The town of Salmon is a cool little town and seems pretty vibrant compared to others in the area and there looks like plenty of shops etc to explore. Couldnt find a ton of history on the town, except Lewis and Clark passed thru here and Sacagawea was born very close to here in 1812. So I picked up a sandwich at the Junkyard Bistro, which was very good and a cool little locals bar. After that, drove 7 miles north of Salmon to the Morgan Bar Recreation Site, a camp manged by BLM. A bit more primitive than my last stop, but cool nonetheless. The camp sits right on the Salmon River...aka the river of no return. It's very well known for its salmon and trout fishing. I'm located pretty far east and upstream, but its 425 miles long and meets up with the Snake River in the western part of the state. It is one of the longest rivers in the country that has no dams....so steelheads and sockeye salmon can still naturally spawn from the ocean. I'm trying to spin the classic Chris Farley SNL skit...your going to end up living in a van....down by the river! Well if my rig is the "van" and this is the "river"....ill take it. I'm in spot 4 and I can literally open my door and cast a line (mental note, buy a damn fishing pole!). Birds everywhere, ducks, geese, magpies, sandpipers, and I thought I heard some loons. Absolutely perfect view of the river with I believe the beginning or end of the Bitterroot range in the background...the are called the Beaverhead Mtns. They are just shy of 11k ft. The camp only has 7 sites that are pretty spread out. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Most have their own trash can. No hookups, but there are also vault toilets 🚻 and a group area. There is also a paved boat launch. Site was 5 bucks. First come first served. Only one person here besides the camp host. Somehow the Internet service is screaming here. Full bars for both Verizon and AT&T. No OTA TV at all. Great spot on the river. Must stop for fisherman and bird lovers.

We had originally planned to stay at the free camping area near Salmon, ID but when we got there it was full, so we ended up staying here. Which ended up being the better choice.

For just $5 a night you get to stay in a nice quiet campground with lots of amenities. There are garbage cans at almost every site, there is a spout with potable water next to the boat ramp and the day-use pavilion, and you are camping right next to the Salmon River.

Just an FYI, the camp host said that although the water is potable, they sometimes have a problem with sand getting into it so make sure you use a filter.

The first three campsites are a little close to each other but the other 4 are fairly spread out and more private, a couple are even pull-throughs. There is a tent campsite next to the boat ramp that is more on its own than the others if you are a car camper, it’s also the closest to the vault toilet.

We were there during the week in the end of August and the campground never filled up even with the rodeo coming to town that weekend.

I highly recommend this campground if you are ever passing through Salmon, ID. It’s definitely worth the low price.