Wilderness Gateway Campground

We have stayed here twice and we have enjoyed it both times. Lots of sites with access to community water and trash. In the B loop there is also a flush restroom. We stayed in B10 and reserved the site online for $50 for three nights in the end of July 2023. The site had decent shade in the morning and later evening but none from noon to 5. There is a lot of greenery, but access to the fire pit and table was not direct and this we didn’t use it. Site B8 appears the be the best site for shade, privacy and access to fire pit and table with a secluded tent pad as well. Our 20’ trailer and truck fit perfectly in the spot. Lots of access to trailer and the beautiful Lochsa river.

We had plans to stay at another campground, but when we pulled in, we decided our 43’ Momentum wouldn’t fit. Wilderness Gateway Campground was a perfect Plan B for us. This campground had several loops. Loop A and B had many sites for big rigs. Loop A was closed for some reason, but there were very few other campers in Loop B. The other loops were for smaller rigs and tents. Another area was for horse trailers. This campground was all dry camping, very quiet, and had easy access. Dump site on scene. The drive along Scenic Highway 12 is fine for big rigs, something I was worried about. This is such a beautiful area of the country. Not a lot in the area for groceries, fuel, etc., so load up before you arrive. No cell service in the area, anywhere.

There is water available throughout the camp, but if you want to fill your RV tanks, do so at the Dump on your way into the campground. Make sure you are prepared for a wilderness stay, as supplies and fuel is an hour away (one way). There is a lot of trails available for exploring and vault toilets. The only negative I have is there isn't any cell service.

Our primary stop for the night being full, BLM site in Orofino, we kept going up US-12. This FS campground was nice dry camping near the river. Few campers except for the rafter and kayakers. Sites are paved and level. Water spigots had signs that water had not been tested and should be boiled. Being spring, no bugs yet. Good privacy in most of the sites.

Started in B3 but it was hot in early September so moved to a non-reservable site that was shady. There is a hike from campground to Stanley Hot Springs. The trailhead can get busy with outfitters and horses but is easily accessible from you site. Loop A was closed when I was there. Loop D is for horse people but I did see a camper without horses. Due to COVID, the historic ranger station was closed.

I stayed here for 2 nights in the second week of June. Very quiet campground. It is in the forest with heavy understory. The brush helps provide some privacy but also makes it feel a little claustrophobic. There are 4 loops -- A, B, C, D. All have paved roads and sites. Loop A was closed. Loop B has lots of spaces that look large enough for trailers up to 30 ft or so. Loop B is not along the river. I stayed in loop C, which is along the river but it only has a few sites that are right on the river. Most of the spaces look wide enough for 2 vehicles but are not very deep. I had no trouble putting my 20 ft trailer in there, but longer than 25 ft would be iffy except for the 3-4 sites at the very end of the loop. Many of the sites do not have tent pads. At the time I was there, there were still some signs saying the water system was out, but most of the taps that I checked were working. Vault toilets were clean. Note to tent campers: many of the sites do NOT have a tent pad or even space where a tent would fit, and the brush is so thick that you can't tuck into a spot. Best to check before you select a site. Loop D is for people with horses. For hikers, there are trail heads in the campground and across the road. For kayakers, there's access to the Lochsa River. Overall, it's a quiet, pretty campground. I gave 3 stars due to heavy brush and lack of sites with tent pads.

I had passed through this camp before without staying as there was a large event (wedding reception) being held at the group picnic pavilion and it was quite noisy. The camp and area, in general, was beautiful so I knew I wanted to return someday.
I made reservations for the 4th of July holiday expecting that camp would be full early in the day but when I arrived mid-afternoon camp was nearly deserted. Most of the sites did eventually fill up but I think the long drive to get here limited the number of campers trekking out this far. Riverside sites filled up first. Also, loop A was closed for some reason so camping was limited to loops B and C.
Loop C is mainly smaller sites. All back in, double-wide paved parking pads. An R-Pod type camper would be fairly comfortable in this loop. A few sites can accommodate larger rigs - someone had managed to shoehorn a 25' fifth wheel with two sliders into a site but every side of the trailer was pushing against the trees and brush and their truck was partially blocking the camp road. Loops A and B have larger sites, some pull through. Loop D has large sites as well but is meant for campers with stock animals heading into the backcountry trails. According to the camp hosts, they do allow regular campers in D for a short stay if nothing else is available. A and B also have flush toilets while C and D have vault toilets. The camp maps available online show a toilet next to site C17 but it has since been moved across the road between sites 18 and 20. Water taps and trash dumpsters are available at several locations throughout the camp. There is an RV dump station located near the entrance as well, not sure if there is a fee charged for this.
The sites in C are fairly private thanks to the huge amount of brush and undergrowth in the forest. My table and fire ring at C17 were almost completely hidden from the road. And my rig was in the shade all day as well which was a welcome bonus. I'm glad I didn't need to use the tent pad as it was located about 50 yards back in the trees and would have been an interesting trek getting back there in the dark.
There are several hiking trails and nature trails in the area if you like to take short hikes during the day. I ventured into the birding trail located just behind the camp. I don't think many folks bother to come back here and I eventually took a shortcut back to camp as the trail was so overgrown. Fishing and boating along the Lochsa River are quite popular as well.
Even though the camp is right next to the highway there is little noise from the passing traffic. Boulder Creek joins up with the Lochsa and the noise of the water drowns out most of the highway (and camp) noise. Lastly, and most importantly, no mosquitoes! Very few bugs in general here during my stay

We stayed here back in 2016 while en route to Glacier National Park. We had researched in advance the campgrounds along the Lochsa that we could fit our fifth wheel in and this is one that was recommended. There is plenty of room to pull in and out. The campground is quiet, but then we were there in September, a generally slow travel month.

This campground is beautiful, the area is gorgeous and the privacy lovely. We spent one night here in June as we traversed this section of Idaho. Now that we know how amazing it is, you can be sure that we will be returning for a week-long trip in the future. This is dry camping at a reasonable rate. $2 extra a night if you have an extra vehicle. We pulled in on the fly and had many sights to choose from. Our initial plan was to boondocks on the Lochsa river, however the site we were scouting was a bit crowded for our taste...so this was a fabulous Plan B. We even scored a shaded and private pull-through site! Absolutely gorgeous camping in June.