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Visited in October but did not stay the night. We did check out the 4 campsites located along the creek and 2 at the Current River where the creek enters. The signage states there is no fee to spend the night at the primitive class sites until Springtime. The field across from camp attracts wild horses since the govt feeds them hay there in the winter time. The negatives are no cell signal at the camp. Must go approximately one half up the 2 mile gravel road to get a signal.
Time frame: We camped early August Tuesday-Thursday.
Our experience was awesome. Each camp site is a decent size, and we were 1 of 2 families camped there during our time. There is a creek with direct access to the river (50 yards down) directly behind our camp site. The river was really only busy for a short time during late afternoon, as the floaters passed through. All in all, our time there was very peaceful and relaxing.
The wild horses came through the pasture at the front of the site every day we were there. Once they began to come through the campground, but were pushed off by the other family looking to try to pet them. We were told that this isn't a guarantee and that we got lucky. We enjoyed walking to the edge of the pasture and enjoying them from a distance.
Traffic:
It is Pocatello deep in a local traffic area, however, its worth mentioning that there were quite a few people that come by to fish and just mill around the river area during the day. I would for sure make sure to secure belongings if leaving the site for any period. We had no issue with anyone though, and they were reapectful of camp sites.
Facilities:
There is an outbuilding there as well, which is great, but when the wind hits right, it gets overpowering pretty quick. That would probably be the worst thing about the whole area (but worth it for the girls to have that amenity).
The area is remote enough that there is quite a bit of wildlife activity after dark. We had families of raccoons that continually tried to get at food and trash throughout the night. We brought sealable containers and put them up at night. We put the trash on the hood of the truck and had no problems with them actually getting into anything.
There is no trash service or bin in the area at all, so be prepared to bring out everything you bring in.
Firewood is scarce, so it would be wise to bring that in as well. They sell it in town.
We were not disappointed at all, loved our time there, and will for sure go back!
Great place to see the wild horses who usually hang out here if they aren't across the river. Please give them space like any creature and don't feed
Shawnee Creek that runs alongside the campground is a great place for the little ones to be able to get into the shallow water and find minnows, crawdads etc
Also a great spot to stargaze out in the fields at night it's a pretty dark area with a wide field of view.
The small campground has seasonally open toilets and has quiet abit of availability in the off-season if you want a spot by yourself. It's a good place to check.
During tourist season it can be busy and during peak gigging season it gets alot of traffic. Check this place out in the from November - April for some solitude or a handy place to camp on the river if doing an overnight float and you want to get up off the gravel bar and have a chance to see the wild horses.
I sought out the location of where the wild horses herd was, because my late wife went there a year ago and said she loved it. Why I didn't go, remains a mystery. She passed away on May 15th 2022 from Cancer...But because she was an equestrian horse trainer, and taught me everything I know about horses, and she loved it so much, I felt that her spirit would want me to put her ashes there among the horses. I found a quiet place near the creek that I felt was a good place and put her ashes to rest, and now her spirit will run with the horses. 🙏❤️⭐️
We arrived on a Thursday night & it was nice and peaceful. There were two other groups at the time & they were both respectful. Friday everything changed drastically! We came back from a float to discover two new RVs had arrived power by loud generators. At around 10pm a loud group of young adults arrived to party on the gravel bar connected to the creek. They blasted music, set pallets ablaze, and talked extremely loud until a little after 1am. They were not campers so they loudly loaded everything up, took turns reviving their truck engines, bright lighted all the tents, screamed and yelled at each other then peeled out (dramatically).
They also left a lot of trash behind near the creek bed. I was up all night due to the sound of the generators and loud party. I went here to primitive camp but I couldn’t even hear the creek flow that I was camping right by. I highly recommend going on a weekday but avoid during the weekend. We ended up leaving a day early bc it was so bad! No rule or regulations just a free for all. People were coming & going at all hours of the night.
The water on Jacks in this area is also not as nice. The water was merky & had a lot algae. This was huge difference from the the water a few mile up river (between Alley & near bridge). This is the best place to see the wild horses though. Your stay here will either be fantastic or horrible depending on who else shows up. Good luck.
