Free Camping at Palisades Reservoir in Idaho

Stumbling upon a great campsite.

We pulled in late after a day of rock climbing in Salt Lake City. I wasn’t sure if we were in Idaho or Wyoming. It was getting later in the evening and we still had a few hours to go until we reached the Tetons.

I started searching on the side of the road for a place to sleep after several failed attempts at finding a good site. I finally found something I thought would work.

This was the view as soon as we pulled in!

Although a little dark, you get the idea, a dark night with a moonlit lake.

Location: Caribou-Targhee National Forest west of Alpine, Wyoming still in Idaho
Cost: Free
Firewood: Free
Goodtimes: Free
Restrooms: Free

As you can tell, this was a totally free site and I was stoked on that after passing up a bunch of either full or not very great campgrounds. There weren’t many people there which was nice, and it was quiet when we got there. I was able to back up right next to the lake.

We were able to make a fire with drift wood we found on the banks of the lake and we made a nice little meal and watched the lightning storm north of us. It rained all night, and being dry in the camper it was peaceful to hear the raindrops on the top.

The lake was gorgeous, and lined with trees and cabins on one side, and our beach camping area was on the other side.

This was an awesome little spot to catch some sleep, and make some grub. In the morning we packed up the camp gear we used the night before, enjoyed the scenery for a bit then hit the road again.