Cootermaroos and You: Blue Jay Canyon Campsites, Idaho

What it is

A number of campsites sprinkled along Pass Creek as it winds through Blue Jay Canyon paralleled by National Forest Road 122 off of US 93, with an occasional pit toilet restroom. Pass Creek is accessible from each of the campsites. Tall canyon walls shatter the ground, rising above the creek on either side of the road.

Last Visited:

June of 2022.

Last Reviewed:

June of 2022

Getting there:

As you travel along US 93, turn north onto National Forest Road 122 aka Pass Creek Rd. Drive about six and a half miles to reach the canyon itself, although you’ll find campsites dispersed along the road beginning as soon as you enter Salmon Challis National Forest.

Review:

The campsites sit along Pass Creek as it winds through the canyon. One of the campsites we passed was across the road from a pit toilet. The other six or so campsites which were a few tenths of a mile away from each other would require a walk back along the graveled road to reach the facilities, (or you could also make use of the natural facilities all around you.)

There is a picnic table and a fire ring at each site. In the area we were camping, the cows had also made profitable use of the land leaving behind there own natural fertilizer at regular—but not too dense—intervals. There are no tent pads, but we found it easy enough to locate patches of level-enough unrocky ground to place our tents. (Given, my partner and I placed our tent across the road from the one occupied by the kids. Which bring us to the road.)

The road had a lot more traffic on a Friday night than I would have usually expected given the somewhat remote location, (probably a car every 15 minutes or so for two hours as the sun set behind the cliff walls.). We were careful to make sure the kids knew about the traffic. We were also careful to make sure we had the dog—who was off-lead—away from the road before each car arrived. The canyon acoustics were very helpful in this regard, allowing us to hear cars well before they reached our little section of road. We had to pay attention though.

As it burbles along, Pass Creek provides peaceful white noise for sleeping. We were able to leave the rain-fly off so we could watch the stars above the canyon. A few more cars cruised up and down the road as we slept, but only a few more cars, not enough to impact our snoozing in any significant way.

All in all, this was a great campsite we stubmled onto after finding the nearby Mackay Reservoir and Lost River campgrounds too full for our taste.

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