Kelly Creek Camp

Closed — Closed for winter. Access roads are typically impassable from November through early July due to snow. Hoodoo Pass rises to 6,000 feet elevation and becomes snow-covered during winter months.

About

Kelly Creek Camp is a dispersed camping area located along Kelly Creek in a remote section of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in north-central Idaho. This primitive camping area sits in heavily wooded terrain beside a mountain stream, offering visitors a true wilderness experience. The area is renowned among anglers as one of Idaho's best-kept fly fishing secrets, where wild west-slope cutthroat trout thrive in the pristine waters. The Kelly Creek area serves as a trailhead for two significant trails. Little Moose Ridge Trail #760 rolls from saddle to peak following a ridgeline for 9 miles to connector trails, while Kelly Creek Trail #567 follows Kelly Creek and its tributaries for 22.5 miles with an easy grade through scenic meadows before climbing steeply in the last 3 miles toward the Bitterroot Divide. The remote location truly provides a place where visitors can feel like they have the river and surrounding wilderness all to themselves. This is a pack-it-in, pack-it-out location with no facilities whatsoever. Campers must be entirely self-sufficient and prepared for primitive camping conditions. The nearest developed camping is at Kelly Forks Campground at the confluence of Kelly Creek and the North Fork of the Clearwater River. Access is via Forest Service roads that are typically impassable from November through early July due to snow, particularly at Hoodoo Pass which rises to 6,000 feet elevation.

Directions

From Pierce, ID, take State Route 11 south 0.4 miles to French Mountain Road. Turn left onto French Mountain Road and go 0.4 miles to Kelly Creek sign (Forest Route 250). Continue straight on Route 250 for 47.6 miles to Kelly Creek campground sign (Forest Route 255). Continue straight on Route 255 for 0.2 miles to the campground.

Nearby Campgrounds