WILDERNESS GATEWAY

It is a great place for camping but might be not for swimming because the clear river is not deep enough. However, you still need a swimming shoes because there are a lot of rocks on the river bottom.

Large, relatively private campground. You can hear the Lochsa River throughout the campground which is nice. There is a really nice pavilion, too.

We dry camp in a 22' van. One of our favorite "local" places. Several back-in sites are only a few steps from the river. Pull through sites exist. They're paved and flat and far enough from highway 12 across the river that traffic isn't audible, except for Harleys. There's 20-30' of woods and brush between the sites for privacy. There are short trails for effortless strolling and trail heads for overnight treks. $14.00/night (1/2 that for golden age pass) with a 14 day limit. Pit toilets, and public faucets for water. It's over an hours drive in either direction to civilization so come prepared. Site reservation is available. Lots of birds to watch and fish to catch.

Camped there in July 2016. Sites are generally large and private. Loop B and the end turnaround of Loop C attracts RV's. Loop B has flush toilets, Loop C vault. The campground was quiet and could hear road noise but it was not bothersome.

Shouldn't say drinking water is available if it has to be boiled/filtered. I was traveling light via bike and planning on refilling here but didn't carry anything to purify water. If it wasn't for Lochsa Lodge I would've gotten pretty dehydrated on my way to Missoula