Free Camp Guide
Aerial view of Tin Cup Campground

Idaho Salmon-Challis National Forest

Tin Cup Campground

Free to campSet campsiteNo waterToiletRough road
Free to camp The Forest Service record for this site says there is no charge to camp, as of August 2026. Records get old, so look for a sign when you pull in.

About this place

Thirteen campsites on Loon Creek, at the edge of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring.

There is a vault toilet.

A trail runs from the campground into the wilderness. There are stock loading facilities outside the campground, though horses are not allowed inside it at all.

Other trailheads sit at Indian Springs, Rat Creek, China Creek, Mayfield Creek and Monte Cristo, and you can make loop walks to Indian Springs and Rat Creek.

People walk here. They ride, picnic and watch wildlife.

The facts

Cost
Free to camp
Roads around it
Not maintained for ordinary cars
Drinking water
No, bring your own
Toilet
Yes
Type
Specific campsite
Managed by
Salmon-Challis National Forest

The roads around this place are not maintained for a regular car. That comes from the US Forest Service, who grade every road by the kind of vehicle it is looked after for. Those records cover the roads nearby. They do not cover the last stretch in to the campsite, and nobody has checked that part. Treat this as a warning. We are not promising what you will find when you get there. If you have driven it, tell us what it was like and we will say so here.

Getting there

Coordinates 44.597548, -114.813671

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

Nothing nationally famous is close. These are the landmarks nearby.

Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.

Nearest town and supplies

Salmon is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.

Have you been here?

Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.

Add road notes for this site

The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.

Where this information comes from

The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Forest Service’s own records, read in August 2026.