John Blue Canyon Dispersed Camping

You have two options here… Stay in your air-conditioned camper or stay here in perhaps late October into November otherwise you are part of the insect food chain.

This place is pretty cool close to town but this area is very hot in the summer with no shade. The area where the pen is located on the map is a 2 Track Rd. off of the main gravel road that is very well-maintained and the two track is fine for Any pick up truck van or SUV that isn't sitting real low. When you follow the two track a little way you get right by the water and there's a pretty good size landing there is fairly level. On the east side of the well-maintained gravel Road there's a few places you can turn off as well and you will see some areas where you could set up camp. I didn't go to the area by the vault toilet it probably says no camping there but it probably wouldn't matter with a small rig because it's a big parking lot although it's not very level. I see a place on the other side of the paved road where people are driving down with their vehicles you will see it as well I imagine nobody would bother you if you took a van or small rig down there. There's also a large gravel area as soon as you turn off the pavement before the first cattleguard And that's where I stayed.

Fourth of July week, had been staying at Horseshoe Bend Campground. By July 3rd every spot that did not have electric had a generator running! So we went on a quest to find this boondocking site that was peaceful, quiet, great view of the lake, and no generator noise! Large flat camping spots. Campfire rings. Access Road is a little bumpy but no problem. Large, flat camping sites are spread apart nicely with lovely sites right at the edge of the lake. Boat ramp accessibility. We are in a 36-foot Outdoors RV trailer pulled by a Chevy Silverado Duramax. We have had no hookups for 9 days. We were able to dump and refill with water at Horseshoe Bend. Due to the fact that we are loaded with two solar panels and inverters that sustain us with no generator noise, we love the quiet that boondocking spots such as these offer! **People... We live in the twenty-first century...load your RVs up with solar and inverters and stop with the generator noise pollution!

Wanted to add to our previous review, the road goes appx. 2 miles and is very accessible, keep looking towards the lake there are large spots along the road. There is a real nice large spot at about 2 miles.

This place is gorgeous, has plenty of space and is easy to access. Very level, too! It’s probably fine on a windy or rainy day.

But at 7pm on a warm, windless evening — more mosquitoes than I have ever seen in my life. They’re so thick that the whole area has a high-pitched background ambience from their wings. Be prepared to cower indoors if you arrive in similar conditions.

We stayed here in September when the California fire smoke was heavy in the area, so the views were not as they should have been, but we still enjoyed our stay while hiking in the Bighorns. There were very few campers around so we had our choice of spots along the reservoir. We had a large herd of antelope nearby every morning and evening.

This was an unexpected gem to find! Although the sign at the entrance says John Blue Canyon 2.7 miles, the dispersed camping sites are between the entrance and about the 2 mile marker if you are towing a rig. Further than that and you'll find no place to turn around. Sites are along the lake. Lots of sun for solar. Lovell RV camp in Lovell has free overnight camping with a free dump station and both potable and non potable water you can use.

The reservoir is seasonally low right now in early June so only the main channel of the Bighorn River exists. The rest is a beautiful, wide plain of green grass. So, so quiet.

Our spot about 2 miles in looks like it was used as a party spot on a couple of nights. I picked up 5 bags of broken and intact beer bottles that some terrible people had chucked in every direction on top and down the hillsides. Countless bits of broken glass exist everywhere else on the hilltop. There were also a couple areas with lots of nails where ne'er-do-wells burned pallets, but those were easy to avoid. Bring some extra little trash bags with you so we can clean up after these slobs and keep these beautiful spots open.

By the way, if you happen to see the old campground circle just north of the boat launch in the satellite imagery, don't bother. It's overgrown and pretty much unusable.

Several great spots all along John Blue Road. Most are big rig friendly if you stay within the first two miles. Pretty much any track to the left will take you to a great flat site with a beautiful view of the lake. The gravel road in is in good shape. No amenities, but peaceful. A bit of road noise from the causeway but nothing bad.

What a great Campendium find. Easy access on a well maintained gravel road just a short distance from the highway, with a pit toilet at the old boat ramp parking lot. Views of the Beartooth, Pryor, and Bighorn mountains, with only a few other campers that were at least 1/4 mile away. The only downside is no shade - this would not be my first choice in July or August, but it was perfect in May