Camp sites along the river are in the B & C sections only. They allow no camping in the first section due to the inaccessibility for fire fighting equipment.

The camps are primarily first come first serve except for four of them. These four can be reserved through the forest service or on line.
US Forest Service Campground

Big Pine # 1 Camp

Big Pine # 2 Camp

Boot Leg Camp

Trails End Camp

The camps cost $13.00 per night and the register board is at the camp host site at Little Hole. It is a self-service board. By it you can decipher which camps are open the nights you wish to stay, thus you can pick your favorite of the ones open. The reservation board covers just the campsites on the B section of the river (Little Hole to Indian Crossing).

One other rule one must be aware of while camping in any of these camp sites is that you must have a portable potty with you. Even though you may be camping near one of the restrooms recently built near Cottonwood camp and Red Creek Camp.

All sites have tables and a fire ring for your convenience.

There is no legal camping in the Little Hole valley any more. It got to be quite a mess and they couldn’t keep up with it, but there are still pick-nick sites there with tables (Day use).

As we go below Little Hole

One thing to keep in mind when choosing your site, although the first six sites below Little Hole are the most convenient access, due to their lying right along the rivers edge there is a fishermen trail along the river traversing right through the front of these campgrounds.

To reach these nearest sites it is best to walk down the trail to the Terrace Pool. Here you will have to climb over the bluff which rises about 150 feet above the river. When you come down the slope on the downstream side the first camp is about 200 yds. Below.

stationed right on the edge of the river. It is approximately 3/4 of a mile below Little Hole. This is a small campground that is dangerously close to falling into the river because of bank erosion. It is surrounded by junipers so there is cover.

Set back a bit from # 1 it too is a small campsite for just a few people. These first two campsites are not used as much as others just below, however they are near some very good fishing grounds. Slightly up stream is Minnesota flats which is a very good area for hatches and at low water, a very good wadeable stretch. Just below these camps little Mann’s creek comes off the flats above creating a chute of water that holds some very good fish. One other point of notice is an old Mountain Man dugout that is in ruin but you can see remnants of it (Very small).

True to it’s name this is a sandy beach and is a bit larger then the other camps along this stretch. There are several tent pads here making it suitable for a couple of boat loads. This is about a mile below Little Hole. It has a large open area in front to the river but there is tree cover in the back of the camp. It lies right below Mann’s chute.

Boot Leg Camp (north side)

Situated right below Sand Camp it makes a very good partner campsite for more people. It is a smaller camp, but has very good cover, surrounded by pines and backed by a small cliff. This is the most private of the first six campsites.

1 ½ miles below Little Hole. There is a trail from Little Hole that takes off right at the entrance gate wandering up into Goslin canyon and then up onto Mann’s flat. It is an old road built for power lines making a very nice shortcut into the Devils Hole valley below. When this trail comes off the flat it comes right past Cats Paw Camp.

Cats Paw lies right at the end of a ridge of ledges between it and Bootleg upstream. The table of this camp is right under a large Ponderosa next to the river. There is room to move around in. It is open behind this camp, but still a nice location. Fishing out in front is very good. Some nice drops right off the campsite. This site is right at the top of Devils hole valley which contains some of the great fishing runs on the river, including the area around Grasshopper island nestled right in the middle of the valley.

The last of the first six campsites. It is one of the favorites for the hikers. It marks the end of the trees in the valley along the north side of the river. It is situated right on the top end of a backwater of the Marinas Trench hole. As you might expect it is deep. Very good fishing, a lot of cruising fish and a great run coming into the hole. There is a new restroom for hikers using the river in Devils Hole about 50 yards behind this camp.

First camp on the South side of the river making it more of a float-in-camp. It is on river level with large Ponderosa pines leaning over it. The table is in the open. There are two tent pads here in nice spots. The fishing could not be any better. The river has a mild current and is a bit deep to wade here but creates some great dry fly fishing right from the shore. Wading is not necessary. 100 yards above is a great shelf I’ve called the New Zealand bank because of the sight fishing that can be accomplished there. There is also a small backwater just above the camp I named the kiddy pool, because of the numbers of fish feeding on the surface there. Behind the camp is a mild sloping shelf filled with junipers and pinyon pines giving you much hiking and exploring from this camp and the next camp.

A close companion to number 1. It is set on the shelf about 15 feet off the water in a grove of junipers. These two camps are only 50 feet apart. The shelf keeps them separated. This is truly a nice site with a steep trail coming up from a small boat alcove off the river. It is straight across the right channel of Grasshopper island at the top. A great vantage point for viewing fish in the flats above the island, fish can be spotted the entire width of the river.

Another float in site on the South side of the river. Little Jackson creek flows right through this site coming off Diamond Mountain. It has several large Box Elder trees for it's shade. There are three tent pads and two tables here. It is an isolated camp site where you will not be bothered by hikers and any other campsites. It is about 1/2 mile below the Grasshopper sites. There is a run above it named Joe's Hole, after a deceased gentleman who would fish no other spot on the entire river. It is probably the deepest on the river and contains the heaviest population of trout for it's size on the river. Big swirls and backwaters surround this run. They can be fished from shore or in a boat drifting down the middle or back up on either side. It could be called an all day hole. Below Jackson creek is a great riffle created by runoff from the small creek. Several drops make this riffle very good wade fishing.

Another site that is on a hill above the river, although only a few feet. It is not flat except for the tent sites. There are a couple of Ponderosa pines and thick junipers surrounding the site so there is ok shade. One can walk back to the riffle below Jackson Creek Camp for good riffle fishing. It is about 200 yds below Jackson Creek Camp. The water in front of the camp is deep with many fish feeding in the scum lines. It is very good fishing from the boat. You can wander the banks but the back-cast will be in the trees much of the time. Due to the large pool in front of you, one can take a boat across the river giving you very good walking access to points up and down the river on the north side. The terrain downstream on the south side of the river is steep making it a bit more difficult hiking. But there is access all the way, and I've had great fishing along the water in Big Pine below, and you can reach the faster water of Washboard rapids which is exquisite fishing water.

This basically marks the end of the trail, although you can still make it below by climbing up over a ledge that juts into the river.

This camp sits on a small ledge with a small island in front of you. It is also straight across the river from Cicada Camp. The large pool in front of these two camps is wide enough to keep your privacy. There are ponderosa pines here but they do not give much shelter because they lean more over the river. If there is any foot traffic along the river here they must go through your camp. Luckily since this marks the end of the trail and the fact it is getting farther from Little Hole it is not traveled much. When there is a dry fly hatch right in front of this camp can be as fun as anywhere on the river. It would be all sight fishing.

The two Big Pine camps are situated in an alcove of the cliffs behind. They acquired their names from a tremendous Ponderosa pine that dominates these sites. The tables are under the pines, and there are many tent pads for larger numbers. Number 1 is right on the river under the tremendous tree. Another good camp from which you can sit at your table and watch the fish feeding and cruising in the deep pool while eating or resting.

This camp is a very desirable camp for those wishing total privacy from boats. It sets back away from the river a bit. It is at the back of the alcove in a dense grove of Ponderosa, junipers, and pinion pines. Numerous tent pads and much extra room to move around in. A couple tent pads are near the river. And the best part, it is right at the head of Washboard rapids. A great piece of river for wading. The worst part, watch closely for poison Ivy along the edge of this rapid.

Pugmire is in a great spot by itself. It is on the side of the river where there is no foot access, and there is no reason for passing boats to stop here either. You are definitely alone except for passing boats. It is in a very long lake-like run about 300 yds below Washboard rapids and 1/2 mile above Red Creek Rapids. This is another campsite that you use your boat to move up and down river to some ideal fishing. The flow is such that you can row up river. There is excellent fishing along the shore in front of the camp. There will be many fish working at all times in easy casting distance (watch your back cast). You can hike up the edge of the south side of the river from your camp into Washboard, but you cannot hike down stream because of the large boulders blocking your way. There is a small hidden canyon right behind this camp good for hiking . The entire hill or mountain behind this camp is good for climbing for exercise or sight-seeing. There are two camp pads here. And plenty of shade by pines and box elders. Another good site for viewing fish from your table.

This site use to be right at the mouth of Red creek but was washed out by one of the many floods that come down that canyon. They moved it back up the lake-like water of Pugmire about 200 yards to get it away from other floods. There is not much shade here so bring some if this is your campsite of choice. There is good sight fishing in front of this area, and of course the pocket water of Red creek is great fishing. A short walk of 1/2 mile upriver would bring you to a wondrous bit of water at the bottom of Washboard Rapids.

Another large camp sight with two tables and many tent pads. Large ponderosa pines over the site give plenty of shade. One of the new bathrooms from the Forest Service is next to this camp.

There is a beautiful backwater pool holding many fish right in front of this site, and another deep backwater just below about 75 yards called the Brothel because of all the painted lady browns in residence. Wonderful riffle water above and below give plenty of fishing water nearby. You can also slip a boat to the other side giving even more fishing water. This is a very good extended stay site. It is very hard for any hikers to reach this area.

A campsite that is very secluded. It lies about 1 mile below Red Creek on the south side of the river. It is situated on a very narrow shelf back against a steep hill. The foliage is quite thick surrounding this camp with an open front. There is good shade from both trees and the steep hill behind it. There used to be more trees but the beavers got to them one winter and took out some of the better ones but it is still a very good site and definitely a lonely one. A calm pool in front holds some nice cutthroats and there is a small riffle above near a giant square boulder that creates a very nice fishery.

That concludes the sites on section B. there are more down in browns park but all those can be reached by truck. We will talk about them later in another section.