Six gravel spur roads head north off of the three mile, paved park road to campsites along the shore of Milner Lake. The campsites are all different - some are grouped closely together and some are small single sites; many are rough and well used while others have recently been built. Trees grow along the shoreline but since the sites get southern exposure there isn’t much opportunity for shade. Most of the sites have tables and fire rings. Some have trash cans and there’s a dumpster at the boat ramp parking lot.
The park road intersects with West Milner Road (rough washboard gravel) at both ends. There’s a pay station at each entrance but RVs can only access the west end due to a low railroad underpass at the east end. Internet reviews mention the smell from either feedlots or manure spread on fields. We noticed just a slight odor in the evenings when the wind changed direction.
We camped in site 9 and although we didn’t check out all of the sites we liked this one more than any of the others that we did see. The wide-open view to the west is of lake, sagebrush, and farm fields. Trees on the east side block noise from the other sites and add a lot of privacy. I really enjoyed the parade of birds that came every morning, one after another, to sit on the top of the pyramid-shaped rock and survey their world before beginning their day. Besides all of the rather common birds, we also were visited by a great horned owl that landed in the tree just feet away from our RV.
The campsites are rocky and uneven making access difficult. A paved trail has a small parking area where short RVs will fit. The trail has gentle slopes and is accessible. It follows along a portion of the Oregon Trail. In the right light the ruts can be seen.
Campground 42.52966, -113.99279
The Oregon Trail... I get in places that I like to stop and just look at what they did, 10 miles or so a day. A lot of walking...
ReplyDeleteI was so fascinated with the story of the Oregon Trail when I was a kid. It seemed like a great adventure but now that we've been to so many trail sites I realize how hard it was for them. I think my desire to roam may have started with those stories.
DeleteWe complain about it being TOO HOT, yet those who did the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, California Trail worked hard each day, put up with the heat of day, heat of night when it did not cool off, and storm after storm. True Pioneers.
ReplyDeleteThey were probably pretty happy about this section of the trail - water, lots of grass, and no mountains. The occasional lava outcrops had to be a pain to drag the wagons over though.
DeleteI'm about to cross southern Idaho, so this was a timely and useful report. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good place to stop. It gets busy on the weekends so if you come through on a Friday get there early to get a good site. From Google satellite photos it looks like the ones on the east end of the park are nice too. The sites in the field - forth photo down - are the last to fill.
DeleteLucky you guys to have the owl fly in for a visit!!
ReplyDelete