The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Coeur d’Alene Field Office has temporarily paused taking reservations through Recreation.gov for overnight camping at the Huckleberry Recreation Site due to site improvement work. Huckleberry Recreation Site is located along the St. Joe River east of St. Maries, in Shoshone County. A construction contract to modernize and upgrade the electrical system will begin on or about May 16, 2023. Construction at the site is expected to last through late summer, impacting the overnight camping season. 

The east side of the Huckleberry Recreation Site will remain available for day use activities, but no overnight camping. Access to the St. Joe River for fishing, camping, and swimming is available on the east side  along with picnic tables and day use parking. Due to the active construction work, entry to the west side of the site will not be permitted, including the RV dump station area.

The planned construction work involves trenching, an activity that cannot be done when the soil is frozen or when snow is on the ground. The recreation site is located at an elevation that often sees hard freezes as early as late September, and snow can remain at the site through April, making fall and spring a difficult window for this type of construction.

“We recognize the inconvenience to campers who enjoy recreating at Huckleberry, but to complete the work required for a more dependable electrical source, it is necessary to temporarily pause camping reservations through Recreation.gov,” said Coeur d’Alene Field Manager Ray Pease. “We are excited to provide visitors an even better camping experience once the work is complete and plan to re-open overnight camping reservations as soon as the area is safe for the public to enjoy.”    

Visitors seeking developed or dispersed camping opportunities on public lands in the St. Joe River area, can explore options with the USDA Forest Service at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/ipnf/recreation. In addition, there are several privately managed campgrounds in the area.

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