Dworshak State Park

Introduction of Dworshak State Park

If you enjoy spending time in rural areas with alpine scenery where you can fish, hunt, or hike, you’ll love RV camping at Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho. The lake was formed by the construction of the Dworshak Dam across the Clearwater Valley. It is surrounded by beautiful national forests and parklands, including the 850-acre Dworshak State Park, which runs along part of the lake’s western shoreline. The Dworshak Dam is an impressive sight to behold. The dam wall, named after an Idaho senator, is over 700 feet tall, making it one of the tallest in the United States.

The dam took the US Army Corps of Engineers seven years to build, and the power it now generates is used to generate hydroelectricity.

The COE campground at Dworshak Lake is slightly elevated, and many of the campsites have unrivalled views of the reservoir waters. Some even have a view of the Dent Bridge, which spans the lake further up the valley. You may find yourself hiking through landscapes once trodden by the great explorers, Lewis and Clark, if you venture out into the forests or onto the trails surrounding Dworshak Lake.

More information about them and their expeditions can be found at the Weippe Discovery Center. Visit the Clearwater Museum near Orifino to learn more about the people who have lived and worked in the area, from loggers and miners to indigenous Nez Perce Indians.

Whether you’re looking for a quiet getaway, want to go hunting, or want to learn more about Idaho’s fascinating history, an RV campsite at Dworshak Reservoir is the perfect unspoiled spot to park.

Dworshak State Park Camping

Dent Acres is the name of the COE campground at Dworshak Reservoir. While it is a peaceful mountain retreat, it has all of the amenities to make your RV camping in the Idaho wilderness less rustic than you might expect. Dent Acres has fifty campsites, all of which are accessible to people with limited mobility. The campsites have standard fifty amp electricity, water, and sewer hookups, as well as trash dumpsters, picnic tables, and grills.

Dent Acres Campground also has good communal facilities.

The restrooms and showers, as well as the boat launch ramp, have all been designed to accommodate the mobility impaired. There is also a fish cleaning station, a playground, and a shelter for large groups of up to 75 people.

Dent Acres Campground is open 365 days a year. Even during the two off-peak seasons, which run from mid-April to the end of May and then again from the beginning of September to the middle of December, advance reservations are required.

Dworshak State Park Activities

Hunting

Dworshak Reservoir and the parklands that surround it have acres upon acres of public hunting grounds. You can stalk to your heart’s content at this Idaho lake, whether you prefer big game, water fowl, or smaller game like rabbit and pheasant. Elk, deer, mountain lions, wolves, and bears are popular prey for big game hunters during the appropriate seasons.

Hiking

Anyone looking for a hiking trail while RV camping at Dworshak Lake will be spoiled for choice. The Dent Trail is an excellent out-and-back trail that runs from Dent Acres Campground along the lakeshore. The longer and more difficult West Ridge Trail will take you higher up along the reservoir’s south-west shore. It’s a beautiful trail that connects to two others: the Merry’s Bay Trail and the Bruce’s Eddy Trail. More great hikes can be found in Dworshak State Park and the Nez Perce National Forest.

Fishing

Big catches are what entice many anglers to cast their lines in Dworshak Reservoir and its many tributary creeks. The waters are stocked with trout, smallmouth bass, and kokanee salmon by the local game and fish commission. Whether you’re fishing from a boat or from the shore, you’re almost certain to catch more fish than you can eat.

You don’t have to be an expert angler to enjoy the free, self-guided tour of the Dworshak Fish Hatchery. There, you’ll see where the reservoir’s fish population is spawned and how the reservoir’s health is maintained. Fascinating.

Explore the past

Indulge your sense of adventure by visiting the Weippes Discovery Center, which is located in the basement of the town’s public library. It’s a small museum, but it tells the fascinating story of explorers Lewis and Clarke’s expeditions through Idaho through artefacts and photographs. There are also educational displays about the Nez Perce Indians and their encounter with the expeditionists.

Dworshak State Park Location

If you’ve been to Spokane Falls or RV camping in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest in Washington, Orifino is about a three and a half hour drive away. Driving through the state from Idaho will take approximately seven hours. Whatever route you take, you’ll be entering the wilderness of central Idaho on your way to your COE campground at Dworshak Reservoir.

As you drive through Orofino, over Dent Bridge, and the twenty miles to the campground on Dent Bridge Road, you’ll feel like you’re on a real get-away-from-it-all route.

It may not sound like much, but it’s a twisting road through some spectacular mountain scenery that could take you about an hour to navigate in your RV. Be prepared to almost double back on yourself on occasion as you round the horseshoe curves. The views, on the other hand, will more than make up for the difficult drive.

Dent Bridge Road is winding, but it’s well-kept. Once inside the campground, the internal road system is comprised of narrow, single-lane asphalted tracks. There isn’t enough room for two RVs to pass side by side, so follow the directional signs from the entrance. This will also make it much easier to pull into your campsite once you’ve discovered it.

Parking

Parking is available.

Public Transport

Public Transport is not available