Riley Creek Recreation Area
Laclede
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, and Swim
Riley Creek Recreation Area is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park on the south bank of the Pend Oreille River at Laclede, in Bonner County, Idaho. It is part of the Albeni Falls Dam project, and the river here is the slack-water pool the dam holds back below Lake Pend Oreille, so it behaves more like a long lake than a moving river. The Corps calls Riley Creek its largest developed overnight facility on the project: 67 campsites with water and electric hookups, big shaded lawns, two reservable picnic shelters and a designated swim beach on a small peninsula about a mile southwest of the Laclede store.
To get there, follow U.S. Highway 2 to Laclede, roughly nine miles east of Priest River or 13 miles west of Sandpoint, and turn south on Riley Creek Road at the highway signs. The paved road ends at the recreation area after about a mile, passing the entrance station and park office. Day visitors park in the paved lots near the boat ramp and the central lawn, and the beach is a short walk across the grass past the Eagle and Osprey picnic shelters, the playground and the sand volleyball court.
The swim area is a roped section of shoreline beside a strip of sand and small gravel. Visitors describe the bottom as shelving very gradually, which makes it popular with families who have young kids, and the water stays shallow for a good distance out before it drops into the main channel. There is no lifeguard on duty at any time. The water comes off a big, deep, cold lake, so it is cool in June and warms through July and August. The boat ramp, fishing piers and a boat tie-up basin sit close to the beach, so watch for boat traffic and stay inside the swim lines.
There is no entrance fee and no day-use fee at Riley Creek, according to the Corps' Albeni Falls recreation page. Fees apply only to camping ($35 per night per site for 2026, reserved through Recreation.gov, with no first-come sites) and to the two picnic shelters ($75 per day). The Corps listed the 2026 season as May 19 through September 20, and the area operates as a seasonal park, so plan your visit for that window; outside it the gate and facilities are closed. Recreation.gov notes that campsites cannot be reserved just for day use and that unlicensed vehicles such as ATVs and side-by-sides are not allowed.
The main hazards here are boats, cold water early in the season and the lack of lifeguards. River levels on the Pend Oreille are controlled by Albeni Falls Dam, which keeps the pool high through summer and lowers it in the fall, so the shoreline changes after the season ends. Check with the Albeni Falls Dam office at 208-437-3133 before a trip for current conditions or closures. Life jackets are encouraged for children and weak swimmers.
Beyond the beach there are two fishing piers, a two-lane boat ramp, a half-court basketball hoop, horseshoe pits, flush restrooms, and a hiking and biking trail that leaves from the campground. Rangers run campfire programs at the amphitheater on summer weekend evenings. Bald eagles, osprey and deer are common, and the Pend Oreille Wildlife Management Area borders the park. Gas and groceries are in Laclede, and the Albeni Falls Dam Visitor Center, with summer dam tours, is about 15 miles west near Oldtown.
More Information
Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.
Read More
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
From Laclede
- Head west on County Rd MM-312/
Grindstone Rd (4.0 mi) - Turn left onto Hwy Mm (0.8 mi)
- Turn right onto Pennington Dr (3.3 mi)
- Turn left onto State Hwy F/
U.S. Route 66 Continue to follow State Hwy F(5.1 mi) - Continue onto State Hwy BB (2.4 mi)
- Turn right onto MO-5 N (24.9 mi)
- Turn left onto MO-7 N (31.1 mi)
- Turn right onto US-65 N (6.2 mi)
- Take the MO-7 N exit toward Warsaw/
Clinton (0.2 mi) - Turn left onto MO-7 N (signs for Warsaw/
Clinton) Pass by Subway (on the right in 28.1 mi)(28.3 mi) - Turn right onto MO-7 N/
E Hwy 7 Continue to follow MO-7 N(38.9 mi) - Keep right to continue on MO-7 N/
E 275th St (0.4 mi) - Merge onto I-49 N (26.6 mi)
- Continue onto US-71 N (4.3 mi)
- Keep left to stay on US-71 N (2.4 mi)
- Continue straight to stay on US-71 N (4.7 mi)
- Merge onto I-70 W/
US-71 N (0.3 mi) - Keep right to continue on US-71 N, follow signs for I-29 N/
I-35 N/ Saint Joseph/ Des Moines (0.2 mi) - Continue onto I-29 N/
I-35 N/ US-71 N (4.5 mi) - Keep left to continue on I-29 N/
US-71 N, follow signs for KCI Airport/ St Joseph (3.5 mi) - Keep right to continue on I-29 N (42.6 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-29 NEntering Iowa(131 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-29 NEntering South Dakota(183 mi)
- Take exit 84B to merge onto I-90 W toward Rapid City (372 mi)
- Take exit 23 for SD-34 W toward Whitewood (0.3 mi)
- Turn right onto SD-34 W (17.3 mi)
- Turn right onto US-85 N/
Heartland Expy/ Theodore Roosevelt Expy (2.3 mi) - Turn left onto US-212 WPassing through WyomingEntering Montana(94.2 mi)
- Turn left onto US-212 W/
Holt St Continue to follow US-212 W(64.3 mi) - At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on US-212 W (41.7 mi)
- Merge onto I-90 W/
US-212 W/ US-87 N via the ramp to Billings (54.1 mi) - Take the exit onto I-90 W toward Billings (358 mi)
- Take exit 96 to merge onto MT-200 W/
US-93 N/ U.S. Hwy 93 N toward Kalispell Continue to follow MT-200 W/(27.3 mi)US-93 N - Turn left onto MT-200 WEntering Idaho(116 mi)
- Continue onto ID-200 W (33.1 mi)
- Continue onto US-2 WPass by Sandpoint Hotel & Suites (on the left in 1.1 mi)(1.3 mi)
- Turn right onto US-2 W/
Pine St Continue to follow US-2 W(13.8 mi) - Turn left onto Riley Creek Park Dr (0.4 mi)
- Turn right to stay on Riley Creek Park DrDestination will be on the left(1.0 mi)
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