Five Mile Pond

Five Mile Pond lies near the bank of Crooked River, at an elevation of 4,480 feet. To reach it, turn south off State Highway 14 onto Crooked River Road #233 and drive about 11 miles; the pond is on the left. The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests manage it as a day-use site, open sunrise to sunset, with no fee.

Every year Idaho Department of Fish and Game stocks the pond with rainbow trout. The Forest Service describes it as a popular fishing and swimming spot for people of all ages. Anglers need an Idaho fishing license. The site has a vault toilet but no potable water.

On June 9, 2023, Idaho Fish and Game announced a multi-year partnership with the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. The work was paid for with matched access and trail funds from both agencies and with money from the Great American Outdoors Act. Most of it went to the backcountry: 154 miles of trail to clear and repair in the first half of the plan, and two pack bridges toward the North Fork of the Clearwater River and Kelly Creek. “We continually hear from sportsmen that access is a huge concern for them,” said Don Jenkins, Natural Resource Program Coordinator with Fish and Game.

The plan also named three hunter and angler access sites. Two were on the Salmon River: a boat-ramp parking expansion at Carey Creek and a restored ramp at Spring Bar. The release described the third as “a popular fishing pond that needs to be upgraded to be more accessible,” and the project for it was fishing platforms at what the release calls Five Mile Pond Campground. The Forest Service lists the site as day use only. The release gave no completion date, and the Forest Service page, last updated February 19, 2025, makes no mention of platforms on the pond.