★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic land
Flathead County
Drive-up · public land · Flathead County, MT · 48.41777, -114.57619
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
This is normally a fee campground near Whitefish, Montana, however it is free during off-season. Some nice campsites on the shore of Tally Lake. Beautiful wooded setting along lake. Peaceful and secluded. Vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings. Other campers likely, but reasonably spaced. No cell service. Enough room for one or two vehicles per site. Reasonably convenient to town of Whitefish. Recommended.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,378 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- WWater10 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- +Urgent care11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- OOutfitter11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- DDump28 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
3,378 ft
County
Flathead County, MT
Coordinates
48.41777, -114.57619
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLogan Creek (river) · nearby
- Nearest townLupfer · ~5.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelOlney Gas Pumps · ~9.0 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~19.0 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~28.5 mi
- GroceriesOlney Store · ~9.0 mi
- PharmacyBig Sky I.V Care · ~16.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicKahler Chiropractic Health Center · ~10.9 mi
- HardwareACE Nelson's Hardware · ~11.0 mi
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
Yes
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletTally Lake Group Picnic · ~0.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTally Lake Swim · ~0.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTally Lake Picnic · ~0.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTally Lake Boat · ~0.5 mi SW · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Tally Lake North Beach Site 8~0.1 mi
- Tally Lake North Beach Site 9~0.2 mi
- Tally Lake North Site 7~0.3 mi
- Tally Lake North Beach Site 6~0.4 mi
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Hand Creek at 5,030 ft, about 14 miles away. It sits about 1,652 ft higher than this camp, so treat it as a guide rather than a reading for this spot. We do not repeat a depth here, because any number we stored would be stale by the time you read it — the station publishes today's.
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Flathead County, MT). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Finding water out here →Cold-weather camping →Fire rules & restrictions →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →