Agency-listedUSFSFee
Alturas Lake Tent Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 43.92581, -114.84991
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 →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Alturas Lake Tent Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,025 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Alturas Lake Tent AreaNIFC · 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 Alturas Lake Tent Area · Sawtooth National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- LLaundry16 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- FFuel20 mi
- GGrocery20 mi
- WWater30 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- @Mail30 mi
- EVEV fast charger39 mi
- +Urgent care40 mi
- MMechanic42 mi
- DDump47 mi
- HHardware58 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 30-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 20 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 39-mi run (and back).
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); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Alturas Lake Tent Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,025 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
43.92581, -114.84991
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Alturas Lake Tent Area · Sawtooth National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMountain Village Service Station · ~20.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesMountain Village Mercantile · ~20.5 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~29.5 mi
EV charging — from Alturas Lake Tent Area · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger38.6 mi straight-line SE — Hailey, ID (at a public site) · RIVIAN_ADVENTURE · CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 37 within 100 · 66 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)42.7 mi — Bellevue, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Bellevue
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO38.9 mi — ANNEX EVCS BLAINE COUNTY 1, Hailey
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)15.8 mi — Redfish Lake Lodge, Stanley, ID (at a campground) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-10-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 398508 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Alturas Lake Tent Area · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomAlturas Lake Tent Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSmokey Bear Cg · ~0.7 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Shore Cg · ~0.9 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAlturas Inlet Cg · ~1.9 mi SW · USFS
Open Alturas Lake Tent Area elsewhere
Other camps near Alturas Lake Tent Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Smokey Bear Cg~0.7 mi · fee
- North Shore Cg~0.9 mi · fee
- Alturas Inlet Cg~1.9 mi · fee
- Pettit Lake Campground~4.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Alturas Lake Tent Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Alturas Lake Tent Area are set by Sawtooth National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Galena Summit at 8,790 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 1,765 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 — Alturas Lake Tent Area
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-21: $20 per night single family site, $40 double, $10 second vehicle, $10 Senior/Access pass rate. The camp's own page publishes no amount and points to the Sawtooth NRA fee schedule, which lists it as Alturas Tent Campground. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/sawtooth/recreation/sawtooth-national-recreation-area-fees-policies (NRA fee schedule, last updated August 12, 2025).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Alturas Lake Tent Area
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Alturas Lake Tent Area
Winter vs summer roads →Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →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 →