Agency-listedUSFSFree
American River
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 45.89756, -115.45092
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 site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. 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 American River
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,261 ft.
Fire & smoke — around American RiverNIFC · 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 American River · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- +Urgent care5 mi
- GGrocery25 mi
- @Mail28 mi
- FFuel30 mi
- EVEV fast charger30 mi
- WWater30 mi
- MMechanic32 mi
- OOutfitter32 mi
- HHardware32 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 30-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 25 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 30-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Dump, 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 — American River
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,261 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
45.89756, -115.45092
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around American River · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureEricson Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townElk City · ~4.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesStites Grocery · ~28.6 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from American River · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger30.3 mi straight-line NW — GRANGEVILLE KOOSKIA 1 · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 4 within 50 · 27 within 100 · 67 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)75.1 mi — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 1, McCall
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)32.7 mi — Super 8 by Wyndham Grangeville - Tesla Destination (at a hotel) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 3 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 450760 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around American River · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletAmerican River · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTable Meadows · ~3.9 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletKirks Fork · ~4.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLimber Luke · ~4.8 mi N · USFS
Open American River elsewhere
Other camps near American River
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- USFS dispersed camp — ID #831~0.5 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — ID #81~0.7 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — ID #509~2.8 mi
- Lake Como 005~2.8 mi
The unit that manages American River
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at American River are set by Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — American River
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review || Water 2026-08-24 (nightshift fire 120): USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse Recreation Sites layer (apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_RecInfraRecreationSites_02/MapServer/0), extract cached locally as data\_mt_water_edw.json, objectid 2372234, site "AMERICAN RIVER" (recreation area "AMERICAN RIVER"), WATER_AVAILABILITY = "Water can be treated or filtered from nearby water sources". Matched to this camp on coordinates (0.0008 mi from the agency point). Agency record only -- not field-verified, and no natural water here is claimed to be potable.
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 American River
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 — American River
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Off-grid communication →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 →