Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 47.04072, -112.82947
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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 Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,865 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Arrastra/Porcupine488-011NIFC · 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 Arrastra/Porcupine488-011 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- WWater21 mi
- DDump26 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- PPropane30 mi
- +Urgent care32 mi
- LLaundry32 mi
- EVEV fast charger44 mi
- MMechanic46 mi
- OOutfitter48 mi
- RxPharmacy48 mi
- AAir-up57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 21-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 44-mi run (and back).
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 — Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,865 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
47.04072, -112.82947
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Arrastra/Porcupine488-011 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townLincoln · ~9.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~9.2 mi
- Propane / LPGEnergy Partners · ~29.8 mi
- Dump station~25.5 mi
- GroceriesD & D Foodtown · ~9.2 mi
- HardwareGrizzly Home Center · ~9.3 mi
EV charging — from Arrastra/Porcupine488-011 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger43.7 mi straight-line S — Sinclair - Tesla Supercharger, Deer Lodge, MT (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 18 within 100 · 37 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS48.0 mi — Target T1282 (Helena, MT), Helena
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO48.9 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)44.5 mi — JD Self Service Storage, Deer Lodge, MT (at an office building) · AMPUP · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-12-13 · hours: Contact site for information
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Trixi's Saloon - Tesla Destination, Ovando, 13.9 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.56 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 466520 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Arrastra/Porcupine488-011 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Nelson Campground Complex · ~4.8 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCopper Creek Campground · ~10.2 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIndian Meadows Trailhead · ~10.7 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen Grove Picnic Area · ~14.7 mi E · USFS
Open Arrastra/Porcupine488-011 elsewhere
Other camps near Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Arrastra Crk-010~0.4 mi
- Arrastra-009~0.6 mi
- Arrastra Crk-008~0.8 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #378~1.1 mi
The unit that manages Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Arrastra/Porcupine488-011 are set by Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Copper Camp at 6,980 ft, about 5 miles away. It sits about 1,115 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 — Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
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 — Arrastra/Porcupine488-011
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →How to read this 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 →