Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Backbone Stick
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.55005, -113.69493
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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 Backbone Stick
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,692 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Backbone StickNIFC · 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 Backbone Stick · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery13 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- FFuel13 mi
- WWater16 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- OOutfitter28 mi
- +Urgent care28 mi
- ShShower28 mi
- HHardware41 mi
- RxPharmacy53 mi
- DDump56 mi
- EVEV fast charger61 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 13 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 61-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 — Backbone Stick
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,692 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.55005, -113.69493
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Backbone Stick · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townGibbonsville · ~11.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~17.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesWisdom Market · ~12.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicSteele Memorial Medical Center · ~27.7 mi
EV charging — from Backbone Stick · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger61.0 mi straight-line NE — Butte, MT - Grizzly Trail - Tesla Supercharger (at a rest stop) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · none within 50 · 13 within 100 · 45 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS61.2 mi — Flying J Town Pump (Butte, MT), Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO93.7 mi — Walmart 3259 (Missoula, MT), Missoula
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)53.0 mi — Hamilton City Hall · EVGATEWAY · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — The Ranch at Rock Creek - Tesla Destination, Philipsburg, 49.5 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 327427 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Backbone Stick · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomBLDG - Vault Toilet lower parking lot · ~6.7 mi N · NPS
- RestroomBLDG - BIHO Visitor Center · ~6.8 mi N · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletMay Creek Campground · ~8.2 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMay Creek Cabin · ~9.1 mi NW · USFS
Open Backbone Stick elsewhere
Other camps near Backbone Stick
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Across From 001~0.3 mi
- Old Toilet~1.3 mi
- Fork~1.4 mi
- Beer Belly~1.5 mi
The unit that manages Backbone Stick
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Backbone Stick are set by Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Slagamelt Lakes at 8,600 ft, about 13 miles away. It sits about 1,908 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 — Backbone Stick
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 Backbone Stick
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 — Backbone Stick
Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Gear & rig loadout →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 →