Agency-listedUSFSFee
Bench Creek Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 44.31930, -115.23585
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 Bench Creek Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,940 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bench Creek CampgroundNIFC · 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 Bench Creek Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel17 mi
- GGrocery17 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- ShShower20 mi
- WWater28 mi
- @Mail39 mi
- HHardware42 mi
- MMechanic42 mi
- RxPharmacy42 mi
- OOutfitter42 mi
- +Urgent care52 mi
- DDump54 mi
- EVEV fast charger59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 28-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 17 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 59-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 — Bench Creek Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,940 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
44.31930, -115.23585
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Bench Creek Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townStanley · ~16.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMountain Village Service Station · ~16.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesMountain Village Convenience Store · ~16.6 mi
EV charging — from Bench Creek Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger58.8 mi straight-line NW — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 1 · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 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 · none within 50 · 36 within 100 · 56 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO58.8 mi — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 4, McCall
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.5 mi — Stanley RV and Camp (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 325580 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bench Creek Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBanner Summit Rest Stop · ~0.9 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBull Trout Campground · ~1.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletThatcher Campground · ~5.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletVader Creek Picnic Area · ~5.9 mi E · USFS
Open Bench Creek Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Bench Creek Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bull Trout Campground~1.4 mi · fee
- Banner Creek Campground~2.6 mi · fee
- Thatcher Campground~5.6 mi · fee
- Lola Creek Campground~6.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Bench Creek Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bench Creek Campground are set by Salmon-Challis National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Banner Summit at 7,040 ft, about a mile away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Bench Creek Campground
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: $10 per night, single unit. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/salmon-challis/recreation/bench-creek-campground (Salmon-Challis NF page, last updated June 15, 2026).
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 Bench Creek Campground
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 — Bench Creek Campground
Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →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 →