Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Benches
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.52396, -113.66519
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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 Benches
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,842 ft.
Fire & smoke — around BenchesNIFC · 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 Benches · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery12 mi
- FFuel12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- WWater18 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- OOutfitter26 mi
- +Urgent care27 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- HHardware43 mi
- DDump53 mi
- RxPharmacy54 mi
- EVEV fast charger61 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Benches
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,842 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.52396, -113.66519
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Benches · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWisdom · ~12.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~17.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesWisdom Market · ~12.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicSteele Memorial Medical Center · ~26.6 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~26.4 mi
EV charging — from Benches · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger60.7 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 · 12 within 100 · 48 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS61.0 mi — Flying J Town Pump (Butte, MT), Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO95.7 mi — Walmart 3259 (Missoula, MT), Missoula
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)54.4 mi — UMW #1 STATION 1, Dillon, MT · ChargePoint Network · 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, 51.1 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 Benches · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletTwin Lakes Campground · ~7.7 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTwin Lakes Cabin · ~7.9 mi S · USFS
- RestroomBLDG - BIHO Visitor Center · ~8.2 mi N · NPS
- RestroomBLDG - Vault Toilet lower parking lot · ~8.3 mi N · NPS
Open Benches elsewhere
Other camps near Benches
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #275~2.1 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #197~2.1 mi
- Backbone Stick~2.3 mi
- Across From 001~2.4 mi
The unit that manages Benches
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Benches 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 11 miles away. It sits about 1,758 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 — Benches
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 Benches
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 — Benches
Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Dispersed camping tips →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 →