Agency-listedUSFSFee
Bend Guard Station
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 47.90064, -115.03877
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 Bend Guard Station
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,298 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bend Guard StationNIFC · 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 Bend Guard Station · U.S. Forest Service · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel14 mi
- @Mail21 mi
- GGrocery23 mi
- HHardware25 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- +Urgent care32 mi
- ShShower34 mi
- WWater39 mi
- RxPharmacy39 mi
- EVEV fast charger39 mi
- OOutfitter39 mi
- DDump57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 39-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 14 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 39-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 — Bend Guard Station
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,298 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
47.90064, -115.03877
Cost
Fee · reservable on Recreation.gov
Nearby & resupply — around Bend Guard Station · U.S. Forest Service · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureThompson River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBend · ~0.8 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~13.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesBitterroot Quick Stop · ~22.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicClark Fork Valley Hospital · ~30.7 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~25.2 mi
EV charging — from Bend Guard Station · U.S. Forest Service · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger39.2 mi straight-line NE — CLARK HYUNDAI SALES CUSTOMER, Kalispell, MT · 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 · 11 within 50 · 31 within 100 · 83 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)40.4 mi — Kalispell, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Kalispell
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)42.0 mi — 400 Horses Casino, Polson, MT · Blink Network · J1772 · 6 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 — Red Lion Hotel Kalispell - Tesla Destination, Kalispell, 39.3 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 227236 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bend Guard Station · U.S. Forest Service · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomBend Guard Station · ~0.2 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWest Fork Fishtrap Creek Campground · ~7.7 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFishtrap Lake Campground · ~8.1 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMcgregor Lake Day Use · ~11.0 mi NE · USFS
Open Bend Guard Station elsewhere
Other camps near Bend Guard Station
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- West Fork Fishtrap Creek Campground~7.7 mi
- Fishtrap Lake Campground~8.1 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #686~10.1 mi
- Mcgregor Lake~11.0 mi · fee
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Bassoo Peak at 5,130 ft, about 13 miles away. It sits about 1,832 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 — Bend Guard Station
Reserve
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234421
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
Agency page
fs.usda.gov — the land manager's own page for this site. Fees, seasons and closures are stated there first; if it disagrees with this page, it wins.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Bend Guard Station
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 — Bend Guard Station
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Leave no trace →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 →