Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Benton Rd 287 021
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 46.66782, -111.37373
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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 Benton Rd 287 021
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,316 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Benton Rd 287 021NIFC · 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 Benton Rd 287 021 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower12 mi
- DDump13 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- LLaundry24 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- @Mail24 mi
- HHardware25 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- +Urgent care29 mi
- OOutfitter30 mi
- EVEV fast charger30 mi
- WWater32 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 32-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 13 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 30-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 — Benton Rd 287 021
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,316 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
46.66782, -111.37373
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Benton Rd 287 021 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWatson · ~0.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~18.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~12.6 mi
- GroceriesMathis Food Farm · ~23.9 mi
- PharmacyCastle Mountain Drug · ~23.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicMountainview Medical Center · ~23.8 mi
- HardwareHardware Hanke · ~25.0 mi
EV charging — from Benton Rd 287 021 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger30.3 mi straight-line W — Helena, MT - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · 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 · 4 within 50 · 20 within 100 · 35 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS30.7 mi — L146 DC 2, Helena
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO30.7 mi — L146 DC 2, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)20.5 mi — Silos's Junction - Tesla Destination, Townsend, MT · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 163997 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Benton Rd 287 021 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBar Gulch Cabin · ~12.1 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGoose Bay Dispersed Campground - Single Precast Vault Toilet Building · ~12.7 mi SW · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletThompson Sta. · ~12.8 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGoose Bay Dispersed Campground - Single Precast Vault Toilet Building · ~12.8 mi SW · BoR
Open Benton Rd 287 021 elsewhere
Other camps near Benton Rd 287 021
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Benton Rd 287 018~0.1 mi
- Benton Rd 287B019~0.3 mi
- East Big Belts Gfa - Benton Gulch Cua~0.5 mi
- Vermont Rd 587C1 010~1.5 mi
The unit that manages Benton Rd 287 021
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Benton Rd 287 021 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 Pickfoot Creek at 6,680 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 1,364 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 — Benton Rd 287 021
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 Benton Rd 287 021
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 — Benton Rd 287 021
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →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 →