Agency-listedUSFSFree
Big Meadow Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WA · 48.72951, -117.56364
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 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 Big Meadow Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,428 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Meadow LakeNIFC · 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 Big Meadow Lake · Colville National Forest · WA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail6 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- EVEV fast charger8 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- +Urgent care20 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- OOutfitter20 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- DDump34 mi
- WWater45 mi
- RxPharmacy45 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 45-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
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 — Big Meadow Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,428 ft
State
WA
Coordinates
48.72951, -117.56364
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Meadow Lake · Colville National Forest · WA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBig Muddy Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townAladdin · ~4.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~6.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesIone Food Court · ~6.6 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~24.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~19.9 mi
- HardwareNorthport Hardware · ~16.3 mi
EV charging — from Big Meadow Lake · Colville National Forest · WA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.8 mi straight-line SE — Tiger Historical Museum, Cusick, WA (at a public site) · RED_E · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 6 within 50 · 49 within 100 · 77 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)74.7 mi — The Hive, Spokane
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.8 mi — Tiger Historical Museum, Cusick, WA (at a public site) · RED_E · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- 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 456457 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Meadow Lake · Colville National Forest · WA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Meadow Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHanks Butte · ~5.6 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFrater Lake Cabin · ~6.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLake Leo · ~6.3 mi SE · USFS
Open Big Meadow Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Big Meadow Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lake Leo~6.3 mi · fee
- Edgewater~7.3 mi · fee
- Lake Thomas~7.5 mi · fee
- Campbell Park (Box Canyon Dam)~7.5 mi
The unit that manages Big Meadow Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Meadow Lake are set by Colville National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Meadow Lake
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Big Meadow Lake
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 — Big Meadow Lake
Camping near a reservoir →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 →