Agency-listedUSFS
Big Nelson Campground Complex
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 47.07037, -112.92179
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
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,540 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail10 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- GGrocery14 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- WWater20 mi
- DDump22 mi
- ShShower22 mi
- +Urgent care27 mi
- LLaundry27 mi
- PPropane30 mi
- MMechanic51 mi
- OOutfitter52 mi
- RxPharmacy52 mi
- AAir-up53 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 20-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 14 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,540 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
47.07037, -112.92179
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSpawn Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townGeary · ~5.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~13.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesD & D Foodtown · ~13.9 mi
- HardwareGrizzly Home Center · ~14.0 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Nelson Campground Complex · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMonture Creek Trailhead · ~11.2 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMonture Guard Station · ~11.5 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCopper Creek Campground · ~14.2 mi E · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bearcreek 01~1.1 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #855~2.3 mi
- Northfork 03~2.8 mi
- Northfork 04~2.9 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Copper Camp at 6,980 ft, about 9 miles away. It sits about 2,440 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
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.
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
A land record can put you within a few metres 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
Before you go
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Camping with a dog →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 →