Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Big Spot
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.33448, -112.94507
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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 Big Spot
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,024 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big SpotNIFC · 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 Spot · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery10 mi
- WWater13 mi
- FFuel17 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- DDump17 mi
- @Mail23 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
- EVEV fast charger44 mi
- ShShower46 mi
- +Urgent care47 mi
- RxPharmacy49 mi
- HHardware50 mi
- AAir-up50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 44-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 — Big Spot
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,024 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.33448, -112.94507
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Spot · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureKelly Reservoir (water) · nearby
- Nearest townErmont Mill · ~4.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelChevron · ~16.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~17.1 mi
- GroceriesMa Barnes country market · ~9.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBarrett Hospital & Healthcare · ~17.2 mi
EV charging — from Big Spot · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger43.7 mi straight-line S — Dell Mercantile (Dell, MT) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 4 within 50 · 20 within 100 · 44 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)49.1 mi — Butte, MT - Grizzly Trail - Tesla Supercharger, Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO97.0 mi — Audi of Bozeman, Bozeman
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.2 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
- 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 121712 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Spot · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletDinner Station Campground · ~6.7 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBirch Creek Cabin · ~7.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen Picnic Area · ~7.4 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCoolidge · ~11.7 mi N · USFS
Open Big Spot elsewhere
Other camps near Big Spot
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Squeeky Birds~0.2 mi
- Scattered Campfire~0.2 mi
- Rocky Road~0.4 mi
- Kelly Res 02~0.5 mi
The unit that manages Big Spot
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Spot 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 Mule Creek at 8,300 ft, about 5 miles away. It sits about 1,276 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 — Big Spot
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 Big Spot
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 Spot
Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Off-grid communication →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 →