Agency-listedUSFSFree
Big Springs
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WA · 46.22984, -117.54425
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 Springs
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,075 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big SpringsNIFC · 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 Springs · Umatilla National Forest · WA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater4 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- @Mail21 mi
- DDump21 mi
- ShShower21 mi
- +Urgent care21 mi
- FFuel22 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- EVEV fast charger22 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- RxPharmacy27 mi
- OOutfitter28 mi
- LLaundry29 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 11 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 Springs
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,075 ft
State
WA
Coordinates
46.22984, -117.54425
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Springs · Umatilla National Forest · WA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCharley Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townPeola · ~6.2 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.6 mi
- FuelTexaco · ~22.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.8 mi
- GroceriesSteve's Grocery · ~21.2 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~27.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicGarfield County Public Hospital · ~17.2 mi
- HardwareErb's Ace Hardware · ~28.8 mi
EV charging — from Big Springs · Umatilla National Forest · WA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.8 mi straight-line W — Caboose Park - Dayton · FLO · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 15 within 50 · 82 within 100 · 146 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)28.2 mi — Lewiston, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Lewiston
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)21.8 mi — Caboose Park - Dayton · FLO · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 Level 2 port 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 170911 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Springs · Umatilla National Forest · WA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Springs · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAlder Thicket · ~2.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClearwater Big House · ~2.3 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClearwater Lookout Cabin · ~2.4 mi SW · USFS
Open Big Springs elsewhere
Other camps near Big Springs
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Alder Thicket~2.3 mi
- Teal Campground~3.1 mi
- Forest Boundary Campground~4.4 mi
- Pataha Campground~4.5 mi
The unit that manages Big Springs
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Springs are set by Umatilla National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Springs
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 Springs
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 Springs
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →