Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Bottleneck Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 48.65882, -116.60047
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 Bottleneck Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,638 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bottleneck 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 Bottleneck Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater9 mi
- DDump11 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- RxPharmacy26 mi
- ShShower38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, 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 — Bottleneck Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,638 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
48.65882, -116.60047
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Bottleneck Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBottleneck Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townNaples · ~11.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.1 mi
- FuelExxon · ~14.6 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~30.5 mi
- Dump station~10.8 mi
- GroceriesSuper 1 Foods · ~12.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicBoundary Community Hospital · ~13.1 mi
EV charging — from Bottleneck Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.5 mi straight-line E — V.C. STATION BF FAST CHARGER, Bonners Ferry, ID · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 6 within 50 · 50 within 100 · 75 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)66.2 mi — Coeur d'Alene, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Coeur d'Alene
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.8 mi — Coolin Motel · NOODOE · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Paradise Valley Chalet - Tesla Destination, Bonners Ferry, 13.3 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 169454 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bottleneck Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletRoman Nose · ~2.2 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBeaver Creek · ~13.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLedgewood Picnic · ~13.4 mi W · USFS
- Flush restroomReeder Bay · ~13.6 mi W · USFS
Open Bottleneck Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Bottleneck Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bottleneck Lake~0.1 mi
- Bottleneck Lake~0.5 mi
- Fs Trail 185 (Snow Lake Access)~0.6 mi
- Fs Trail 187 (Bottleneck Lake Access)~0.8 mi
The unit that manages Bottleneck Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bottleneck Lake are set by Idaho Panhandle National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Myrtle Creek at 3,540 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 2,098 ft lower 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 — Bottleneck 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
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 Bottleneck 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 — Bottleneck Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Power off-grid →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 →