Agency-listedUSFSFree
Boulder Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · OR · 45.25791, -121.56521
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 Boulder Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,541 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Boulder 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 Boulder Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- OOutfitter7 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- MMechanic15 mi
- LLaundry30 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- AAir-up30 mi
- +Urgent care31 mi
- DDump32 mi
- ShShower32 mi
- PPropane35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
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 — Boulder Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,541 ft
State
OR
Coordinates
45.25791, -121.56521
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Boulder Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townSportsmans Park · ~8.7 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~6.7 mi
- FuelChevron · ~7.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesFood Mart · ~7.1 mi
- HardwareWamic Hardware Store · ~14.5 mi
EV charging — from Boulder Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.5 mi straight-line W — WCEH Government Camp · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 43 within 50 · 248 within 100 · 458 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)30.0 mi — The Dalles, OR - Tesla Supercharger, The Dalles
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.0 mi — Mt. Hood Meadows Main Base Parking Lot · FLO · J1772 · 6 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 73444 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Boulder Lake · Mt. Hood National Forest · OR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBoulder Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBoulder Lake · ~0.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBonney Meadows · ~1.0 mi NW · USFS
- RestroomGunsight · ~2.1 mi NW · USFS
Open Boulder Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Boulder Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bonney Meadows~1.0 mi · fee
- Badger Lake~3.2 mi · fee
- Barlow Creek~3.3 mi · fee
- Barlow Crossing~3.6 mi · fee
The unit that manages Boulder Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Boulder Lake are set by Mt. Hood National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Boulder 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 Boulder 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 — Boulder Lake
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →