Agency-listedUSFSFree
Brush Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 48.88718, -116.32981
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 Brush Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,011 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Brush 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 Brush Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- WWater13 mi
- EVEV fast charger13 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- DDump29 mi
- HHardware35 mi
- MMechanic41 mi
- OOutfitter41 mi
- +Urgent care41 mi
- RxPharmacy43 mi
- ShShower58 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 — Brush Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,011 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
48.88718, -116.32981
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Brush Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBrush Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townBountiful · ~10.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~10.8 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~15.3 mi
- Dump station~17.1 mi
- GroceriesYoder's Market · ~11.0 mi
- PharmacyPharmasave · ~16.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBoundary Community Hospital · ~12.8 mi
EV charging — from Brush Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.1 mi straight-line S — 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 reach1 within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 45 within 100 · 65 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)84.2 mi — Coeur d'Alene, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Coeur d'Alene
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)36.8 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, 16.7 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 Brush Lake · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBrush Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomSnyder Guard Station · ~7.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRobinson Lake Day Use · ~7.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRobinson Lake · ~7.7 mi NE · USFS
Open Brush Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Brush Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Snyder Guard Station Campground~7.3 mi · fee
- Ruby Ridge 01~7.3 mi
- Rutledge 01~7.7 mi
- Meadow Creek Road 05~7.7 mi
The unit that manages Brush Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Brush 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 13 miles away. It sits about 529 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 — Brush 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 Brush 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 — Brush Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Gear & rig loadout →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 →