Agency-listedUSFSFee
Buffalo Gap
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ND · 46.95390, -103.67445
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Buffalo Gap
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,592 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Buffalo GapNIFC · 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 Buffalo Gap · Little Missouri National Grassland · ND
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- LLaundry23 mi
- AAir-up42 mi
- EVEV fast charger42 mi
- DDump50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 42-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 — Buffalo Gap
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,592 ft
State
ND
Coordinates
46.95390, -103.67445
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Buffalo Gap · Little Missouri National Grassland · ND (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townRider · ~3.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.6 mi
- FuelMedora Convenience Store · ~7.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesBeach Food Center · ~15.9 mi
EV charging — from Buffalo Gap · Little Missouri National Grassland · ND — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger41.9 mi straight-line E — Dickinson, ND - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 2 within 50 · 3 within 100 · 19 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS51.3 mi — Town Pump of Glendive (Glendive, MT), Glendive
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO130.0 mi — NDAREC NDARECL3, Mandan
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)41.6 mi — Roosevelt Grand Dakota, SureStay Collection by Best Western - Tesla Destination, Dickinson, ND · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 163530 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Buffalo Gap · Little Missouri National Grassland · ND — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomBuffalo Gap · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomSU - Cottonwood Restroom, South Loop #2 (Comfort Station) · ~6.6 mi E · NPS
- RestroomSU - Cottonwood Restroom, South Loop #1 (Comfort Station) · ~6.7 mi E · NPS
- RestroomSU - Cottonwood CG Accessible Restroom (Vault Toilet) · ~6.7 mi E · NPS
Open Buffalo Gap elsewhere
Other camps near Buffalo Gap
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Scoria Pit Camping Area~4.1 mi
- Wannagan Campground~8.0 mi · fee
- Coal Creek~14.4 mi · fee
- Elkhorn Campground~18.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Buffalo Gap
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Buffalo Gap are set by Little Missouri National Grassland, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Buffalo Gap
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | published 2026-08-01: fee campground, labelled as fee per policy (label, do not hide) || Water 2026-08-24 (nightshift fire 120): USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse Recreation Sites layer (apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_RecInfraRecreationSites_02/MapServer/0), extract cached locally as data\_mt_water_edw.json, objectid 2372183, site "BUFFALO GAP" (recreation area "Buffalo Gap"), WATER_AVAILABILITY = "Yes, drinking water is available from a hand pump". Matched to this camp on coordinates (0.0007 mi from the agency point). Agency record only -- not field-verified, and no natural water here is claimed to be potable. Agency site page: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/246796
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 Buffalo Gap
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 — Buffalo Gap
What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Dumping grey & black →How to read this page →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 →