Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
By Sign
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 44.50875, -112.97611
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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 By Sign
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,825 ft.
Fire & smoke — around By SignNIFC · 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 By Sign · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel20 mi
- GGrocery20 mi
- EVEV fast charger20 mi
- @Mail21 mi
- DDump34 mi
- WWater35 mi
- MMechanic52 mi
- LLaundry52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 35-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 20 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 — By Sign
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,825 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
44.50875, -112.97611
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around By Sign · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHildreth · ~12.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCenex · ~20.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesDell Merc · ~20.2 mi
EV charging — from By Sign · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger20.2 mi straight-line NE — Dell Mercantile (Dell, MT) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 2 within 50 · 19 within 100 · 52 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)20.8 mi — Lima, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Lima
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO79.3 mi — Island Park City Offices, Island Park
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)51.1 mi — UMW #1 STATION 1, Dillon, MT · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 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 121712 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around By Sign · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletFritz Creek Trailhead · ~12.8 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletReservoir Creek Campground · ~14.7 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDeadwood Gulch Recreation Site - Vault Toilet #1 · ~15.0 mi NE · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletHawley Creek Upper Campground · ~15.1 mi NW · USFS
Open By Sign elsewhere
Other camps near By Sign
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sign~2.3 mi
- Back In Trees~2.5 mi
- Coyote Lake~2.6 mi
- Aspens Hidden~3.0 mi
The unit that manages By Sign
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at By Sign are set by Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Beagle Springs at 8,880 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 1,055 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 — By Sign
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 By Sign
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 — By Sign
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →Picking a spot →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 →