Agency-listedUSFSFee
Cook Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WY · 44.59452, -104.41186
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 Cook Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,859 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cook 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 Cook Lake · Black Hills National Forest · WY
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- WWater15 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- EVEV fast charger26 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- HHardware28 mi
- +Urgent care28 mi
- RxPharmacy28 mi
- DDump28 mi
- ShShower28 mi
- AAir-up57 mi
- OOutfitter58 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 — Cook Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,859 ft
State
WY
Coordinates
44.59452, -104.41186
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Cook Lake · Black Hills National Forest · WY (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHulett · ~11.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelTower Valley Ag · ~11.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationVisitor Center Dump Station · ~28.1 mi
- GroceriesTower Valley Ag · ~11.1 mi
- PharmacyLynn's Dakotamart Pharmacy · ~27.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicBelle Fourche Physical Therapy · ~27.8 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~27.7 mi
EV charging — from Cook Lake · Black Hills National Forest · WY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger26.1 mi straight-line E — Spearfish, SD - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 16 within 100 · 25 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS34.4 mi — ELKHORNRIDGE EV 1, Spearfish
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO34.4 mi — ELKHORNRIDGE EV 1, Spearfish
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.1 mi — Powder River Energy Corp, Sundance, WY (at a street parking) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-05-12 · 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 102412 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cook Lake · Black Hills National Forest · WY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCook Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCook Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBearlodge · ~5.9 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomSundance · ~10.9 mi S · USFS
Open Cook Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Cook Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bearlodge~5.9 mi · fee
- Sundance Horse Camp~10.9 mi
- Reuter~11.6 mi · fee
The unit that manages Cook Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cook Lake are set by Black Hills National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Cole Canyon at 5,930 ft, about 7 miles away. It sits about 1,071 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 — Cook 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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
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 Cook 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 — Cook Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →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 →