Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Cottonwood Creek-003
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 46.35201, -112.56440
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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 Cottonwood Creek-003
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,070 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Cottonwood Creek-003NIFC · 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 Cottonwood Creek-003 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel9 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- WWater15 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
- RxPharmacy24 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- LLaundry24 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- ShShower25 mi
- AAir-up25 mi
- DDump27 mi
- PPropane35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Cottonwood Creek-003
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,070 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
46.35201, -112.56440
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Cottonwood Creek-003 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWater · nearby
- Nearest townLeadville · ~2.8 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.5 mi
- FuelElliston Gas Station · ~15.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesSafeway · ~8.8 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~23.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicDeer Lodge Medical Center · ~8.8 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~23.5 mi
EV charging — from Cottonwood Creek-003 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.7 mi straight-line NW — Sinclair - Tesla Supercharger, Deer Lodge, MT (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 26 within 100 · 38 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS23.8 mi — Flying J Town Pump (Butte, MT), Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO31.5 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.0 mi — JD Self Service Storage, Deer Lodge, MT (at an office building) · AMPUP · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-12-13 · hours: Contact site for information
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.56 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 466520 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Cottonwood Creek-003 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletKading Campground · ~6.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletKading Cabin · ~6.7 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletOrofino Campground · ~6.7 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletOrofino Picnic Area · ~6.7 mi S · USFS
Open Cottonwood Creek-003 elsewhere
Other camps near Cottonwood Creek-003
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cottonwood Creek-005~0.2 mi
- Cottonwood Creek-002~0.3 mi
- Cottonwood Creek-001~0.5 mi
- Cottonwood Creek-006~0.7 mi
The unit that manages Cottonwood Creek-003
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Cottonwood Creek-003 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 Rocker Peak at 7,960 ft, about 14 miles away. It sits about 1,890 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 — Cottonwood Creek-003
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 Cottonwood Creek-003
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 — Cottonwood Creek-003
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Power off-grid →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 →