Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Council Lake Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WA · 46.26378, -121.63106
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 Council Lake Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,287 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Council Lake CgNIFC · 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 Council Lake Cg · Gifford Pinchot National Forest · WA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater8 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- DDump19 mi
- MMechanic19 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- @Mail19 mi
- HHardware21 mi
- GGrocery23 mi
- LLaundry23 mi
- PPropane24 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- RxPharmacy37 mi
- AAir-up38 mi
- OOutfitter39 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 19 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 — Council Lake Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,287 ft
State
WA
Coordinates
46.26378, -121.63106
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Council Lake Cg · Gifford Pinchot National Forest · WA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureCouncil Lake (water) · nearby
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.6 mi
- FuelAndy's Valley Services · ~19.1 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~23.2 mi
- Dump station~19.0 mi
- GroceriesFood Mart · ~23.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicRandle Medical Clinic · ~23.4 mi
EV charging — from Council Lake Cg · Gifford Pinchot National Forest · WA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger24.0 mi straight-line N — ESD PACKWOOD DCFC · 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 reach2 within 25 mi · 25 within 50 · 387 within 100 · 644 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)36.7 mi — LC TRANSIT MORTON E-T 1, Morton
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)24.0 mi — ESD PACKWOOD L2 · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port 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 314134 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Council Lake Cg · Gifford Pinchot National Forest · WA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletOlallie Lake Cg · ~1.9 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTakhlakh Lake Cg · ~1.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTakhlakh Day Use Area Pg · ~2.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTwin Falls Group Cg · ~3.8 mi SW · USFS
Open Council Lake Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Council Lake Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Olallie Lake Cg~1.9 mi · fee
- Takhlakh Lake Cg~1.9 mi · fee
- Twin Falls Group Cg~3.8 mi · fee
- Horseshoe Lake Cg~4.5 mi · fee
The unit that manages Council Lake Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Council Lake Cg are set by Gifford Pinchot National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Council Lake Cg
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 Council Lake Cg
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 — Council Lake Cg
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading your camp 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 →