Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 46.21516, -112.60555
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 Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,444 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Dry Cottonwood Creek-001NIFC · 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 Dry Cottonwood Creek-001 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- GGrocery14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- +Urgent care15 mi
- MMechanic15 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- DDump18 mi
- PPropane40 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 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 — Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,444 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
46.21516, -112.60555
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Dry Cottonwood Creek-001 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townLeadville · ~7.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.1 mi
- FuelConoco · ~16.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesDancing Rainbow Natural Grocery · ~14.4 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~16.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicMontana State Hospital · ~9.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~16.4 mi
EV charging — from Dry Cottonwood Creek-001 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger14.3 mi straight-line S — Flying J Town Pump (Butte, 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 reach4 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 24 within 100 · 36 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)14.5 mi — Butte, MT - Grizzly Trail - Tesla Supercharger, Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO39.0 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.3 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 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 170364 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Dry Cottonwood Creek-001 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletOrofino Campground · ~3.1 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletOrofino Picnic Area · ~3.1 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWhitehouse Campground · ~6.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLowland Campground · ~7.1 mi SE · USFS
Open Dry Cottonwood Creek-001 elsewhere
Other camps near Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Peterson Creek-003~2.5 mi
- Peterson Creek-002~2.7 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #723~3.0 mi
- Orofino Campground~3.1 mi
The unit that manages Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Dry Cottonwood Creek-001 are set by Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
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 Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
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 — Dry Cottonwood Creek-001
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →First-night troubleshooting →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 →