Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Elbow Lookout
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 47.39735, -113.74425
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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 Elbow Lookout
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,281 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Elbow LookoutNIFC · 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 Elbow Lookout · Flathead National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- HHardware19 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- ShShower20 mi
- DDump32 mi
- EVEV fast charger36 mi
- OOutfitter37 mi
- WWater38 mi
- AAir-up38 mi
- PPropane58 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 38-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 12 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 36-mi run (and back).
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 — Elbow Lookout
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,281 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
47.39735, -113.74425
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Elbow Lookout · Flathead National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSwan River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townCondon · ~9.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~11.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesMission Mountains Mercantile · ~11.9 mi
- PharmacySt. Ignatius Tribal Health Pharmacy · ~17.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicRonan Medical Clinic · ~19.1 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~18.7 mi
EV charging — from Elbow Lookout · Flathead National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger35.6 mi straight-line SW — Missoula, MT - Highway 93 North - Tesla Supercharger (at a rest stop) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 7 within 50 · 23 within 100 · 40 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS36.4 mi — CAMPBELL KIA MTKIA 1 ABB, Missoula
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO38.1 mi — Walmart 3259 (Missoula, MT), Missoula
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)26.4 mi — KwaTaqNuk Resort, Polson, MT · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Fox Lane Cottage, Polson, 31.3 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for guest use only · AFDC lists it “Free with room”
- 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 327426 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Elbow Lookout · Flathead National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLindbergh Lake Boat · ~1.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLindbergh Lake Campground · ~1.3 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSwan River · ~3.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Ridge · ~4.4 mi NE · USFS
Open Elbow Lookout elsewhere
Other camps near Elbow Lookout
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- 10732 Lindbergh Area~0.3 mi
- Gated Road 10728~0.4 mi
- Lindbergh Lake Campground~1.0 mi
- Gated Road 9578~1.1 mi
The unit that manages Elbow Lookout
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Elbow Lookout are set by Flathead National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Kraft Creek at 4,770 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 511 ft lower 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 — Elbow Lookout
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 Elbow Lookout
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 — Elbow Lookout
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →