Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Elk Butt
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.65480, -113.69863
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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 Elk Butt
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,491 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Elk ButtNIFC · 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 Elk Butt · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- WWater12 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- LLaundry34 mi
- OOutfitter34 mi
- +Urgent care34 mi
- ShShower35 mi
- HHardware35 mi
- RxPharmacy46 mi
- EVEV fast charger58 mi
- DDump60 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 58-mi run (and back).
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 — Elk Butt
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,491 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.65480, -113.69863
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Elk Butt · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWisdom · ~12.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelBig Hole Petroleum · ~12.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesWisdom Market · ~12.3 mi
EV charging — from Elk Butt · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger57.7 mi straight-line NE — Butte, MT - Grizzly Trail - Tesla Supercharger (at a rest stop) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 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 · none within 50 · 13 within 100 · 41 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS57.9 mi — Flying J Town Pump (Butte, MT), Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO86.5 mi — Walmart 3259 (Missoula, MT), Missoula
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)46.4 mi — Hamilton City Hall · EVGATEWAY · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — The Ranch at Rock Creek - Tesla Destination, Philipsburg, 42.4 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 327427 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Elk Butt · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomBLDG - Vault Toilet lower parking lot · ~2.3 mi E · NPS
- RestroomBLDG - BIHO Visitor Center · ~2.8 mi E · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletMay Creek Campground · ~4.1 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMay Creek Cabin · ~6.8 mi W · USFS
Open Elk Butt elsewhere
Other camps near Elk Butt
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- 2 Campers~0.3 mi
- Corner~0.4 mi
- Dog~0.4 mi
- Bitteroot Flowers~1.8 mi
The unit that manages Elk Butt
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Elk Butt 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 Moose Creek at 6,170 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 321 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 — Elk Butt
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 Elk Butt
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 — Elk Butt
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Leave no trace →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 →