Agency-listedUSFSFreeOpen today
Federal Gulch Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 43.66941, -114.15221
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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.
Can I go now? — Federal Gulch Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID
Open today Season May 1 – Oct 31. Closes after Oct 31. The record adds conditions — read it.
U.S. Forest Service record: “The campground is generally accessible May through October.” Read against the calendar on 2026-09-18; with JavaScript your browser re-checks it against today.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Federal Gulch Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,798 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Federal Gulch 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 Federal Gulch Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- WWater11 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- FFuel13 mi
- EVEV fast charger13 mi
- MMechanic14 mi
- HHardware25 mi
- +Urgent care39 mi
- DDump43 mi
- LLaundry51 mi
- ShShower51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 mi out.
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 — Federal Gulch Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,798 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
43.66941, -114.15221
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Federal Gulch Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~13.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesVillage Market · ~10.5 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~10.6 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware - Rancher's Supply · ~25.3 mi
EV charging — from Federal Gulch Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.2 mi straight-line SW — Hailey, ID (at a public site) · RIVIAN_ADVENTURE · CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 21 within 100 · 70 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)14.6 mi — Bellevue, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Bellevue
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO13.2 mi — ANNEX EVCS BLAINE COUNTY 1, Hailey
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.3 mi — Sun Valley Resort - Tesla Destination (at a hotel) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 398508 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Federal Gulch Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletFederal Gulch Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSawmill Cg · ~0.5 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPioneer Cabin Trailhead · ~6.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBoundary Picnic Area · ~9.3 mi NW · USFS
Open Federal Gulch Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Federal Gulch Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sawmill Cg~0.5 mi
- Little Wood River Wilderness Study Area~9.2 mi
- Boundary~9.3 mi · fee
- Wildhorse Campground~11.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Federal Gulch Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Federal Gulch Cg are set by Sawtooth National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Hyndman at 7,590 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 792 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 — Federal Gulch Cg
Open season
The campground is generally accessible May through October.
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review || Water: Sawtooth National Forest's own site page for Federal Gulch Campground and Trailhead, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/sawtooth/recreation/federal-gulch-campground-and-trailhead (read 2026-08-24; page "Last updated" April 14, 2026), "Facility and Amenity Information > Water": "Potable water is not available at this site.". Page also states: No potable water is provided at Federal Gulch Campground or within the East Fork Big Wood River drainage. Corroborated by the USFS EDW Recreation Sites layer (apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_RecInfraRecreationSites_02/MapServer/0, re-queried live 2026-08-24 for SITE_ID 07676 / MANAGING_ORG 041403), WATER_AVAILABILITY = "No drinking water is available". Page "Seasons of Use": "The campground is generally accessible May through October." -- that is the season of the SITE, not a statement about when the water is turned on. NOTE ON THE MATCH: our lead is named "Federal Gulch Cg" and the forest's page is titled "Federal Gulch Campground and Trailhead" -- the two were joined on coordinates (0.001 mi apart), not on the name. No natural water anywhere near this site is claimed to be potable. Agency record only -- not field-verified. Nightshift fire 1680 (Idaho batch 2).
Season
Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.
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 Federal Gulch 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
- 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 — Federal Gulch Cg
Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →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 →