Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree

Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 47.78688, -116.07506

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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

USGS topographic map of Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

Weather outlook — at Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

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Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,649 ft.

Fire & smoke — around Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172JNIFC · 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 Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

FFuel11 mi
GGrocery11 mi
@Mail15 mi
EVEV fast charger17 mi
DDump17 mi
HHardware17 mi
MMechanic17 mi
+Urgent care17 mi
LLaundry23 mi
OOutfitter23 mi
RxPharmacy23 mi
WWater25 mi
PPropane34 mi
ShShower35 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 25-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 11 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 — Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

Access

Drive-up

Land

U.S. Forest Service · dispersed

Elevation

2,649 ft

State

Coordinates

47.78688, -116.07506

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply — around Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID (OpenStreetMap)

Nearest townSmelterville · ~17.6 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelG & G Riverstop · ~11.1 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump station~17.1 mi
GroceriesG & G Riverstop · ~11.1 mi
PharmacyKohal's · ~23.0 mi
Hospital / clinicHospital · ~17.4 mi
HardwareAce Hardware · ~17.1 mi

EV charging — from Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearest public DC fast charger16.8 mi straight-line S — 76 Station - Tesla Supercharger, Kellogg, ID (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-07-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 11 within 50 · 63 within 100 · 92 within 150
Nearest listing CCS17.5 mi — Walmart 4249 (Smelterville, ID), Smelterville
Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.5 mi — Walmart 4249 (Smelterville, ID), Smelterville
Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)33.9 mi — The Coeur D'Alene Resort - Tesla Destination (at a hotel) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Idaho Wildlife Museum - Tesla Destination, Coeur d'Alene, 33.8 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Pricing at the fast charger$0.55 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
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 463501 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Vault / pit toiletDevils Elbow · ~2.2 mi SE · USFS
Vault / pit toiletBig Hank · ~2.9 mi NW · USFS
Vault / pit toiletLittle Guard Lookout · ~3.3 mi E · USFS
Vault / pit toiletKit Price · ~4.5 mi SE · USFS

Open Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J elsewhere

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Other camps near Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

The unit that manages Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J are set by Idaho Panhandle National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.

Idaho Panhandle National Forests →

How we know this — Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

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 Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

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 — Fire Prev. Disp. Site #172J

Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Dispersed camping tips →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 →