Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Forest Rd 1209
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 44.75662, -111.61877
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 Forest Rd 1209
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,725 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Forest Rd 1209NIFC · 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 Forest Rd 1209 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater14 mi
- FFuel17 mi
- GGrocery22 mi
- @Mail23 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- HHardware26 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- EVEV fast charger26 mi
- DDump26 mi
- OOutfitter26 mi
- +Urgent care44 mi
- RxPharmacy55 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 17 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 — Forest Rd 1209
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,725 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
44.75662, -111.61877
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Forest Rd 1209 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMeridian Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCliff Lake · ~7.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~16.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~26.2 mi
- GroceriesRobins Roost · ~21.7 mi
EV charging — from Forest Rd 1209 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger26.1 mi straight-line SE — Island Park City Offices (at a municipal building) · Non-Networked · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-08-12 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 7 within 50 · 31 within 100 · 52 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)26.5 mi — West Yellowstone, MT - Tesla Supercharger, West Yellowstone
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)23.3 mi — SpringHill Suites Island Park Yellowstone · Blink Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.48 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 316912 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Forest Rd 1209 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCliff Point Campground · ~3.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHilltop Campground · ~3.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWade Lake Campground · ~4.3 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWade Lake Day Use · ~4.4 mi NE · USFS
Open Forest Rd 1209 elsewhere
Other camps near Forest Rd 1209
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Forest Rd 9640~0.7 mi
- Forest Rd 9640~1.1 mi
- Forest Rd 1209~1.6 mi
- Forest Rd 8378~1.8 mi
The unit that manages Forest Rd 1209
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Forest Rd 1209 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 Tepee Creek at 7,950 ft, about 5 miles away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Forest Rd 1209
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 Forest Rd 1209
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 — Forest Rd 1209
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →Gear & rig loadout →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 →