Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Forest Rd 1217
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.44545, -111.97678
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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 Forest Rd 1217
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 8,452 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Forest Rd 1217NIFC · 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 1217 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail10 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- DDump27 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- MMechanic30 mi
- EVEV fast charger35 mi
- HHardware40 mi
- +Urgent care44 mi
- RxPharmacy44 mi
- WWater45 mi
- AAir-up45 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 45-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 11 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 35-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 — Forest Rd 1217
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
8,452 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.44545, -111.97678
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Forest Rd 1217 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBrandon · ~7.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMcCleod Mercantile · ~10.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~26.8 mi
- GroceriesIGA · ~10.7 mi
EV charging — from Forest Rd 1217 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger35.0 mi straight-line E — Big Sky, MT - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 24 within 100 · 46 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS43.9 mi — Ressler Cadillac, Bozeman
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO49.8 mi — Audi of Bozeman, Bozeman
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.6 mi — Virginia City Central Parking Lot (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-05-12 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Norris Hot Springs, Norris, 16.7 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; turned off during the Winter months
- 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 163999 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Forest Rd 1217 · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMill Creek Campground · ~5.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBranham Lakes Campground · ~5.0 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPotosi Campground · ~9.5 mi N · USFS
- RestroomClute'S Landing Toilet · ~13.0 mi E · BLM
Open Forest Rd 1217 elsewhere
Other camps near Forest Rd 1217
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Forest Rd 700~0.9 mi
- Forest Rd 1217~1.0 mi
- Forest Rd 1217~1.1 mi
- Forest Rd 1217~1.4 mi
The unit that manages Forest Rd 1217
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Forest Rd 1217 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 Lower Twin at 7,920 ft, about 5 miles away. It sits about 532 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 — Forest Rd 1217
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 1217
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 1217
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →Picking a spot →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 →