Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.50294, -111.02110
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 Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,006 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161NIFC · 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 Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- EVEV fast charger12 mi
- WWater12 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- DDump46 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 — Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,006 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.50294, -111.02110
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureHyalite Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townGallatin Gateway · ~10.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.0 mi
- FuelExxon · ~12.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesBozeman Market & Deli · ~10.8 mi
- PharmacyRosauers Pharmacy · ~11.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicBozeman Deaconess Hospital · ~11.5 mi
- HardwareCeramica · ~12.1 mi
EV charging — from Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.8 mi straight-line N — Audi of Bozeman · EV Connect · CHAdeMO, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach9 within 25 mi · 11 within 50 · 23 within 100 · 45 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)13.4 mi — Bozeman, MT, Bozeman
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.4 mi — MSU BOZEMAN AIH · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 168410 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBlackmore · ~2.1 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomLangohr · ~2.1 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWest Shore · ~2.4 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHyalite Day Use · ~2.4 mi SE · USFS
Open Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161 elsewhere
Other camps near Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Forest Rd 6230~0.3 mi
- Fr 1046 Langhor Road 124~0.5 mi
- Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 6235 162~0.5 mi
- Fr 1046 Langhor Road 126~0.5 mi
The unit that manages Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161 are set by Custer Gallatin National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Lick Creek at 6,880 ft, about 3 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 — Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
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 Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
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 — Fr 6963 Cottonwood Ridge 161
Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Camping with a dog →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 →