Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Frank Lake Site 3
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 48.80577, -115.01293
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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 Frank Lake Site 3
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,139 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Frank Lake Site 3NIFC · 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 Frank Lake Site 3 · Kootenai National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- MMechanic4 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- LLaundry6 mi
- DDump10 mi
- WWater17 mi
- +Urgent care38 mi
- HHardware38 mi
- RxPharmacy38 mi
- OOutfitter41 mi
- EVEV fast charger43 mi
- ShShower51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 43-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 — Frank Lake Site 3
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,139 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
48.80577, -115.01293
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Frank Lake Site 3 · Kootenai National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSummerville Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townTobacco · ~2.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.2 mi
- FuelConoco · ~6.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~9.5 mi
- GroceriesHeavens Peak Organics Market · ~6.0 mi
EV charging — from Frank Lake Site 3 · Kootenai National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger42.7 mi straight-line SE — TOWN PUMP WF#2 STA 1, Whitefish, MT · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 11 within 100 · 66 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)50.1 mi — Kalispell, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Kalispell
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)41.2 mi — City of Whitefish Parking Garage (at a hospital) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-06-06 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — 22 - Tesla Destination, Whitefish, 41.1 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 204514 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Frank Lake Site 3 · Kootenai National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletGrave Creek · ~5.9 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCamp 32 · ~8.4 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBirch Creek Recreation Area · ~9.1 mi NE · USFS
- Flush restroomKamloops Terrace · ~9.5 mi NW · USFS
Open Frank Lake Site 3 elsewhere
Other camps near Frank Lake Site 3
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Frank Lake 2~0.2 mi
- Summerville Lake 1~0.3 mi
- Rd 668-Camp~0.4 mi
- Timberlake 2~0.7 mi
The unit that manages Frank Lake Site 3
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Frank Lake Site 3 are set by Kootenai National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Stahl Peak at 6,040 ft, about 10 miles away. It sits about 2,901 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 — Frank Lake Site 3
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 Frank Lake Site 3
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 — Frank Lake Site 3
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Getting unstuck →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 →