Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Gadbolt
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.01334, -94.59334
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 Gadbolt
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,390 ft.
Fire & smoke — around GadboltNIFC · 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 Gadbolt · Chippewa National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- LLaundry6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- WWater12 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- EVEV fast charger33 mi
- PPropane36 mi
- DDump36 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 33-mi run (and back).
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 — Gadbolt
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,390 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.01334, -94.59334
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Gadbolt · Chippewa National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWalker · ~5.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Groceriesnone within 30 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from Gadbolt · Chippewa National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger33.4 mi straight-line N — Bemidji · CHARGELAB · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 6 within 50 · 29 within 100 · 137 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)36.2 mi — Bemidji, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Bemidji
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.6 mi — Hackensack Municipal Parking Lot (at a parking lot) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-02-12 · 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 455704 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Gadbolt · Chippewa National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomBig Bass Island - W68 · ~1.3 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletShingobee - Nct W50 · ~2.4 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletShingobee River · ~3.1 mi NW · USFS
- RestroomWoodtick Impoundment - Nct W90 · ~4.0 mi E · USFS
Open Gadbolt elsewhere
Other camps near Gadbolt
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Big Bass Island - W68~1.3 mi
- Chippewa National Forest Dispersed Site~2.4 mi
- Shingobee - Nct W50~2.4 mi
- Little Bass Island - W13~2.8 mi
The unit that manages Gadbolt
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Gadbolt are set by Chippewa National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Gadbolt
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 Gadbolt
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 — Gadbolt
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →