Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Gravel Pile
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.32804, -113.56951
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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 Gravel Pile
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,980 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Gravel PileNIFC · 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 Gravel Pile · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery8 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- FFuel19 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- WWater25 mi
- DDump41 mi
- HHardware57 mi
- EVEV fast charger59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 25-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 59-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 — Gravel Pile
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,980 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.32804, -113.56951
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Gravel Pile · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLower Miner Lakes (water) · nearby
- Nearest townJackson · ~8.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMobil · ~18.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesSaveway Market · ~18.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicSteele Memorial Medical Center · ~19.0 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~18.7 mi
EV charging — from Gravel Pile · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger59.4 mi straight-line SE — Dell Mercantile (Dell, MT) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · none within 50 · 6 within 100 · 52 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)65.8 mi — Butte, MT - Grizzly Trail - Tesla Supercharger, Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO109.9 mi — Walmart 3259 (Missoula, MT), Missoula
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)46.0 mi — UMW #1 STATION 1, Dillon, MT · 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 121712 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Gravel Pile · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMiner Lake Campground · ~0.8 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Van Houten Campground · ~7.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Van Houten Campground · ~7.4 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGeertson Creek Trail Shelter Vault Toilet · ~7.7 mi SW · BLM
Open Gravel Pile elsewhere
Other camps near Gravel Pile
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Blown Over Stumps~0.1 mi
- Snoopy~0.1 mi
- Miner Lake Campground~0.8 mi · fee
- Water Truck~1.0 mi
The unit that manages Gravel Pile
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Gravel Pile 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 Slagamelt Lakes at 8,600 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 1,620 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 — Gravel Pile
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 Gravel Pile
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 — Gravel Pile
Winter vs summer roads →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this page →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 →