Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Independence
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 47.88737, -116.22300
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 Independence
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,937 ft.
Fire & smoke — around IndependenceNIFC · 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 Independence · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater16 mi
- @Mail17 mi
- DDump17 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- GGrocery18 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- +Urgent care22 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- HHardware24 mi
- OOutfitter28 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- RxPharmacy28 mi
- PPropane30 mi
- ShShower32 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 18 mi out.
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 — Independence
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,937 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
47.88737, -116.22300
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Independence · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHeron · ~16.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelChevron · ~18.0 mi
- Propane / LPGChevron · ~30.0 mi
- Dump station~17.2 mi
- GroceriesMini Market · ~18.0 mi
- PharmacyAlbertsons Pharmacy · ~28.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicNorthwest Speciality Hospital · ~22.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~24.3 mi
EV charging — from Independence · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger23.8 mi straight-line S — Walmart 4249 (Smelterville, ID) · Electrify America · CHAdeMO, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 14 within 50 · 66 within 100 · 93 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)23.9 mi — 76 Station - Tesla Supercharger, Kellogg
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)29.5 mi — Best Western Plus Coeur D'Alene Inn - Tesla Destination · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 123685 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Independence · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMagee · ~3.3 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomMagee Ranger Cabin · ~3.3 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Hank · ~7.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLittle Guard Lookout · ~11.8 mi SE · USFS
Open Independence elsewhere
Other camps near Independence
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Independence Meadow 5~0.1 mi
- Independence Meadow 2A~0.2 mi
- Independence Meadow 2B~0.3 mi
- Fire Prev. Disp. Site #197~0.9 mi
The unit that manages Independence
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Independence are set by Idaho Panhandle National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Mosquito Ridge at 5,270 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 2,333 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 — Independence
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 Independence
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 — Independence
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →