Agency-listedUSFSFree
Independence Lakes Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 42.21827, -113.67436
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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 Independence Lakes Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,744 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Independence Lakes CgNIFC · 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 Lakes Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel9 mi
- WWater9 mi
- DDump10 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- GGrocery17 mi
- @Mail17 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- EVEV fast charger23 mi
- RxPharmacy23 mi
- +Urgent care28 mi
- OOutfitter40 mi
- LLaundry57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Independence Lakes Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,744 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
42.21827, -113.67436
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Independence Lakes Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townElba · ~6.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~9.0 mi
- FuelTracy General Store · ~8.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~9.8 mi
- GroceriesBake Central · ~16.7 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~22.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicCassia Regional Hospital · ~22.5 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~21.8 mi
EV charging — from Independence Lakes Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger22.7 mi straight-line N — Burley, ID - Pomerelle Ave - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 9 within 50 · 35 within 100 · 142 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS24.4 mi — Burley, ID, Burley
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO47.5 mi — VOLVO CAR USA TWIN FALLS DC1, Twin Falls
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)24.4 mi — Burley, ID - Rivergate Crossings (at a public site) · RIVIAN_WAYPOINTS · 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 328516 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Independence Lakes Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletIndependence Lakes Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletIndependence Trailhead · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomRestroom · ~6.4 mi S · NPS
- RestroomRestroom · ~6.5 mi S · NPS
Open Independence Lakes Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Independence Lakes Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Twin Lakes Campground~7.4 mi
- Lake Cleveland Cg~7.5 mi · fee
- Thompson Flat Cg~8.0 mi · fee
- Bennett Springs Cg~8.5 mi
The unit that manages Independence Lakes Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Independence Lakes Cg are set by Sawtooth National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Howell Canyon at 8,010 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 266 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 Lakes Cg
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review || Water: Sawtooth National Forest's own site page for Independence Lakes Campground, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/sawtooth/recreation/independence-lakes-campground (read 2026-08-24; page "Last updated" May 21, 2025), "Facility and Amenity Information > Water": "Potable water is not available at this site.". Corroborated by the USFS EDW Recreation Sites layer (apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_RecInfraRecreationSites_02/MapServer/0, re-queried live 2026-08-24 for SITE_ID 7846 / MANAGING_ORG 041401), WATER_AVAILABILITY = "No drinking water is available". No natural water anywhere near this site is claimed to be potable. Agency record only -- not field-verified. Nightshift fire 1680 (Idaho batch 2).
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 Lakes Cg
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 Lakes Cg
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Camping near a reservoir →Leave no trace →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 →