Agency-listedUSFSFee
Island Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WY · 44.94075, -109.53996
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Island Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,550 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Island LakeNIFC · 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 Island Lake · Shoshone National Forest · WY
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery1 mi
- WWater11 mi
- FFuel20 mi
- @Mail20 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- +Urgent care37 mi
- ShShower37 mi
- DDump37 mi
- RxPharmacy37 mi
- EVEV fast charger37 mi
- LLaundry49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 37-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 — Island Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,550 ft
State
WY
Coordinates
44.94075, -109.53996
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Island Lake · Shoshone National Forest · WY (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~19.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesTop of the World Store · ~1.0 mi
- HardwareRed Lodge True Value · ~22.2 mi
EV charging — from Island Lake · Shoshone National Forest · WY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger37.3 mi straight-line SE — DENNY MENHOLT CHEVROLET BUICK GMC, CODY, WY · EV Connect · 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 · 1 within 50 · 22 within 100 · 34 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)62.8 mi — Laurel, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Laurel
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO60.3 mi — GARDSINCLAIR DC FAST LEVEL 3, Gardiner
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)36.8 mi — Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY (at a museum) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-03-08 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — City of Red Lodge - Tesla Destination, Red Lodge, 22.4 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Super 8 by Wyndham - Cooke City, Cooke City, 19.9 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for guest use only; see front desk for access · 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 330020 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Island Lake · Shoshone National Forest · WY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletIsland Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMorrison Jeep · ~1.7 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBeartooth Lake · ~2.4 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClay Butte Lookout · ~4.2 mi W · USFS
Open Island Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Island Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Beartooth Lake~2.4 mi · fee
- USFS dispersed camp — WY #3~4.2 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — WY #6~4.2 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — WY #8~4.3 mi
The unit that manages Island Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Island Lake are set by Shoshone National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Beartooth Lake at 9,360 ft, about a mile away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Island Lake
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-22: The forest page contradicts itself and there is no third source to break the tie. Its fee table says $25 per night for a single site; the free text immediately below says $20 per night. Both numbers were on the same page the same night, and this campground has no recreation.gov listing. Budget the higher $25 and come prepared to pay with CASH or CHECK. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/shoshone/recreation/island-lake-campground.
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 Island Lake
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 — Island Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →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 →