Agency-listedUSFSFree
Josephus Lake Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 44.54890, -115.14265
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 Josephus Lake Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,025 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Josephus Lake CampgroundNIFC · 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 Josephus Lake Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel25 mi
- GGrocery25 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- LLaundry30 mi
- @Mail33 mi
- WWater43 mi
- HHardware44 mi
- MMechanic44 mi
- RxPharmacy44 mi
- OOutfitter44 mi
- +Urgent care45 mi
- DDump48 mi
- EVEV fast charger53 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 43-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 25 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 53-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 — Josephus Lake Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,025 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
44.54890, -115.14265
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Josephus Lake Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSulphur Creek (stream) · nearby
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesMountain Village Mercantile · ~25.2 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 Josephus Lake Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger53.0 mi straight-line NW — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 1 · ChargePoint Network · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 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 · none within 50 · 34 within 100 · 52 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO53.0 mi — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 4, McCall
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)22.0 mi — Stanley RV and Camp (at a campground) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-10-13 · 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 325580 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Josephus Lake Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletDagger Falls Campground · ~7.2 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBoundary Creek Campground Complex · ~7.5 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMiddle Fork Trailhead · ~7.9 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMarsh Creek Transfer Camp Trailhead · ~9.7 mi S · USFS
Open Josephus Lake Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Josephus Lake Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Dagger Falls Campground~7.2 mi · fee
- Boundary Creek Campground Complex~7.5 mi · fee
- Beaver Creek Campground~9.2 mi · fee
- Lola Creek Campground~10.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Josephus Lake Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Josephus Lake Campground are set by Salmon-Challis National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Josephus Lake Campground
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
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 Josephus Lake Campground
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 — Josephus Lake Campground
Winter vs summer roads →Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →First-night troubleshooting →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 →