Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Lake Trail Head
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.42733, -112.90614
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 Lake Trail Head
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,140 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lake Trail HeadNIFC · 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 Lake Trail Head · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery10 mi
- WWater10 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- DDump19 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- +Urgent care42 mi
- EVEV fast charger42 mi
- RxPharmacy43 mi
- ShShower43 mi
- HHardware43 mi
- AAir-up43 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 42-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 — Lake Trail Head
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
7,140 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.42733, -112.90614
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Lake Trail Head · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureDeerhead Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCoolidge · ~7.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMelrose Bar and Station · ~17.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~19.3 mi
- GroceriesMa Barnes country market · ~9.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicBarrett Hospital & Healthcare · ~20.0 mi
EV charging — from Lake Trail Head · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger42.4 mi straight-line N — Butte, MT - Grizzly Trail - Tesla Supercharger (at a rest stop) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 4 within 50 · 19 within 100 · 43 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS42.7 mi — Flying J Town Pump (Butte, MT), Butte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO92.0 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.9 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 327427 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lake Trail Head · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletDinner Station Campground · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen Picnic Area · ~2.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBirch Creek Cabin · ~2.6 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCoolidge · ~7.7 mi NW · USFS
Open Lake Trail Head elsewhere
Other camps near Lake Trail Head
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Dinner Station Campground~0.2 mi
- Aspens Down~1.5 mi
- Boy Scout Flat Dispersed Site~3.0 mi
- Turnaround~4.0 mi
The unit that manages Lake Trail Head
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lake Trail Head 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 Mule Creek at 8,300 ft, about 3 miles away. It sits about 1,160 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 — Lake Trail Head
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 Lake Trail Head
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 — Lake Trail Head
Winter vs summer roads →Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Power off-grid →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 →