★ Field-verified · Dave's ownUSFSFree
Lolo National Forest
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · Powell County, MT · 47.12409, -113.14646
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on U.S. Forest Service land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
A free campground in Lolo National Forest with vault toilet, fire rings, and picnic tables. Great area for hiking and horseback. While there are a small handful of campsites, the one at this exact location is the best. It's overlooking the river and very peaceful, surrounded by towering conifers, with pine needles for ground cover. The other sites don't have as much charm. No cell service. Enough room for a few vehicles. Strongly recommended.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,154 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail7 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- DDump13 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- WWater24 mi
- PPropane32 mi
- OOutfitter43 mi
- MMechanic43 mi
- RxPharmacy44 mi
- AAir-up44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 24-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 13 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
4,154 ft
County
Powell County, MT
Coordinates
47.12409, -113.14646
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
Yes
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Highly recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMonture Creek Trailhead · ~0.3 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMonture Guard Station · ~0.4 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Nelson Campground Complex · ~11.2 mi E · USFS
- Highway rest areaClearwater · ~13.4 mi SW
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Monture Creek Campground~0.2 mi
- Monture 003~0.4 mi
- Monture 002~0.4 mi
- Monture 001~0.5 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (Powell County, MT). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →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 →