Agency-listedUSFSFee
Lower Paintrock Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WY · 44.39445, -107.38374
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 Lower Paintrock Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,196 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lower Paintrock 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 Lower Paintrock Lake · Bighorn National Forest · WY
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump21 mi
- FFuel25 mi
- GGrocery27 mi
- @Mail27 mi
- WWater30 mi
- OOutfitter32 mi
- LLaundry32 mi
- MMechanic34 mi
- HHardware34 mi
- +Urgent care35 mi
- RxPharmacy35 mi
- EVEV fast charger35 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 30-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 25 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 35-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 — Lower Paintrock Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
9,196 ft
State
WY
Coordinates
44.39445, -107.38374
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Lower Paintrock Lake · Bighorn National Forest · WY (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHyattville · ~15.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelPony Express CONOCO · ~25.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationLeigh Creek RV Dump Station · ~21.1 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~27.2 mi
EV charging — from Lower Paintrock Lake · Bighorn National Forest · WY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger35.3 mi straight-line NE — Sheridan, WY - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 2 within 50 · 8 within 100 · 20 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS36.6 mi — SHERIDAN MOTORS CPE250, Sheridan
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO36.6 mi — SHERIDAN MOTORS CPE250, Sheridan
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)34.3 mi — Fremont Motor Sheridan Ford · Blink Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Shell WY Tesla Chargers - Tesla Destination, Shell, 21.8 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · 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 102520 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lower Paintrock Lake · Bighorn National Forest · WY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLower Paintrock Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMedicine Lodge Lake · ~0.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletEdelman · ~1.1 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBattle Park · ~6.9 mi SE · USFS
Open Lower Paintrock Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Lower Paintrock Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Medicine Lodge Lake~0.5 mi · fee
- Shell Reservoir~8.5 mi
- Alkali Creek Wsa~9.3 mi
- Coffeen Park Campground~11.1 mi
The unit that manages Lower Paintrock Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lower Paintrock Lake are set by Bighorn National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Shell Creek at 9,570 ft, about 8 miles away. It sits about 374 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 — Lower Paintrock 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 2026-08-26: $20 per night for a single site, $40 per night for a double site (sites #1 and #5, 1-16 people). Limit 8 people per site. Two non-towed vehicles are allowed per site; the first is included in the fee and the second is charged extra at the campground, at an amount this page does not publish. There is no recreation.gov listing for this camp. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/bighorn/recreation/lower-paintrock-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 Lower Paintrock 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 — Lower Paintrock Lake
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Getting unstuck →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 →