Agency-listedUSFSFee
Lower Penstemon Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 42.19661, -114.28251
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 Penstemon Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,629 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lower Penstemon CgNIFC · 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 Penstemon Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel16 mi
- GGrocery16 mi
- @Mail25 mi
- MMechanic25 mi
- HHardware26 mi
- OOutfitter26 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- WWater27 mi
- RxPharmacy27 mi
- EVEV fast charger29 mi
- ShShower33 mi
- DDump34 mi
- LLaundry36 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 27-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 16 mi out.
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 Penstemon Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,629 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
42.19661, -114.28251
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Lower Penstemon Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSinclair Rogerson · ~16.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesRogerson Service · ~16.0 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~27.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicVA Clinic · ~26.5 mi
- HardwareGrover's Pay and Pack · ~25.6 mi
EV charging — from Lower Penstemon Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger28.7 mi straight-line N — L172 PL1 TWIN FALLS · ChargePoint Network · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 10 within 50 · 19 within 100 · 93 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)29.1 mi — Twin Falls, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Twin Falls
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO28.9 mi — VOLVO CAR USA TWIN FALLS DC1, Twin Falls
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.4 mi — Buster's Restaurant & Saloon and RV Park - Tesla Destination, Hollister, ID (at a restaurant) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 434725 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lower Penstemon Cg · Sawtooth National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLower Penstemon Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletUpper Penstemon Cg · ~0.2 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPettit Cg · ~1.0 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDiamondfield Jack Cg · ~1.8 mi S · USFS
Open Lower Penstemon Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Lower Penstemon Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Upper Penstemon Cg~0.2 mi · fee
- Pettit Cg~1.0 mi · fee
- Diamondfield Jack Cg~1.8 mi · fee
- Porcupine Springs Family Campground Loop D~2.3 mi · fee
The unit that manages Lower Penstemon Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lower Penstemon Cg are set by Sawtooth National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Magic Mountain at 6,940 ft, about a mile away. It sits about 311 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 Penstemon Cg
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 2026-08-23: $8 per night, single site; fee envelopes and a collection box are provided near the entrance. The camp's recreation.gov listing (id 234190, LOWER PENSTEMON, 0.10 mi from this pin, current season 2026-05-22 to 2026-09-30) agrees at $8. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/sawtooth/recreation/lower-penstemon-campground (page last updated April 8, 2025).
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 Penstemon Cg
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 Penstemon Cg
Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →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 →