Agency-listedUSFSFree
Mcdonald Flat Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 45.03413, -114.29825
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 Mcdonald Flat Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,404 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Mcdonald Flat 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 Mcdonald Flat Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater22 mi
- FFuel22 mi
- LLaundry22 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- @Mail22 mi
- GGrocery22 mi
- +Urgent care22 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- ShShower23 mi
- DDump28 mi
- RxPharmacy36 mi
- EVEV fast charger81 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 22-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 22 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 81-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 — Mcdonald Flat Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,404 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
45.03413, -114.29825
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Mcdonald Flat Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featurePanther Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest towntown · ~13.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~22.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~27.5 mi
- GroceriesAlco Discount Store · ~22.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicSteele Memorial Medical Center · ~22.0 mi
EV charging — from Mcdonald Flat Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger81.1 mi straight-line E — Dell Mercantile (Dell, MT) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 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 · none within 50 · 7 within 100 · 55 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)88.1 mi — Lima, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Lima
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO88.3 mi — MCCALL CHARGEPO MC CHARGE 2, McCall
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)64.6 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 121712 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Mcdonald Flat Campground · Salmon-Challis National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMcdonald Flat Campground · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams Creek Picnic Area · ~12.8 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams Lake Vault Toilet 1 · ~16.3 mi E · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletWilliams Lake Vault Toilet 2 · ~16.3 mi E · BLM
Open Mcdonald Flat Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Mcdonald Flat Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Deep Creek Campground~7.4 mi
- Trapper Flat Camping Area~8.8 mi
- Beagle Creek Camping Area~9.2 mi
- Iron Lake Campground~10.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Mcdonald Flat Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Mcdonald Flat Campground are set by Salmon-Challis National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Morgan Creek at 7,620 ft, about 13 miles away. It sits about 2,216 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 — Mcdonald Flat 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 Mcdonald Flat 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 — Mcdonald Flat Campground
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Picking a spot →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 →