Agency-listedUSFSFee
Mcdonald Flats Cg
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · CO · 39.84908, -106.23708
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 Mcdonald Flats Cg
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,959 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Mcdonald Flats 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 Mcdonald Flats Cg · White River National Forest · CO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery4 mi
- WWater12 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- AAir-up16 mi
- @Mail17 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- PPropane18 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- ShShower19 mi
- +Urgent care19 mi
- DDump23 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
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 Flats Cg
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,959 ft
State
CO
Coordinates
39.84908, -106.23708
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Mcdonald Flats Cg · White River National Forest · CO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHeeney · ~4.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMaverik · ~16.3 mi
- Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~17.6 mi
- Dump station~23.4 mi
- GroceriesMaster Bait and Tackle · ~3.9 mi
- PharmacyKremmling Mercantile · ~16.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicThe Steadman Clinic & Steadman Philippon Research Institute · ~19.4 mi
- HardwareRed Mountain Storage · ~15.9 mi
EV charging — from Mcdonald Flats Cg · White River National Forest · CO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.2 mi straight-line SW — VAIL PARKING PL1 · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach26 within 25 mi · 57 within 50 · 365 within 100 · 457 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)16.2 mi — VAIL PARKING PL3, Vail
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)15.3 mi — VRC OVERFLOW RIGHT, Vail, CO · 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 308212 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Mcdonald Flats Cg · White River National Forest · CO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletMcdonald Flats Cg · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPrairie Point · ~0.5 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCow Creek North · ~3.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCataract Creek · ~3.8 mi W · USFS
Open Mcdonald Flats Cg elsewhere
Other camps near Mcdonald Flats Cg
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Prairie Point~0.5 mi · fee
- Cow Creek South~3.0 mi · fee
- Cow Creek North~3.5 mi · fee
- Cataract Creek~3.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Mcdonald Flats Cg
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Mcdonald Flats Cg are set by White River National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Summit Ranch at 9,350 ft, about 10 miles away. It sits about 1,391 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 Flats 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 2026-08-22: $23 per single site per night. Caveat: single-source figure on a page whose own timestamp is Jun 6 2025, with no recreation.gov listing to cross-check, so it may not reflect a 2026 increase. Dillon Ranger District, White River NF. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/recreation/mcdonald-flats-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 Mcdonald Flats 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 — Mcdonald Flats Cg
When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Water on public land →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 →