Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 46.81601, -111.81001
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 Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,997 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson CuaNIFC · 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 Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump6 mi
- WWater12 mi
- FFuel12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- GGrocery13 mi
- MMechanic15 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- +Urgent care17 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- ShShower22 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,997 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
46.81601, -111.81001
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townNelson · ~0.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~12.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~6.2 mi
- GroceriesBob's Valley Market · ~12.6 mi
- PharmacyBergum Drug · ~18.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicBenefits Helena Northeast · ~16.7 mi
- HardwareProtech Steel · ~13.6 mi
EV charging — from Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.6 mi straight-line SW — Helena, MT - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 4 within 50 · 18 within 100 · 32 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS16.8 mi — Target T1282 (Helena, MT), Helena
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.4 mi — L146 DC 2, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.2 mi — Mountain View Park, Helena, MT · EVGATEWAY · J1772 · 4 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 163997 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletHunters Gulch Trailhead · ~0.4 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMissouri River Fishing Access Site · ~4.8 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCoulter Campground · ~5.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMeriwether Picnic Area · ~5.7 mi NW · USFS
Open Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua elsewhere
Other camps near Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lbeaver01B~3.3 mi
- Lbeaver01D~3.4 mi
- Lbeaver02~3.4 mi
- Lbeaver03~3.5 mi
The unit that manages Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua are set by Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
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 — Missouri River/Jim Ball Gfa - Nelson Cua
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Reading the aerial →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 →