Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Mud Lake-001
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.06601, -109.90484
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 Mud Lake-001
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 9,302 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Mud Lake-001NIFC · 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 Mud Lake-001 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- WWater4 mi
- HHardware33 mi
- MMechanic33 mi
- OOutfitter33 mi
- DDump36 mi
- LLaundry37 mi
- ShShower37 mi
- +Urgent care39 mi
- EVEV fast charger39 mi
- RxPharmacy52 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 39-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 — Mud Lake-001
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
9,302 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
45.06601, -109.90484
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Mud Lake-001 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMud Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCooke City · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.6 mi
- FuelSinclair · ~3.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesCooke City Exxon · ~3.5 mi
EV charging — from Mud Lake-001 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger39.2 mi straight-line W — Gardiner, MT (at a public site) · RIVIAN_ADVENTURE · 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 · 2 within 50 · 21 within 100 · 42 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)53.3 mi — Big Timber, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Big Timber
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO41.8 mi — GARDSINCLAIR DC FAST LEVEL 3, Gardiner
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)36.6 mi — Yellowstone National Park - Rhyolite Lodge, Canyon, WY (at a national park) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-01-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — City of Red Lodge - Tesla Destination, Red Lodge, 33.2 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Super 8 by Wyndham - Cooke City, Cooke City, 3.4 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for guest use only; see front desk for access · 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 391213 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Mud Lake-001 · Custer Gallatin National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletColter · ~2.7 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSoda Butte · ~3.0 mi S · USFS
- RestroomNEV036S - Vault Toilet, Northeast Entrance · ~6.6 mi SW · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletFox Creek · ~7.1 mi SE · USFS
Open Mud Lake-001 elsewhere
Other camps near Mud Lake-001
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Goose-003~0.4 mi
- Round Lake-004~0.5 mi
- Goose-002~0.5 mi
- Round Lake-007~0.7 mi
The unit that manages Mud Lake-001
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Mud Lake-001 are set by Custer Gallatin National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is White Mill at 8,730 ft, about a mile away. It sits about 572 ft lower 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 — Mud Lake-001
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 Mud Lake-001
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 — Mud Lake-001
Camping at altitude →When the high country opens →Winter vs summer roads →Gear & rig loadout →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 →