Agency-listedUSFSFree
Murphy Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 48.73973, -114.86124
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 Murphy Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,003 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Murphy LakeNIFC · 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 Murphy Lake · Kootenai National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- DDump18 mi
- WWater21 mi
- +Urgent care33 mi
- OOutfitter33 mi
- HHardware33 mi
- EVEV fast charger35 mi
- RxPharmacy40 mi
- ShShower43 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 21-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 35-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 — Murphy Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,003 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
48.73973, -114.86124
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Murphy Lake · Kootenai National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLaughing Water Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townAnt Flat · ~1.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelConoco · ~1.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~17.7 mi
- GroceriesFortine Mercantile · ~1.6 mi
EV charging — from Murphy Lake · Kootenai National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger34.6 mi straight-line SE — TOWN PUMP WF#2 STA 1, Whitefish, MT · 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 11 within 100 · 66 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)42.3 mi — Kalispell, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Kalispell
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)33.0 mi — City of Whitefish Parking Garage (at a hospital) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-06-06 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — 22 - Tesla Destination, Whitefish, 32.9 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · 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 204514 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Murphy Lake · Kootenai National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Dickey Boat Ramp · ~1.9 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Dickey Lake Beach · ~2.0 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Dickey Lake · ~3.2 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGrave Creek · ~5.6 mi N · USFS
Open Murphy Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Murphy Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Martin Lake~1.2 mi
- North Dickey Lake Campground~1.9 mi · fee
- Deep Side~2.5 mi
- Tr358 Site 1~5.0 mi
The unit that manages Murphy Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Murphy Lake are set by Kootenai National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Stryker Basin at 6,200 ft, about 10 miles away. It sits about 3,197 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 — Murphy Lake
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 Murphy Lake
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 — Murphy Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this page →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 →