Agency-listedUSFSFree
Nelson Creek Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · ID · 45.83345, -115.98065
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 Nelson Creek Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,241 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Nelson Creek 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 Nelson Creek Campground · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater5 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- MMechanic9 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- DDump60 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — Nelson Creek Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,241 ft
State
ID
Coordinates
45.83345, -115.98065
Cost
Free · OpenStreetMap fee tag: no
Nearby & resupply — around Nelson Creek Campground · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBivouac Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townMount Idaho · ~6.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~5.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~8.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesCash & Carry Market · ~9.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicSyringa Hospital & Clinics · ~9.6 mi
- HardwareAce Home Center · ~9.2 mi
EV charging — from Nelson Creek Campground · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.2 mi straight-line N — GRANGEVILLE KOOSKIA 1 · 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 reach3 within 25 mi · 4 within 50 · 19 within 100 · 100 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)62.9 mi — Lewiston, ID - Tesla Supercharger, Lewiston
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.6 mi — Super 8 by Wyndham Grangeville - Tesla Destination (at a hotel) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 3 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 450760 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Nelson Creek Campground · Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCastle Creek · ~0.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Fork · ~1.0 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMcallister · ~2.4 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMeadow Creek · ~2.5 mi E · USFS
Open Nelson Creek Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Nelson Creek Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Jungle Creek Campground~0.2 mi
- Castle Creek~0.7 mi · fee
- South Fork~1.0 mi · fee
- USFS dispersed camp — ID #175~1.6 mi
The unit that manages Nelson Creek Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Nelson Creek Campground are set by Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Nelson Creek Campground
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Nelson Creek 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 — Nelson Creek Campground
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →