Agency-listedUSFSFree
Picnic Spring
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · SD · 45.87322, -103.48501
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 Picnic Spring
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,254 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Picnic SpringNIFC · 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 Picnic Spring · Custer Gallatin National Forest · SD
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery20 mi
- FFuel21 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- @Mail22 mi
- MMechanic31 mi
- RxPharmacy51 mi
- LLaundry51 mi
- DDump51 mi
- +Urgent care51 mi
- EVEV fast charger78 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: fuel & food sit about 20 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 78-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Water, 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 — Picnic Spring
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,254 ft
State
SD
Coordinates
45.87322, -103.48501
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Picnic Spring · Custer Gallatin National Forest · SD (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelConoco · ~20.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesSuper Valu · ~20.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~21.6 mi
EV charging — from Picnic Spring · Custer Gallatin National Forest · SD — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger78.4 mi straight-line NE — Dickinson, ND - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · 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 reachnone within 25 mi · none within 50 · 4 within 100 · 35 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS97.8 mi — ELKHORNRIDGE EV 1, Spearfish
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO97.8 mi — ELKHORNRIDGE EV 1, Spearfish
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)21.8 mi — Bowman Ford Sales & Service (at a car dealership) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-06-06 · 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 163530 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Picnic Spring · Custer Gallatin National Forest · SD — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPicnic Spring · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletReva Gap · ~28.2 mi SE · USFS
Open Picnic Spring elsewhere
Other camps near Picnic Spring
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Picnic Spring Campground~0.2 mi
- North End Rd~24.8 mi
The unit that manages Picnic Spring
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Picnic Spring are set by Custer Gallatin National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Picnic Spring
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 || Water 2026-08-24 (nightshift fire 120): USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse Recreation Sites layer (apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_RecInfraRecreationSites_02/MapServer/0), extract cached locally as data\_mt_water_edw.json, objectid 2368418, site "PICNIC SPRING" (recreation area "PICNIC SPRING"), WATER_AVAILABILITY = "Water can be treated or filtered from nearby water sources". Matched to this camp on coordinates (0.0007 mi from the agency point). Agency record only -- not field-verified, and no natural water here is claimed to be potable.
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 Picnic Spring
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 — Picnic Spring
Water on public land →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 →