Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Polecreek02
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 46.45460, -111.73493
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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 Polecreek02
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,611 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Polecreek02NIFC · 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 Polecreek02 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- DDump10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- WWater17 mi
- AAir-up49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Polecreek02
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,611 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
46.45460, -111.73493
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Polecreek02 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWinston · ~3.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~10.1 mi
- GroceriesHeritage Food Store · ~12.3 mi
- PharmacyBergum Drug · ~15.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicBillings Clinic Broadwater · ~13.9 mi
- HardwareHardware Hanke · ~13.9 mi
EV charging — from Polecreek02 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.9 mi straight-line NW — L146 DC 2, Helena, 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 reach4 within 25 mi · 6 within 50 · 20 within 100 · 33 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)17.2 mi — Helena, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.1 mi — Silos's Junction - Tesla Destination, Townsend, MT · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 2 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 354437 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Polecreek02 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSilos Campground - Precast Single Vault Restroom 1 Building · ~8.1 mi E · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletSilos Campground - Precast Single Vault Restroom 2 Building · ~8.1 mi E · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletSilos Campground - Precast Double Vault Restroom Building · ~8.2 mi E · BoR
- Vault / pit toiletSilos Campground - Precast Single Vault Restroom 4 Building · ~8.3 mi E · BoR
Open Polecreek02 elsewhere
Other camps near Polecreek02
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Weasel Rd 405 002~1.6 mi
- Weasel Rd 405 005~3.7 mi
- Crystal Creek Rd 4017~4.1 mi
- Crystal Creek Rd 4017 004~4.2 mi
The unit that manages Polecreek02
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Polecreek02 are set by Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Tizer Basin at 6,880 ft, about 9 miles away. It sits about 1,269 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 — Polecreek02
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 Polecreek02
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 — Polecreek02
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →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 →