Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Quartz Lookout
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 48.54221, -115.70013
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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 Quartz Lookout
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,268 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Quartz LookoutNIFC · 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 Quartz Lookout · Kootenai National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery7 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- FFuel10 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- WWater19 mi
- EVEV fast charger30 mi
- DDump35 mi
- OOutfitter42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 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 — Quartz Lookout
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
6,268 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
48.54221, -115.70013
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Quartz Lookout · Kootenai National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureRansome Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townTroy · ~10.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMac's Market · ~12.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesStein's Market · ~10.5 mi
- PharmacyNorthwest CHC Pharmacy (Highway 2) · ~13.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicFamily Health and Wellness · ~12.6 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~10.5 mi
EV charging — from Quartz Lookout · Kootenai National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger29.9 mi straight-line W — V.C. STATION BF FAST CHARGER, Bonners Ferry, ID · 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 · 3 within 50 · 47 within 100 · 75 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)66.4 mi — Kalispell, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Kalispell
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)42.0 mi — Best Western Plus, Ponderay, ID (at a hotel) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-11-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Paradise Valley Chalet - Tesla Destination, Bonners Ferry, 28.7 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Kootenai River Outfitters Lodge and Cabins, Troy, 18.8 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for guests use 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 169454 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Quartz Lookout · Kootenai National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLoon Lake · ~4.0 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toilet17 Mile/Quartz Snowmobile Th Sno471 · ~5.4 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBig Horn Boat Ramp · ~6.8 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSurprise Gulch Shooting Range · ~8.4 mi SW · USFS
Open Quartz Lookout elsewhere
Other camps near Quartz Lookout
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #323~3.1 mi
- Rd 4654 Site 1~3.8 mi
- Rd 4445 Camp Site~4.0 mi
- Loon Lake Campground~4.0 mi
The unit that manages Quartz Lookout
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Quartz Lookout 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 Banfield Mountain at 5,580 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 688 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 — Quartz Lookout
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 Quartz Lookout
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 — Quartz Lookout
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →