Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Road 196B-01
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 47.33816, -112.55849
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
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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 camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater8 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- HHardware27 mi
- FFuel27 mi
- GGrocery27 mi
- RxPharmacy33 mi
- MMechanic33 mi
- OOutfitter36 mi
- LLaundry37 mi
- +Urgent care37 mi
- ShShower43 mi
- DDump44 mi
- PPropane54 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 27 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
MT
Coordinates
47.33816, -112.55849
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townUpper Ellis Place · ~10.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~8.1 mi
- FuelCenex · ~27.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesAllen's Manix Store · ~13.3 mi
- HardwareGrizzly Home Center · ~27.0 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletElk Creek Th · ~2.3 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDearborn River Recreation Site - Vault Toilet #1 · ~5.1 mi SE · BLM
- Vault / pit toiletDearborn Th · ~5.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSmith Creek Th · ~6.1 mi NW · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Road 196C-02~0.2 mi
- Road 196A-01~0.3 mi
- Road 8974B-04~1.7 mi
- Road 8974B-01~1.8 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this
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).
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
A land record can put you within a few metres 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
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →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 →