Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Road538-2
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 48.21981, -114.72767
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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 Road538-2
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,897 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Road538-2NIFC · 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 Road538-2 · Flathead National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail8 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- WWater22 mi
- ShShower30 mi
- DDump41 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 22-mi drive, 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 — Road538-2
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,897 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
48.21981, -114.72767
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Road538-2 · Flathead National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townMarion · ~8.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCenex · ~9.1 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~18.7 mi
- GroceriesBitterroot Quick Stop · ~9.1 mi
- PharmacyOsco · ~18.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicKalispell Oral Surgery · ~17.9 mi
- HardwareLowe's · ~18.2 mi
EV charging — from Road538-2 · Flathead National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.5 mi straight-line E — Kalispell Ford - Front Lot - 2000 Rose Crossing · EV Connect · CCS · 7 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach8 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 21 within 100 · 67 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)18.5 mi — Kalispell, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Kalispell
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO20.7 mi — CLARK HYUNDAI SALES CUSTOMER, Kalispell
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)21.1 mi — TOWN PUMP WF#2 STA 5, Whitefish, MT · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Red Lion Hotel Kalispell - Tesla Destination, Kalispell, 19.0 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas 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 314198 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Road538-2 · Flathead National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletAshley Lake North · ~4.9 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAshley Lake Boat · ~5.1 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAshley Lake South Cg · ~7.4 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSylvia Lake Campground · ~9.6 mi NW · USFS
Open Road538-2 elsewhere
Other camps near Road538-2
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Road538-3~1.9 mi
- Road 10236 -1~2.1 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #389~2.2 mi
- Road 10236 -3~2.3 mi
The unit that manages Road538-2
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Road538-2 are set by Flathead National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Hand Creek at 5,030 ft, about 8 miles away. That is about the height of this camp, so it is a fair proxy. 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 — Road538-2
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 Road538-2
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 — Road538-2
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Off-grid communication →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 →