Agency-listedUSFSFree
Rocky Branch Shelter #1
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NH · 44.15364, -71.28520
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 Rocky Branch Shelter #1
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,428 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Rocky Branch Shelter #1NIFC · 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 Rocky Branch Shelter #1 · White Mountain National Forest · NH
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater4 mi
- LLaundry4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- ShShower5 mi
- OOutfitter8 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- RxPharmacy12 mi
- EVEV fast charger12 mi
- +Urgent care17 mi
- DDump20 mi
- AAir-up38 mi
- PPropane38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out.
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 — Rocky Branch Shelter #1
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,428 ft
State
NH
Coordinates
44.15364, -71.28520
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Rocky Branch Shelter #1 · White Mountain National Forest · NH (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLower Stairs Brook (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townHart's Location · ~4.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~3.9 mi
- FuelMobil · ~5.0 mi
- Propane / LPGSuburban Propane · ~19.6 mi
- Dump station~20.4 mi
- GroceriesPatch's Deli and Market · ~5.8 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid · ~12.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicMemorial Hospital · ~9.7 mi
- HardwareGorham Hardware · ~17.1 mi
EV charging — from Rocky Branch Shelter #1 · White Mountain National Forest · NH — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger12.5 mi straight-line SE — North Conway, NH - 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 reach5 within 25 mi · 36 within 50 · 259 within 100 · 739 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS18.5 mi — ECODRIVE BCAG 3, Gorham
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO18.5 mi — ECODRIVE BCAG 3, Gorham
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)5.4 mi — Attitash Mountain Village Resort, Glen, NH (at an other entertainment) · AMPUP · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-05-09 · hours: Contact site for information
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — The Notchland Inn - Tesla Destination, Hart's Location, 4.4 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Attitash Mountain Village Resort, Bartlett, 5.5 mi · J1772 · hours: Contact station for hours of availability - 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 203258 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Rocky Branch Shelter #1 · White Mountain National Forest · NH — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomIron Mtn · ~2.6 mi E · USFS
- RestroomWinniweta Falls Trail Parking Lot · ~3.4 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomHutmens Trail Parking Lot · ~3.6 mi NE · USFS
- RestroomDry River Trail Parking Lot · ~4.0 mi W · USFS
Open Rocky Branch Shelter #1 elsewhere
Other camps near Rocky Branch Shelter #1
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Mt Langdon Camping Area~2.7 mi
- Dry River Shelter # 3~5.6 mi
- Fourth Iron Backcountry Site~5.6 mi
- Nauman Tentsite~6.1 mi
The unit that manages Rocky Branch Shelter #1
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Rocky Branch Shelter #1 are set by White Mountain National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Rocky Branch Shelter #1
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
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 Rocky Branch Shelter #1
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 — Rocky Branch Shelter #1
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Leave no trace →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 →