Mapped · not agency-listedPublic land · dispersedFree
Sonderson Meadow Dispersed Camping
Drive-up · public land · MT · 48.83203, -114.34077
A mapped lead, not an agency listing. Somebody marked this as a campsite; we could not match it to a land-manager record. Worth checking rather than counting on. 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 3,643 ft.
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
- @Mail22 mi
- FFuel22 mi
- GGrocery22 mi
- DDump25 mi
- WWater27 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- OOutfitter28 mi
- +Urgent care29 mi
- HHardware29 mi
- MMechanic30 mi
- RxPharmacy32 mi
- PPropane58 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 27-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 22 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
public land · dispersed
Elevation
3,643 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
48.83203, -114.34077
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMoose Creek (river) · nearby
- Nearest townFord · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelOlney Gas Pumps · ~22.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~25.4 mi
- GroceriesOlney Store · ~22.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicKahler Chiropractic Health Center · ~29.1 mi
- HardwareACE Nelson's Hardware · ~29.2 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSchnaus Cabin · ~0.7 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFord River Access · ~3.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPolebridge River Access · ~4.3 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomWLD North Fork Polebridge Bldg 1842 Vault Toilet · ~4.4 mi SE · NPS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Red Meadow Lake Campground~11.5 mi
- Moose Lake Campground~14.2 mi
- Pnt03 Tr74 Site 3~16.8 mi
- Tr74 Site 2~17.3 mi
How we know this
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
Field check
Contributed, not agency-listed. A mapper marked this as a campsite. We have not matched it to a land-manager record, so it stays at Likely.
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 →