Sun River WMA
SEASONAL -- this WMA is open only May 15 to Dec 1; it is CLOSED the rest of the year to protect big-game winter range. Do not plan a winter or early-spring night here. Sun River Wildlife Management Area, managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, FWP Region 4. FWP's own site record lists a designated primitive campsite here and its fee table shows no camping fee. IMPORTANT -- THIS IS NOT FREE LAND, even though the camping itself costs nothing: Montana requires a Conservation License of every person aged 12 and older to use an FWP wildlife management area FOR ANY REASON, not just to hunt or fish. It is $8/year for residents, $10/year for nonresidents ($4 for resident youth 12-17 and seniors 62+). Buy it before you arrive. There is no separate per-night camping fee. Camping is allowed only in areas FWP has designated or marked for it (ARM 12.12.107), for no more than 7 nights in any 30-day period statewide. Primitive: pack in / pack out, no hookups and no drinking water; there is a vault toilet. BEAR COUNTRY -- black and possibly grizzly bears use this area. FWP requires food and attractants stored in a vehicle or a certified bear-resistant container. Carry bear spray. Quiet hours are 10 p.m.-7 a.m. and certified weed-free feed is required for stock. We have not visited this site. Confirm the current season dates, the travel plan map and whether camping is still allowed with FWP Region 4 at (406)467-2488 before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Sun River WMA · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · MT
- WWater13 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- FFuel26 mi
- GGrocery26 mi
- RxPharmacy26 mi
- HHardware26 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- +Urgent care27 mi
- OOutfitter27 mi
- ShShower48 mi
- DDump53 mi
- EVEV fast charger61 mi
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 26 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 61-mi run (and back).
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 — Sun River WMA
Nearby & resupply — around Sun River WMA · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townStoner Place · ~6.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesAllen's Manix Store · ~13.3 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy/Drugstore · ~26.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicBenefis Teton Medical Center · ~26.3 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from Sun River WMA · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger61.2 mi straight-line E — Great Falls, MT - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · 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 reachnone within 25 mi · none within 50 · 22 within 100 · 32 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS63.1 mi — Great Falls Subaru, Great Falls
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO63.1 mi — Great Falls Subaru, Great Falls
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)26.7 mi — Old Trail Museum Parking Lot, Choteau, MT · CHARGELAB · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- 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 163998 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Sun River WMA · Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletHome Gulch Cg · ~4.4 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGibson Boat Launch · ~6.0 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMortimer Gulch Th · ~6.1 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMortimer Gulch Cg · ~6.2 mi W · USFS
Open Sun River WMA elsewhere
Other camps near Sun River WMA
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Road 8986A-002~3.5 mi
- Road 8986-004~3.7 mi
- Road 8986-002~3.8 mi
- Road 9167C-001~4.0 mi
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Wood Creek at 5,970 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 1,003 ft higher 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 — Sun River WMA
What we don’t know about Sun River WMA
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