Agency-listedUSFSFree
Surprise Lake Camp
Hike-in · U.S. Forest Service · WA · 48.22239, -120.44682
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 Surprise Lake Camp
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 6,154 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Surprise Lake CampNIFC · 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 Surprise Lake Camp · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest · WA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- ShShower11 mi
- @Mail11 mi
- FFuel15 mi
- GGrocery15 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- HHardware18 mi
- DDump18 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- +Urgent care33 mi
- AAir-up52 mi
- PPropane57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 15 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 — Surprise Lake Camp
Access
Hike-in
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
6,154 ft
State
WA
Coordinates
48.22239, -120.44682
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Surprise Lake Camp · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest · WA (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~15.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~18.1 mi
- GroceriesCarlton General Store · ~15.3 mi
- PharmacyUlrich's Pharmacy · ~17.8 mi
- HardwareValley Hardware · ~17.9 mi
EV charging — from Surprise Lake Camp · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest · WA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.8 mi straight-line NE — Twisp Works · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 239 within 100 · 433 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)35.0 mi — Leavenworth, WA - US-2 - Tesla Supercharger, Leavenworth
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.8 mi — TwispWorks (at an office building) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2024-01-09 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 352607 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Surprise Lake Camp · Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest · WA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCascade Creek · ~5.0 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPrince Creek · ~5.8 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletDomke Falls · ~6.0 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRefrigerator Harbor · ~6.7 mi W · USFS
Open Surprise Lake Camp elsewhere
Other camps near Surprise Lake Camp
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- USFS dispersed camp — Chelan County, WA~0.6 mi
- Cascade Creek Campground~5.0 mi
- Prince Creek Campground~5.7 mi
- Domke Falls~6.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Surprise Lake Camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Surprise Lake Camp are set by Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Surprise Lake Camp
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: hike (road/trail right there)
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 Surprise Lake Camp
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 — Surprise Lake Camp
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Camping with a dog →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 →