Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Telegraph-08
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 46.48316, -112.36325
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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 Telegraph-08
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,680 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Telegraph-08NIFC · 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 Telegraph-08 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- HHardware17 mi
- WWater17 mi
- OOutfitter17 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- DDump29 mi
- ShShower35 mi
- AAir-up35 mi
- PPropane39 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 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 — Telegraph-08
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
5,680 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
46.48316, -112.36325
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Telegraph-08 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townRimini · ~5.6 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.9 mi
- FuelElliston Gas Station · ~6.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~28.9 mi
- GroceriesElliston Country Store · ~6.2 mi
- PharmacyBergum Drug · ~18.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicVeterans Administration Medical Center · ~15.5 mi
- HardwareMontana Shed Center · ~19.4 mi
EV charging — from Telegraph-08 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.9 mi straight-line W — Sinclair - Tesla Supercharger, Deer Lodge, MT (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 26 within 100 · 37 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS18.6 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO18.6 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.1 mi — Jackson Street Parking Garage, Helena, MT (at a parking garage) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-04-14 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.56 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 466520 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Telegraph-08 · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCdnst Trailhead · ~5.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMoose Creek Campground · ~5.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMoose Creek Cabin · ~6.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMacdonald Pass Ski · ~6.3 mi NE · USFS
Open Telegraph-08 elsewhere
Other camps near Telegraph-08
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Telegraph-07~0.1 mi
- Telegraph-04C~0.9 mi
- Telegraph-03~1.3 mi
- Telegraph-01~1.5 mi
The unit that manages Telegraph-08
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Telegraph-08 are set by Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Frohner Meadow at 6,520 ft, about 9 miles away. It sits about 840 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 — Telegraph-08
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 Telegraph-08
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 — Telegraph-08
What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Reading a forest MVUM →Dispersed camping tips →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 →