Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 47.08521, -111.02625
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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 Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,730 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, MontanaNIFC · 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 Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- OOutfitter9 mi
- @Mail9 mi
- WWater14 mi
- FFuel17 mi
- GGrocery21 mi
- +Urgent care30 mi
- MMechanic30 mi
- HHardware30 mi
- RxPharmacy30 mi
- LLaundry30 mi
- EVEV fast charger31 mi
- ShShower38 mi
- DDump45 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 17 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 31-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 — Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,730 ft
State
MT
Coordinates
47.08521, -111.02625
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townEvans · ~6.9 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~17.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesBelt Valley Grocery · ~21.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicFresenius Great Falls Clinic Dialysis · ~29.8 mi
EV charging — from Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger31.1 mi straight-line NW — 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 · 2 within 50 · 15 within 100 · 34 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS31.6 mi — Great Falls Subaru, Great Falls
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO31.6 mi — Great Falls Subaru, Great Falls
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)29.9 mi — CITY MOTOR CO CITY TOYOTA 1, Great Falls, MT · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · 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 163998 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLogging Creek Cg · ~1.2 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMonument Pk Lookout · ~6.9 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAspen Cg · ~13.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCalf Creek Cabin · ~17.2 mi S · USFS
Open Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana elsewhere
Other camps near Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #107~0.3 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #774~0.4 mi
- Logging Cr. Rd. 839-006~0.5 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — MT #260~0.5 mi
The unit that manages Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana 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 Stringer Creek at 6,550 ft, about 12 miles away. It sits about 1,820 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 — Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
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 Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
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 — Dispersed camp #596, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Reading your camp page →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 →