Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Water Hole
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MT · 45.30083, -113.23525
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 Water Hole
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smoke — around Water HoleNIFC · 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 Water Hole · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery10 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- WWater14 mi
- FFuel24 mi
- DDump28 mi
- LLaundry30 mi
- ShShower32 mi
- +Urgent care33 mi
- OOutfitter33 mi
- EVEV fast charger48 mi
- RxPharmacy58 mi
- HHardware59 mi
- AAir-up59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 10 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 48-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 — Water Hole
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
MT
Coordinates
45.30083, -113.23525
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Water Hole · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townGloss Place · ~4.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelChevron · ~26.6 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~27.6 mi
- GroceriesMa Barnes country market · ~10.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicBarrett Hospital & Healthcare · ~29.4 mi
EV charging — from Water Hole · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger47.6 mi straight-line SE — Dell Mercantile (Dell, MT) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 7 within 100 · 51 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)55.9 mi — Lima, MT - Tesla Supercharger, Lima
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO107.6 mi — L146 DC1, Helena
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)29.7 mi — UMW #1 STATION 1, Dillon, 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 121712 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Water Hole · Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest · MT — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletGrasshopper Campground · ~11.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Van Houten Campground · ~12.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Van Houten Campground · ~12.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCrystal Park · ~14.3 mi NE · USFS
Open Water Hole elsewhere
Other camps near Water Hole
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Intersection~0.2 mi
- Burn Pile~0.4 mi
- Old Stumps~0.9 mi
- Camper~1.3 mi
The unit that manages Water Hole
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Water Hole are set by Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
Snow, and when this opens
The nearest automatic snow station is Mule Creek at 8,300 ft, about 15 miles away. 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 — Water Hole
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 Water Hole
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 — Water Hole
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Gear & rig loadout →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 →