Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 3,134 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 43
- Longest rig
- 130 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 43 campgrounds shown
- Ada Lake Recreation Areato 45 ft · 20 sitesMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Anvil Lake Recreation Areato 40 ft · 19 sites · Pull-throughMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Bear Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – November 30 · First-come, first-served
- Beaver Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Birch Grove Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Black Lake Recreation Areato 45 ft · 29 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Boot Lake Recreation Areato 88 ft · 34 sitesMay 2 – November 30
- Boulder Lake Recreation Areato 130 ft · 99 sites · Electric · Pull-throughMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Chipmunk Rapids Recreation AreaApril 25 – November 30 · First-come, first-served
- Chippewa Recreation Area76 sites · Electric · Pull-throughMay 20 – September 30 · First-come, first-served
- Day Lake Recreation Areato 60 ft · 52 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- East Twin Recreation Areato 45 ft · 10 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Eastwood Recreation Areato 35 ft · 26 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Emily Lake Recreation Area1 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Franklin Lake Recreation Areato 40 ft · 77 sites · Electric · Pull-throughMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Kathryn Lake Recreation AreaSeason not published
- Kentuck Lake Recreation Areato 40 ft · 31 sites · Electric · Pull-throughMay 2 – November 30 · First-come, first-served
- Lac Vieux Desert Recreation Areato 40 ft · 32 sitesMay 2 – October 15
- Laura and Gordon Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Laurel Lake Recreation Areato 40 ft · 12 sitesMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Lost Lake Cabins13 sites · Electric · Bear boxesMay 16 – October 16
- Lost Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Luna - White Deer Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Moose Lake Recreation Areato 40 ft · 15 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Morgan Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Namekagon Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- North Twin Lake Recreation AreaSeason not published
- Perch Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Picnic Point Recreation AreaJanuary 1 – December 31 · Reservations accepted
- Pine Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 15
- Richardson Lake Recreation Areato 56 ft · 26 sitesMay 2 – November 30 · First-come, first-served
- Sailor Lake Recreation Areato 81 ft · 25 sites · Pull-throughMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Sevenmile Lake Recreation AreaSeason not published
- Smith Rapids Recreation Areato 75 ft · 19 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Spearhead Point Recreation Areato 45 ft · 39 sites · Pull-throughMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Spectacle Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Stevens Lake Recreation Area7 sitesMay 2 – October 15
- Stockfarm Bridge Recreation Area8 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Twin Lakes Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Two Lakes Recreation Areato 95 ft · 94 sites · Pull-throughMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- Wabasso Lake Recreation AreaJanuary 1 – December 31 · First-come, first-served
- Wanoka Lake Recreation AreaMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
- West Point Recreation Area1 sitesMay 2 – October 31 · First-come, first-served
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
The Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest is a 1,530,647-acre (6,194.31 km2) U.S. National Forest in northern Wisconsin in the United States. Legally two separate national forests—the Chequamegon National Forest and the Nicolet National Forest—the areas were established by presidential proclamations in 1933 and have been managed as one unit since 1998. The national forest's land, trees and vegetation are part of the North Woods ecoregion that prevails throughout the upper Great Lakes region. Little old-growth forest remains due to logging in the early part of the 20th century, and some of the second-growth forest was planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
No vehicles past these lines
Designated wilderness is closed to every wheeled vehicle, including bicycles. You can walk in and camp; you cannot drive or park a rig inside one.
- Headwaters Wilderness22,080 acres
- Whisker Lake Wilderness7,434 acres
- Rainbow Lake Wilderness7,175 acres
- Blackjack Springs Wilderness5,917 acres
- Porcupine Lake Wilderness4,306 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
Drive to Chequamegon-Nicolet the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.