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US National Forest Land borders day-use only land, be cautious of signs and setup camp in the appropriate areas.
Dispersed camping is allowed on Hiawatha National Forest lands except developed recreation and administrative sites, campgrounds and designated campsites. The following restrictions apply: Your stay is limited to 16 days. After this period, your camping equipment and all persons must move to another site at least one mile away, for an additional stay, not to exceed 16 days. Do not block any roads or restrict access to National Forest lands by others. Follow “Leave No Trace” principles (See https://lnt.org/why/7-principles) so that public lands will remain clean and attractive for others to enjoy. Camping in areas posted closed is prohibited. Camping within fifty (50) feet of a body of water is prohibited, unless otherwise posted. (Exceptions include Grand Island National Recreation Area (100 feet from water, cliff edge, private property, trails, other campsites, special use recreation residences or recreation developments) and Big Island Lake Wilderness (200 feet from water). Do not camp at boat launches. Permits are required for these sites: Bass Lake, Bear Lake, Camp Cook, Carr Lake, Chicago Lake, Cookson Lake, Council Lake, Crooked Lake, East Lake, Ewing Point, Gooseneck Lake, lronjaw Lake, Jackpine Lake, Lake Nineteen, Leg Lake, Lyman Lake, McKeever Cabin, Minerva Lake, Mowe Lake, Steuben Lake, Swan Lake, Toms Cabin, and Triangle Lake. On lakes with designated campsites, you may not set up your campsite within 400 feet of the shoreline anywhere on the lake.
Ironjaw Lake is located in the heart of the Ironjaw Semi-Primitive Area, which is managed for both motorized and non-motorized uses. Our management efforts seek to provide for quiet, peaceful recreation opportunities in a semi-primitive setting. The campsite is also located on the trail system of the non-motorized Pine Marten Run Trail, which is open to hiking, mountain biking and horse back riding. The campsite at Ironjaw is a pull-through site that also features a tent pad situated on a hill overlooking Lake Nineteen. This site is suitable for only one family with a small trailer. There is limited turnaround space. A primitive toilet is located across the road. There is no drinking water available at this site. The swimming area is poor. The boat access to Ironjaw Lake (62 acres) is down a steep hill but the surface is firm. Turn-around and back-in space at the base of the hill is very limited however, and 4 wheel drive vehicles are recommended. Parking is restricted to a small area located at the top of the hill. Ironjaw Lake is one of the better fishing lakes in the area. Crappie fishing is excellent in the spring. The lake also contains northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill and bullheads. Horse camping is allowed at Ironjaw Lake.
Swan Lake (52 acres) is the most popular lake in the primitive campsite program, so getting a permit to camp can be quite competitive! All four campsites are located on the non-motorized Pine Marten Run Trail, which is open to hiking, mountain biking and horse back riding. There are three primitive toilets available, but no drinking water. All campsites on Swan Lake have excellent swimming areas. Swan Lake offers a good fishery for large and smallmouth bass, bluegills and pumpkinseeds.
$8 - $16 / night
This gorgeous 21 acre lake is nestled down among paper birch, aspen and oak and features one campsite high upon a hill overlooking the lake. A carry-in boat launch is intended to prevent over fishing its excellent brook trout fishery, which is maintained by annual stocking. This campsite is small with a very tight turning radius and is suitable for only one family with a tent or small trailer. Swimming is considered marginal with a thin layer of sand covering a mucky bottom.
Traveler
There is signs posted just about everywhere “no camping or overnight parking” don’t waste your time
ScoutTons of mosquitos right next to a small danky pond.
ScoutThere are several signs saying “No Camping” and “Day Use Only.”
Scout
We went down a very deeply rutted and muddy one lane road in for about 1.5-2 miles. We have a 21 ft travel trailer. Although we stayed one night and made it to and from unscathed, we do not recommend towing down this road. We were able to kayak and it was beautiful and very private. Rain was expected the following day so we only chanced it for one night afraid a tree would block the road and the mud would get worse.
Traveler
Stayed for 6 nights and loved all of it. I was in the camp more south on the left. I can confirm that there is a trailhead, national campground, private campgrounds, and boat launches down this road. Another review mentioned a site, that now has a no camping sign on it. I believe that was the site, but there is 2 sites. Some very light traffic as there is a lighthouse/ restrooms down the road from both of these. Not really walking distance for most, but manageable in any form. Caught northern lights, Milky Way, and glorious sights every day.
ScoutThis place is tricky to find and I would suggest keeping a low profile. I didn’t have problems but others have said locals don’t like people camping here. You’ll have a a front row seat to the lake. My hammock was almost over the water. Great spot
LegendGreat sunset area, pretty drive there. Lighthouse to explore. Would love to be there for the monarch migration.
TravelerThis area is gorgeous, it's surrounded by lake superior, and there is a really neat old lighthouse with pit toilets at the end of the road.. It's a one lane road btw, with multiple cutouts in the road for passing. I stayed here 2 nights in what appears to be an established campsite (with a fire ring, on the right side of the road heading towards the lighthouse) before meeting a local ranger this morning, who informed me that there are only 2 dispersed campsites available here, and both are on the left side of the road (heading towards the lighthouse.) But she did say that you are allowed to stay up to 14 days at either of those sites, before asking me to promptly gtfo. I would have rated 5 stars if there were more sites available, but if you manage to snag one of the permitted ones, lucky you!
Scout
Great site located between two lakes. In response to the previous review, your best directions will come from locating the site on your GPS (in our case Google Maps) and dropping a pin. That took us straight to the location no problem. Totally legit dispersed camp site. Will definely be going back. Because the access to both lakes is near the camp site, we did encounter vehicles driving by, maybe 2 a day. It is the end of the road though so no one was driving to fast and it didn't cause any issues.
ScoutThe site only gives you coordinates that are actually an hour away from the site. There is no real address to get there. We pulled in pretty late, had a rough long drive so we got to where we thought it was at around 11:30 pm. Then we can’t find the site, so we go to the website and it gives us strange directions to somewhere an hour away. As we drove out there, we lost all service, were on dirt roads and we were miles past any signs of civilization. We started to get a strange feeling but we trekked on. Suddenly it gets very foggy and spooky looking and we all debate turning back, but still we keep going. Finally, we turn onto the road that it is on, just a ways down, and the stop sign is filled with bullet holes however we haven’t seen a single sign of people out there. We keep going and finally decide this all seems like an elaborate ploy to lure campers in and kill them. We decide to turn around and end up in some weird abandoned summer camp, still around thirty minutes left on the road to get to the actual site. We decide there are far too many creepy signs pointing towards this not being a good idea then as we leave and get service back, we look up the site and realize there are zero reviews at all. The site doesn’t exist on google except for these camping sites, with the same two photos only on every site and zero reviews. As we are driving away, we get an email at one am saying “hello your site is still empty, please enjoy your stay” as if there was someone waiting for us at the site even though it was a remote site with no formal check in. How did they know we were not at the site yet? And what are the chances they email us right as we turn around? I’m glad we didn’t end up staying, we all had a horrible gut feeling and I suggest no one else stay here either. Nothing about it seemed legit or safe.
Camping near Gwinn, Michigan, offers a variety of beautiful spots for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a family-friendly adventure, there are plenty of campgrounds to explore.
Camping near Gwinn, Michigan, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and friendly campgrounds. Whether you're in an RV or tent, there's something for everyone to enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Gwinn, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Gwinn, MI is Lake Superior Beachfront (US Forest Land) with a 2.3-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Gwinn, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 dispersed camping locations near Gwinn, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
