Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Big Jack Lake M128
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.52804, -93.60514
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 Big Jack Lake M128
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,409 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Jack Lake M128NIFC · 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 Big Jack Lake M128 · Chippewa National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- WWater14 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- RxPharmacy20 mi
- +Urgent care21 mi
- EVEV fast charger22 mi
- ShShower52 mi
- DDump57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
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 — Big Jack Lake M128
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,409 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.52804, -93.60514
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Jack Lake M128 · Chippewa National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBig Jack Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townAlder · ~5.2 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelARCO · ~5.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesFrontier Sports · ~5.5 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~21.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBigfork Valley Hospital · ~15.3 mi
- HardwareLakeside Lumber & Hardware LLC · ~5.9 mi
EV charging — from Big Jack Lake M128 · Chippewa National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger22.0 mi straight-line S — GRAND RAPIDS CHEVROLET GMC INC · EV Connect · CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 21 within 100 · 62 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)60.8 mi — Bemidji, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Bemidji
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO49.9 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.6 mi — City of Grand Rapids - Civic Center · FLO · 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 254393 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Jack Lake M128 · Chippewa National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletNorth Star · ~3.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTrout Lake Golf Course Campsite M33 · ~4.9 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJoyce Estate · ~5.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTrout Lake Beach Campsite M34 · ~5.7 mi SE · USFS
Open Big Jack Lake M128 elsewhere
Other camps near Big Jack Lake M128
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- North Star~3.0 mi · fee
- Spider Lake Campsites M36 To M39~4.5 mi
- Adele Lake (M1)~4.5 mi
- Kremmer Lake North (M135)~4.5 mi
The unit that manages Big Jack Lake M128
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Jack Lake M128 are set by Chippewa National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Jack Lake M128
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 Big Jack Lake M128
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 — Big Jack Lake M128
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this 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 →