Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 43.89154, -85.96963
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 Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
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 Bowman Lake Backcountry CampsitesNIFC · 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 Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- MMechanic14 mi
- AAir-up15 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- DDump21 mi
- LLaundry22 mi
- WWater22 mi
- OOutfitter29 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 22-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 5 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 — Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
MI
Coordinates
43.89154, -85.96963
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBowman Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCarr · ~3.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelWesco · ~5.9 mi
- Propane / LPGWesco · ~22.2 mi
- Dump station~20.6 mi
- GroceriesWesco · ~5.9 mi
- PharmacyPattie Drug of Baldwin · ~5.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicBaldwin Family Health Care Clinic · ~5.9 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~5.8 mi
EV charging — from Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger16.1 mi straight-line W — Wesco Scottville MI (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach10 within 25 mi · 31 within 50 · 162 within 100 · 443 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)20.7 mi — Ludington, MI - Tesla Supercharger, Ludington
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO16.6 mi — GLE STATION 3, Scottville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.4 mi — Red Moose Lodge - Tesla Destination, Baldwin, MI · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 351312 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBowman Bridge River Access · ~1.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBowman Bridge Campground · ~1.8 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRainbow Rapids Access · ~2.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGleason'S Landing River Access · ~2.8 mi SE · USFS
Open Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites elsewhere
Other camps near Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Bowman Lake Campground~0.1 mi
- Bowman Bridge Campground~1.3 mi
- Bowman Bridge Campground~1.8 mi · fee
- Gleason'S Landing Campground~2.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites are set by Huron-Manistee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
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 Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
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 — Bowman Lake Backcountry Campsites
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dispersed camping tips →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 →