Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Dead Horse Lake M81
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.32171, -93.40571
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 Dead Horse Lake M81
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 Dead Horse Lake M81NIFC · 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 Dead Horse Lake M81 · Chippewa National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail1 mi
- MMechanic2 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- OOutfitter8 mi
- WWater9 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- ShShower42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 5 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Dump, 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 — Dead Horse Lake M81
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
MN
Coordinates
47.32171, -93.40571
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Dead Horse Lake M81 · Chippewa National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLake Grace (water) · nearby
- Nearest townTaconite · ~1.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~8.7 mi
- FuelClark · ~9.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesGrand Organic Market · ~7.8 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~9.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicGrand Itasca Clinic and Hospital · ~9.8 mi
- HardwareLakeside Lumber & Hardware LLC · ~22.8 mi
EV charging — from Dead Horse Lake M81 · Chippewa National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger9.4 mi straight-line SW — 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 · 4 within 50 · 23 within 100 · 79 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)63.0 mi — Carlton, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Carlton
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO43.0 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.0 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 Dead Horse Lake M81 · Chippewa National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletWabana-Bluewater Dispersed Campsite M40 · ~9.9 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTrout Lake Beach Campsite M34 · ~11.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJoyce Estate · ~12.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTrout Lake Golf Course Campsite M33 · ~12.2 mi NW · USFS
Open Dead Horse Lake M81 elsewhere
Other camps near Dead Horse Lake M81
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Caribou Lake M60~1.2 mi
- Hole In The Wall Lake M83~1.4 mi
- Duck Lake M74~1.6 mi
- Doctor Lake M2~2.9 mi
The unit that manages Dead Horse Lake M81
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Dead Horse Lake M81 are set by Chippewa National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Dead Horse Lake M81
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 Dead Horse Lake M81
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 — Dead Horse Lake M81
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading the aerial →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 →