Agency-listedUSFSFee
Hemlock Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 44.23251, -85.50389
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Hemlock Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,291 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Hemlock Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Hemlock Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- GGrocery1 mi
- FFuel1 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- EVEV fast charger6 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- DDump13 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- LLaundry25 mi
- PPropane35 mi
- AAir-up36 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.
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 — Hemlock Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,291 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
44.23251, -85.50389
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Hemlock Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWedgewood · ~2.7 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.0 mi
- FuelFuel · ~1.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~12.7 mi
- GroceriesThirsty's · ~1.3 mi
- PharmacyRite Aid · ~5.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicCadillac After Hours Clinic · ~5.7 mi
- HardwareBenjamin Hardware · ~4.4 mi
EV charging — from Hemlock Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger6.1 mi straight-line NE — Meijer Cadillac (Cadillac, MI) · Electrify America · CHAdeMO, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach7 within 25 mi · 51 within 50 · 161 within 100 · 354 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)6.1 mi — Cadillac, MI - Tesla Supercharger, Cadillac
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.5 mi — COYNE ENERGY CADILLAC OFFICE · ChargePoint Network · 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 171394 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Hemlock Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletHemlock Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 53 · ~5.2 mi SE
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 56 · ~7.7 mi S
- Vault / pit toiletCaberfae Way Snowmobile Trailhead · ~9.7 mi W · USFS
Open Hemlock Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Hemlock Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Long Lake (Wexford) State Forest Campground~9.4 mi · fee
- Lincoln Bridge State Forest Campground~11.6 mi · fee
- Silver Creek State Forest Campground~12.0 mi · fee
- Peterson Bridge Campground~14.7 mi · fee
The unit that manages Hemlock Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Hemlock Recreation Area are set by Huron-Manistee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Hemlock Recreation Area
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-26: $30 per night, single site. Day use is $10 and additional vehicles are $10 per vehicle per day. Season of use is May 2 - September 8. Interagency Senior and Access passes take 50% off single campsites only. No recreation.gov listing was found for this campground, so the forest page is the only source. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/huron-manistee/recreation/hemlock-campground-and-boat-launch.
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 Hemlock Recreation Area
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 — Hemlock Recreation Area
What “dispersed” means here →Cold-weather camping →Fire rules & restrictions →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 →