Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
High Banks Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 46.18907, -84.78521
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 High Banks Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 744 ft.
Fire & smoke — around High Banks LakeNIFC · 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 High Banks Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery9 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- FFuel10 mi
- WWater12 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- DDump19 mi
- ShShower19 mi
- MMechanic20 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- LLaundry22 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- RxPharmacy22 mi
- EVEV fast charger27 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — High Banks Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
744 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
46.18907, -84.78521
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around High Banks Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townKincheloe · ~16.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSunoco · ~9.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~19.0 mi
- GroceriesRudyard Co-Op · ~9.4 mi
- PharmacyBay Pharmacy · ~22.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicWar Memorial Hospital Community Care - Kinross · ~16.1 mi
- HardwareNAPA Auto Parts and Ace Hardware · ~20.3 mi
EV charging — from High Banks Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger26.9 mi straight-line NE — Sault Ste. Marie, MI - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 8 within 50 · 29 within 100 · 81 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS28.3 mi — Mackinaw City, MI, Mackinaw City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO29.2 mi — HION NETWORK MACKINAW DC4, Mackinaw City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.4 mi — Bay Mills Resort Casino, Brimley, MI (at a public site) · RED_E · J1772 · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Melody Beach Cottages, St. Ignace, 20.3 mi · J1772 · hours: For guest use only · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 195693 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around High Banks Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCarp River - Cg · ~11.3 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSoldier Lake Recreation Area · ~11.9 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMouth Of The Carp-Fish. Site · ~12.2 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletThree Lakes Day Use Area · ~12.9 mi NW · USFS
Open High Banks Lake elsewhere
Other camps near High Banks Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pine River Campground~5.1 mi
- Carp River - Cg~11.3 mi · fee
- Little Soldier Lake~11.5 mi
- Rock Rapids Dispersed Campsites~11.8 mi
The unit that manages High Banks Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at High Banks Lake are set by Hiawatha National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — High Banks Lake
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 High Banks Lake
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 — High Banks Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Power off-grid →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 →