Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Hill Lake (M86)
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.43164, -93.61502
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 Hill Lake (M86)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,388 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Hill Lake (M86)NIFC · 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 Hill Lake (M86) · Chippewa National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel3 mi
- OOutfitter11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- @Mail11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- WWater14 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- EVEV fast charger16 mi
- ShShower52 mi
- DDump57 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Hill Lake (M86)
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,388 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.43164, -93.61502
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Hill Lake (M86) · Chippewa National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townDeer River · ~10.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Groceriesnone within 30 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from Hill Lake (M86) · Chippewa National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger15.6 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 · 1 within 50 · 22 within 100 · 69 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)60.5 mi — Bemidji, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Bemidji
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO50.8 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.2 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 Hill Lake (M86) · Chippewa National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletTrout Lake Golf Course Campsite M33 · ~3.2 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletJoyce Estate · ~3.6 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTrout Lake Beach Campsite M34 · ~3.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWabana-Bluewater Dispersed Campsite M40 · ~3.9 mi E · USFS
Open Hill Lake (M86) elsewhere
Other camps near Hill Lake (M86)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Suomi South Side M11~1.3 mi
- Suomi South Side Dispersed Sites M7~1.4 mi
- Forjer Lake (M13)~2.5 mi
- Kremmer Lake North (M135)~2.7 mi
The unit that manages Hill Lake (M86)
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Hill Lake (M86) are set by Chippewa National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Hill Lake (M86)
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 Hill Lake (M86)
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 — Hill Lake (M86)
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →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 →