Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Little Soldier Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 46.34799, -84.85674
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 Little Soldier Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 903 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Little Soldier 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 Little Soldier Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- MMechanic14 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- DDump15 mi
- ShShower15 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- HHardware24 mi
- RxPharmacy26 mi
- LLaundry26 mi
- OOutfitter26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Little Soldier Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
903 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
46.34799, -84.85674
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Little Soldier Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureEast Soldier Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townStrongs Corner · ~5.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.4 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~15.0 mi
- GroceriesStore · ~5.3 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~25.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicBay Mills Health Clinic · ~14.1 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~24.2 mi
EV charging — from Little Soldier Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger23.8 mi straight-line E — 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 reach1 within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 25 within 100 · 75 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS39.7 mi — Mackinaw City, MI, Mackinaw City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO40.5 mi — HION NETWORK MACKINAW DC4, Mackinaw City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.1 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
- 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 Little Soldier Lake · Hiawatha National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSoldier Lake Recreation Area · ~0.6 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMcnearney Cross Country Ski Trailhead · ~5.5 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletThree Lakes - Cg · ~6.3 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletThree Lakes Day Use Area · ~6.4 mi W · USFS
Open Little Soldier Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Little Soldier Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Soldier Lake Recreation Area~0.6 mi · fee
- Three Lakes - Cg~6.3 mi · fee
- Salt Lake Camping Area~6.5 mi
- Bay View - Cg~7.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Little Soldier Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Little Soldier Lake are set by Hiawatha National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Little Soldier 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 Little Soldier 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 — Little Soldier Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Camping with a dog →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 →