Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Nels Lake Site 1
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 48.02175, -91.90341
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 Nels Lake Site 1
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,423 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Nels Lake Site 1NIFC · 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 Nels Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- ShShower7 mi
- OOutfitter8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- MMechanic9 mi
- DDump18 mi
- +Urgent care24 mi
- EVEV fast charger45 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 45-mi run (and back).
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 — Nels Lake Site 1
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,423 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
48.02175, -91.90341
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Nels Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWinton · ~8.0 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 Nels Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger45.0 mi straight-line SW — Ken Waschke Auto Plaza, VIRGINIA, MN · 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 12 within 100 · 24 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)58.0 mi — Tofte, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Tofte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO45.2 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.6 mi — Dairy Queen Grill & Chill - Tesla Destination, Ely, MN (at a restaurant) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- 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 353736 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Nels Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletFenske Lake Boat Access · ~1.8 mi S · USFS
- RestroomFenske Lake Fishing Pier · ~1.8 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFenske Lake Swim Site · ~1.8 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFenske Lake Picnic Area · ~1.8 mi S · USFS
Open Nels Lake Site 1 elsewhere
Other camps near Nels Lake Site 1
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Nels Lake Site 3~0.3 mi
- Nels Lake Site 2~0.6 mi
- Tee Lake Site 1~1.7 mi
- Fenske Lake Campground~1.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages Nels Lake Site 1
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Nels Lake Site 1 are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Nels Lake Site 1
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 Nels Lake Site 1
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 — Nels Lake Site 1
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →How to read this page →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 →