Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Nickel Lake Site 1
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.82901, -91.63460
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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 Nickel Lake Site 1
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,495 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Nickel 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 Nickel Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- OOutfitter6 mi
- ShShower6 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- MMechanic11 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- WWater17 mi
- DDump21 mi
- +Urgent care32 mi
- EVEV fast charger40 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 11 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 40-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 — Nickel Lake Site 1
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,495 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.82901, -91.63460
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Nickel Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNickel Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townSilver Rapids · ~7.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~28.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.9 mi
- GroceriesShort Stop · ~10.8 mi
- PharmacyEssentia · ~10.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicEly Bloomenson Community Hospital · ~12.1 mi
- HardwareHardware Hank · ~11.8 mi
EV charging — from Nickel Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger40.5 mi straight-line SE — Tofte, MN - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · 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 · 4 within 50 · 16 within 100 · 22 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS46.9 mi — Ken Waschke Auto Plaza, VIRGINIA
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO46.9 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.0 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 313097 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Nickel Lake Site 1 · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletAugust Lake Boat Access · ~4.4 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Campground · ~4.6 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Boat Access · ~4.7 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Swim Site · ~4.7 mi W · USFS
Open Nickel Lake Site 1 elsewhere
Other camps near Nickel Lake Site 1
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- South Kawishiwi Campground~4.6 mi
- August Lake Site 1~4.7 mi
- Pickerel Lake Site 1~6.3 mi
- Baird Lake Campsite~6.5 mi
The unit that manages Nickel Lake Site 1
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Nickel Lake Site 1 are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Nickel 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 Nickel 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 — Nickel Lake Site 1
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →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 →