Agency-listedUSFSFee
Perch Lake Camp
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 46.36433, -88.67443
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Perch Lake Camp
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,553 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Perch Lake CampNIFC · 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 Perch Lake Camp · Ottawa National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel10 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- +Urgent care18 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- DDump20 mi
- OOutfitter20 mi
- EVEV fast charger24 mi
- ShShower25 mi
- WWater26 mi
- RxPharmacy28 mi
- MMechanic29 mi
- LLaundry42 mi
- AAir-up49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 26-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 10 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 — Perch Lake Camp
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,553 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
46.36433, -88.67443
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Perch Lake Camp · Ottawa National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCovington · ~13.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~10.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~20.2 mi
- GroceriesThe Sidnaw Station · ~10.0 mi
- PharmacyL'anse Health Mart Pharmacy · ~28.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicUP Health System - Iron River · ~18.4 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~19.5 mi
EV charging — from Perch Lake Camp · Ottawa National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger23.9 mi straight-line SE — Crystal Fresh Market and Ace Hardware, Crystal Falls, MI (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 32 within 100 · 75 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO24.7 mi — Crystal Falls MI Public Parking, Crystal Falls
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)29.1 mi — WATERFRONT PARK WATERFRONT 1, L'Anse, MI · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Stateline Chevrolet Buick GMC, Iron River, 18.8 mi · J1772 · hours: Dealership business hours; GMC vehicles 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 302980 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Perch Lake Camp · Ottawa National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPerch Lake Camp · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLake Ste. Kathryn Camp · ~3.0 mi NW · USFS
- RestroomLake Ste. Kathryn Picnic · ~3.1 mi NW · USFS
- RestroomDeer Marsh Interpretive (Marten Lake Rd) · ~3.5 mi NW · USFS
Open Perch Lake Camp elsewhere
Other camps near Perch Lake Camp
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lake Ste. Kathryn Camp~3.0 mi · fee
- Norway Lake Camp~3.6 mi · fee
- Blockhouse Campground~8.7 mi
- Paint River Forks Campground~9.3 mi
The unit that manages Perch Lake Camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Perch Lake Camp are set by Ottawa National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Perch Lake Camp
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
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 Perch Lake Camp
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 — Perch Lake Camp
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading your camp 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 →