Agency-listedUSFSFee
Perch Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WI · 46.40495, -91.26897
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
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,220 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Perch 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 Perch Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- WWater6 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- MMechanic13 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- OOutfitter13 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- HHardware22 mi
- AAir-up25 mi
- DDump36 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 — Perch Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,220 ft
State
WI
Coordinates
46.40495, -91.26897
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Perch Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townDrummond · ~4.3 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~5.6 mi
- FuelBear Country Gas Station · ~5.1 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesBear Country Convenience · ~5.1 mi
- PharmacyNorthLakes Community Clinic-Iron River Prescription Services · ~13.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicNorthLakes Community Clinic-Iron River · ~13.1 mi
- HardwareAxel's Saw & Tool Sharpening, Sales & Service · ~21.9 mi
EV charging — from Perch Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.7 mi straight-line NW — Twin Gables Cafe - Brule · FCN · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 9 within 50 · 29 within 100 · 190 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)21.2 mi — Kwik Trip #110, Ashland
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO26.0 mi — Bay Area Rural Transit, Washburn, Washburn
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.6 mi — American Birkebeiner Trailhead, Cable, WI (at a recreation facility) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-12-12 · 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 434052 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Perch Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletNamekagon Cg · ~14.2 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNamekagon Day Use · ~14.2 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRock Lake Nrt Th · ~15.7 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBeaver Lake Cg · ~19.1 mi E · USFS
Open Perch Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Perch Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Two Lakes~8.5 mi · fee
- Two Lakes Campground~8.5 mi
- Wanoka Lake Campground~9.6 mi
- Namekagon Cg~14.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Perch Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Perch Lake are set by Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Perch 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
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. | Fee 2026-08-30: $15 per night, single site; $7.50 with an Interagency access or senior pass, on the pass holder's own site only. recreation.gov listing 10341460 (Perch Lake Campground, 0.05 mi from this pin) is the same site. Note this is the Bayfield County Perch Lake on the Washburn District, not the Perch Lake walk-in sites on the Nicolet side of the forest. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/chequamegon-nicolet/recreation/perch-lake-recreation-area.
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
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
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →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 →