Agency-listedUSFSFree
Ranger
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 43.94091, -84.75508
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 Ranger
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,020 ft.
Fire & smoke — around RangerNIFC · 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 Ranger · U.S. Forest Service · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- ShShower0 mi
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- +Urgent care4 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- LLaundry6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- DDump10 mi
- WWater14 mi
- PPropane34 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
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 — Ranger
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,020 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
43.94091, -84.75508
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Ranger · U.S. Forest Service · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBeebe Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townHatton · ~3.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMarathon · ~1.5 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~14.4 mi
- Dump station~10.1 mi
- GroceriesNorthern Stop And Shop · ~1.5 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~5.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicMidMichigan Health Park - Harrison · ~4.3 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~13.7 mi
EV charging — from Ranger · U.S. Forest Service · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.2 mi straight-line S — Clare, MI (at a public site) · RIVIAN_ADVENTURE · CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach13 within 25 mi · 44 within 50 · 216 within 100 · 514 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)8.3 mi — Clare, MI - Tesla Supercharger, Clare
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO7.2 mi — BLARNEY CASTLE EZ MART CLARE 2, Clare
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.6 mi — Consumers Energy Co, Clare, MI (at an utility) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-08-12 · 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 391163 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Ranger · U.S. Forest Service · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 69 · ~6.3 mi S
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 50 · ~20.2 mi N
Open Ranger elsewhere
Other camps near Ranger
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Mud Lake State Forest Campground~16.3 mi · fee
- Trout Lake State Forest Campground~16.3 mi · fee
- House Lake State Forest Campground~16.4 mi · fee
- Black Creek State Forest Campground~23.9 mi · fee
How we know this — Ranger
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Ranger
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 — Ranger
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Cold-weather camping →Gear & rig loadout →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 →