Agency-listedUSFSFree
River Road Horse Trail Camp
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 44.44291, -83.53912
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 River Road Horse Trail Camp
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 762 ft.
Fire & smoke — around River Road Horse Trail 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 River Road Horse Trail Camp · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump3 mi
- ShShower3 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- HHardware10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- WWater29 mi
- PPropane30 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 29-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 5 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 — River Road Horse Trail Camp
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
762 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
44.44291, -83.53912
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around River Road Horse Trail Camp · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWildcat Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townSid Town · ~3.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~4.2 mi
- FuelFuel · ~4.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~2.8 mi
- GroceriesThe Dam Store · ~4.7 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~11.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicAlcona Health Center · ~9.2 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~10.4 mi
EV charging — from River Road Horse Trail Camp · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.4 mi straight-line E — Oscoda Ace Hardware (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach7 within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 93 within 100 · 387 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)50.2 mi — Bad Axe, MI - Tesla Supercharger, Bad Axe
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO10.5 mi — Office Lounge and Grill Oscoda MI, Oscoda
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.5 mi — Office Lounge and Grill Oscoda MI (at a public site) · RED_E · CHAdeMO, J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- 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 314477 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around River Road Horse Trail Camp · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletRiver Road Orv Trailhead · ~2.4 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSawmill Point Access · ~3.6 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMonument Campground · ~4.0 mi W · USFS
- Flush restroomLumberman'S Monument Visitor Center · ~4.1 mi W · USFS
Open River Road Horse Trail Camp elsewhere
Other camps near River Road Horse Trail Camp
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Monument Campground~4.0 mi · fee
- Au Sable River Backcountry Campsites~4.1 mi · fee
- Van Etten Lake State Forest Campground~8.5 mi · fee
- Pine River Campground~8.8 mi
The unit that manages River Road Horse Trail Camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at River Road Horse Trail Camp are set by Huron-Manistee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — River Road Horse Trail 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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 River Road Horse Trail 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 — River Road Horse Trail Camp
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →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 →