Agency-listedUSFSFee
Sailor Lake
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WI · 45.84178, -90.27617
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 Sailor Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,535 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Sailor 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 Sailor Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- +Urgent care10 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- AAir-up12 mi
- OOutfitter12 mi
- EVEV fast charger12 mi
- ShShower33 mi
- DDump33 mi
- LLaundry36 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 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 — Sailor Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,535 ft
State
WI
Coordinates
45.84178, -90.27617
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Sailor Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townButternut · ~15.9 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~6.9 mi
- FuelFuel · ~7.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesExpress Mart · ~7.3 mi
- PharmacyPark Pharmacy · ~10.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicMarshfield Clinic Park Falls Center · ~10.0 mi
- HardwareRon Ernst Lumber and Hardware · ~7.3 mi
EV charging — from Sailor Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger12.0 mi straight-line SW — Bay Area Rural Transit, Phillips · EVGATEWAY · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 7 within 50 · 39 within 100 · 145 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)26.9 mi — Minocqua, WI - Tesla Supercharger, Minocqua
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO48.0 mi — Wheelers Chevrolet of Medford, Medford
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.3 mi — Price Electric Co-op, Phillips, WI (at an utility) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2023-11-09 · 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 376581 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Sailor Lake · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSailor Lake · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSailor Lake Picnic · ~0.5 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFifield Fire Tower · ~4.0 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWintergreen · ~4.0 mi NW · USFS
Open Sailor Lake elsewhere
Other camps near Sailor Lake
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Smith Rapids~6.8 mi · fee
- Twin Lakes~12.6 mi · fee
- Emily Lake~15.4 mi · fee
- Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area - Free First-Come Campsite #16~19.3 mi
The unit that manages Sailor Lake
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Sailor Lake are set by Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Sailor 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 for a single site or $7.50 with an Interagency access or senior pass; $30 per night for a double site, with no pass discount on the double. Day use is $5 per day for non-campers. recreation.gov listing 233762 'SAILOR LAKE' (0.10 mi from this pin) is the same site. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/chequamegon-nicolet/recreation/sailor-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 Sailor 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 — Sailor Lake
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →The town run →Power off-grid →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 →