Agency-listedUSFSFee
Sand Lake Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 44.16723, -85.93667
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 Sand Lake Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 847 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Sand Lake Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Sand Lake Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel1 mi
- GGrocery1 mi
- HHardware1 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- WWater4 mi
- DDump5 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- EVEV fast charger8 mi
- OOutfitter10 mi
- AAir-up15 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- RxPharmacy19 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- ShShower19 mi
- PPropane42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 1 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 — Sand Lake Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
847 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
44.16723, -85.93667
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Sand Lake Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townWellston · ~4.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~3.6 mi
- FuelMarathon · ~0.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~5.2 mi
- GroceriesEZ Mart · ~0.8 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~18.9 mi
- Hospital / clinicWellston Medical Center · ~5.6 mi
- HardwareDublin General Store · ~0.9 mi
EV charging — from Sand Lake Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.6 mi straight-line NE — CORNER EXPRESS Wellston MI (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 reach9 within 25 mi · 39 within 50 · 152 within 100 · 382 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)20.5 mi — Saddle Up - Bear Lake, Bear Lake
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO18.6 mi — BLARNEY CASTLE MANISTERY 1, Manistee
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.8 mi — River St Parking Lot Manistee MI (at a public site) · RED_E · 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 351314 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Sand Lake Recreation Area · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomSand Lake Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLow Bridge Access · ~3.8 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Lake Recreation Area Campground · ~4.1 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBear Track Campground · ~4.8 mi W · USFS
Open Sand Lake Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Sand Lake Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Pine Lake Recreation Area~4.1 mi
- Bear Track Campground~4.9 mi
- Government Landing~6.9 mi
- Government Landing~6.9 mi
The unit that manages Sand Lake Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Sand Lake Recreation Area are set by Huron-Manistee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Sand Lake Recreation Area
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 2026-08-24: $40 per night for a single site, $80 for a double and $105 for the group site -- the most expensive camp in this batch by a wide margin. Day use is billed separately at $10 per vehicle per day or $90 for the season. recreation.gov publishes the same $40 / $80 / $105 for the 2026 season (May 9 - Sep 7). Interagency Senior and Access passes take 50% off single campsites only. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/huron-manistee/recreation/sand-lake-recreation-area-campground and https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233715.
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 Sand Lake Recreation Area
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 — Sand Lake Recreation Area
Camping near a reservoir →What “dispersed” means here →Cold-weather camping →Off-grid communication →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 →