Agency-listedUSFSFee
Smith Rapids
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · WI · 45.91025, -90.17453
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 Smith Rapids
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,539 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Smith RapidsNIFC · 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 Smith Rapids · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- FFuel12 mi
- GGrocery12 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- @Mail12 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- AAir-up18 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- ShShower27 mi
- DDump27 mi
- LLaundry29 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 12 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 — Smith Rapids
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,539 ft
State
WI
Coordinates
45.91025, -90.17453
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Smith Rapids · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townButternut · ~17.1 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~0.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~11.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~27.3 mi
- GroceriesExpress Mart · ~11.8 mi
- PharmacyPark Pharmacy · ~13.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicMarshfield Clinic Park Falls Center · ~12.9 mi
- HardwareRon Ernst Lumber and Hardware · ~11.9 mi
EV charging — from Smith Rapids · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.6 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 reach2 within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 35 within 100 · 132 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)21.9 mi — Minocqua, WI - Tesla Supercharger, Minocqua
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO53.2 mi — Wheelers Chevrolet of Medford, Medford
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.8 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 Smith Rapids · Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest · WI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSmith Rapids · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSmith Rapids Picnic · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNewman Springs · ~3.2 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNewman Lake · ~3.8 mi N · USFS
Open Smith Rapids elsewhere
Other camps near Smith Rapids
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Twin Lakes~5.9 mi · fee
- Sailor Lake~6.8 mi · fee
- Emily Lake~8.8 mi · fee
- Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area - Free First-Come Campsite #16~17.2 mi
The unit that manages Smith Rapids
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Smith Rapids are set by Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Smith Rapids
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. The forest states there are 10 sites, none reservable -- all first-come, first-served -- so the rate is paid on site. Do not confuse this with recreation.gov listing 233922 'Smith Rapids Pavilion' 0.03 mi away, which is a separate reservable group shelter at $25 per day, not a campsite. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/chequamegon-nicolet/recreation/smith-rapids-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 Smith Rapids
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 — Smith Rapids
What “dispersed” means here →The town run →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 →