Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Star Island Recreation Area - C17
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.40680, -94.57502
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 Star Island Recreation Area - C17
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,305 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Star Island Recreation Area - C17NIFC · 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 Star Island Recreation Area - C17 · Chippewa National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- FFuel2 mi
- HHardware2 mi
- +Urgent care2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- LLaundry3 mi
- ShShower13 mi
- MMechanic13 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- DDump15 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- PPropane59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Star Island Recreation Area - C17
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,305 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.40680, -94.57502
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Star Island Recreation Area - C17 · Chippewa National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLake Windigo (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCass Lake · ~2.3 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~1.8 mi
- FuelFuel · ~17.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~14.7 mi
- GroceriesLeech Lake Market · ~2.5 mi
- PharmacyMedsave · ~16.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicCass Lake Indian Health Services Hospital · ~2.2 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~14.4 mi
EV charging — from Star Island Recreation Area - C17 · Chippewa National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.6 mi straight-line W — Bemidji · CHARGELAB · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 18 within 100 · 76 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)16.6 mi — Bemidji, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Bemidji
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)13.6 mi — Bemidji · CHARGELAB · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 Level 2 port 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 455704 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Star Island Recreation Area - C17 · Chippewa National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletStar Island Windigo Portage Trailhead C16 · ~1.1 mi N · USFS
- Highway rest areaCass Lake Area Welcome Center · ~1.8 mi SW
- Vault / pit toiletCass Lake · ~2.9 mi SE · USFS
- Flush restroomNorway Beach(Norway Beach Rec Area) · ~3.1 mi SE · USFS
Open Star Island Recreation Area - C17 elsewhere
Other camps near Star Island Recreation Area - C17
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Yellow Head Canoe Stop C18~1.8 mi
- Potato Island South C19~2.2 mi
- Cass Lake~2.9 mi · fee
- Norway Beach Loop~3.3 mi · fee
The unit that manages Star Island Recreation Area - C17
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Star Island Recreation Area - C17 are set by Chippewa National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Star Island Recreation Area - C17
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
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
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 Star Island Recreation Area - C17
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 — Star Island Recreation Area - C17
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →Leave no trace →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 →