Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MI · 43.90667, -86.15001
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 Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 647 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Whelan Lake Backcountry CampsitesNIFC · 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 Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- HHardware5 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- ShShower7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- AAir-up10 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- WWater14 mi
- DDump14 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
647 ft
State
MI
Coordinates
43.90667, -86.15001
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWhelan Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townWalhalla · ~3.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelSunoco · ~3.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~13.8 mi
- GroceriesPioneer Party Store · ~3.4 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~13.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicSpectrum Health Ludington Hospital · ~14.4 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~13.8 mi
EV charging — from Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.3 mi straight-line NW — Wesco Scottville 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 reach7 within 25 mi · 31 within 50 · 154 within 100 · 441 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)11.8 mi — Ludington, MI - Tesla Supercharger, Ludington
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO7.8 mi — GLE STATION 3, Scottville
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.1 mi — Great Lakes Energy - Scottville Service Center · OpConnect · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · 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 351312 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites · Huron-Manistee National Forest · MI — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletIndian Bridge Access · ~2.7 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMaple Leaf Angler Access · ~4.4 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLower Branch Bridge River Access · ~5.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletElk Canoe Backcountry Campsites · ~6.2 mi E · USFS
Open Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites elsewhere
Other camps near Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Whelan Lake Area Primitive Campground~0.4 mi
- Logmark Rest Stop~4.1 mi
- Log Mark Rest Stop Canoe and Fishing Landing~4.3 mi
- Elk Canoe Campground~6.2 mi
The unit that manages Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites are set by Huron-Manistee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
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 Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
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 — Whelan Lake Backcountry Campsites
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →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 →