U.S. Forest Service · Chequamegon National Forest · WI

Emily Lake Recreation Area

5Heads up5 fires, nearest 9 mi
Wildfire
Flowage fire · 9.4 mi away · 8 acres · updated Oct 14, 2026
Wildfire
Bog fire · 12 mi away · 94 acres · updated Oct 7, 2026
Wildfire
Greased Lightnin fire · 23 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 15, 2026
Wildfire
Loon fire · 29 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 14, 2026
Wildfire
Black River fire · 32 mi away · 350 acres · 70% contained · updated Oct 17, 2026
ReservableOut of season, no booking; November 21 opens May 21.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
OpenListed open; its database flags it not open
A night
$15From, per site
Sites
1All of them booked ahead
Season
May 2 – October 31Open May 2 through October 31
1,590 ftElevation
110 ftWater · Emily Lake
3.2 miW of Lac du Flambeau, WI
76%Tree cover
Bortle 3Night sky · 40th darkest of 70 in WI
Open May 2 through October 31Today

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 2 notices

In the agency’s own words

Boating and fishing are popular activities on the lake, with excellent bass and pan fish available. The area holds many opportunities to encounter rare species of fish, wildlife and plants. Bird watching, nature study programs and viewing the vivid fall foliage are also among popular activities for visitors. Nearby hunting opportunities for big game, upland game birds, waterfowl and small game, exists across the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Fishing for trout or other game fish is available in any of the 600 available lakes or 1,200 miles of stream. Keep reading

For hiking enthusiasts, 800 miles of trails are located throughout the north woods. For those that enjoy quiet places, the forest contains five designated Wilderness areas and several semi-primitive non-motorized areas. Motorized recreation is also available to the public, with approximately 300 miles of designated trail winding through the diverse landscape.

Facilities

Emily Lake is 31-acres in size and has a boat ramp for activities like canoeing and fishing. The campground is near the Round Lake Non-motorized area for biking and hiking. Grills, drinking water and vault toilets create an ideal atmosphere for parties and family get-togethers.

Natural Features

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest covers more than 1.5 million acres of Wisconsin's Northwoods. The sparse population of the area and low visitor use, make the wild and scenic beauty of the forest that much more enjoyable. Hundred of miles of maintained trails make this area a hikers paradise. The pristine Emily Lake provides a breathtaking backdrop for a traditional camping experience.

Nearby Attractions

Park Falls, located just over 20 miles away, offers historical attractions, museums and restaurants-perfect for a day trip.

What the agency tells you

Rule

Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information.

Rule

Emily Lake Campground is located on the Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, between the towns of Park Falls and Lac du Flambeau in Price County.

Tents and rigs

Sites
1
Hookups
None
Accessible sites
None listed
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Vault Toilets
“…and hiking. Grills, drinking water and vault toilets create an ideal atmosphere for parties and family…”
Drinking water
Yes
DRINKING WATER (HAND PUMP) on 1 of 1 campsite records
Boat ramp
Yes
Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
Lake, Creek
Birding
Boating
Canoeing
Fishing
Hiking
Ice Fishing
Kayaking
Mountain biking
Paddling
Stargazing
Fall color · reported 13 days ago, 18 km away
Past peak
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026
Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by distance (18 km) · Oct 4, 2026

No reading yet, book on recreation.gov

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.

Booking windowOut of seasonOut of season, no booking. On November 21, 2026 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through May 21, 2027.recreation.govAdd to calendar (.ics)
A night$15plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule
A weekend$38DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itU.S. Forest ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

We’ll write once, when the season that starts Fri, May 21 2027 is open for booking.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 12

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
A night$15
S&P Standard$15
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Sep 8, 2026 to Oct 12, 2026.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
One nightDerived$23
A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$38

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $15 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 5

rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

1 sites

All 1 sites

SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions
Coordinate45.96470, -90.01010
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Getting there

From the intersection of Highways 13 and 70 in Fifield drive East on Highway 70 approximately 22.3 miles to FR 509 (Chippewa Trail). Turn left (North) and continue on FR 509 for 3.1 miles to FR 142. Turn right (East) on FR 142 and drive 0.2 miles to FR 1178. Turn left (North) and continue 0.5 miles to the campground.

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon53°Sunny
Tonight35°Mostly Clear
Sunday59°Mostly Sunny
Sunday Night34°Mostly Clear then Patchy Fog

NWS forecast for Lac du Flambeau, WI

Typical weather

Typical October night 33°F, day 53°F.

Coldest night of the open season: typical October night 33°F. Bring the bag rated for it.

90°32°-10°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: REST LAKE, WI (USC00477092), 13 miles away and at about the same elevation

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

Roadless country, and what’s coming for it

Roadless
Round Lake Study Area3,707 acres · 4 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Who answers for this land

Tom Tiffany, official portrait

Emily Lake Recreation Area is in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district. Its representative, Tom Tiffany (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: The agency lists it open right now. Its own recreation database, though, flags it not open with no reason or date; the flag is named under How we know all this.
Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by distance (18 km) · Oct 4, 2026
Reported by: PhenoCam Network (GCC), reported past peak · Oct 4, 2026
Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.