Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping
5Heads up5 fires, nearest 20 mi
- Right now
- OpenThe agency lists it open
- A night
- $15From, per site
- Sites
- 50All of them booked ahead
- Season
- January 1 – December 31Open January 1 through December 31
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices
In the agency’s own words
Planning a trip to the Sylvania Wilderness? Watch for Alerts at the top of the page for any Alerts regarding this facility. Encompassing one of the largest tracts of remaining old growth forest in the Midwest, the Sylvania Wilderness encompasses 18,327 acres and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. 34 named lakes are within its boundary. Recreation opportunities include canoeing on Sylvania's undeveloped lakes, hiking through its old growth forest, and camping at one of its 50 designated backcountry campsites. Special rules and regulations are in place to protect the wilderness characteristics of Sylvania. If you are planning a trip, be sure to watch the Sylvania Wilderness Orientation Video and read the "Need to Know" tab on this web page to plan ahead and prepare. Keep reading
Recreation
Canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and backcountry camping are the most popular activities. Campsites are scattered along 8 lakes within the wilderness. There a nearly 30 miles of hiking and portage trails. 18 lakes have maintained portage trails leading to them. Special Fishing Regulations apply Facilities The Sylvania Wilderness has 50 primitive individual backcountry campsites. Campsites are accessible by paddling or hiking and are not accessible by vehicles. No more than 6 people are allowed per campsite. Each is marked with a post along the shoreline, has a metal campfire ring, a wilderness style latrine, and most only have room for 2-3 tents. Campsites are located approximately 200 ft. from the shoreline. All sites are accessible from the water, but only some have maintained hiking trails that lead to them. Make sure to check the Sylvania Wilderness Map to see which sites are located along hiking trails before planning to hike to your campsite.
Natural Features
Located along the watershed divide between Lake Superior and the Mississippi River, old-growth northern-hardwood forest and undeveloped lakes are the primary features of the Wilderness. They provide habitat for a wide range of animal and plant life, including rare orchids, bald eagles, loons, and osprey. The wilderness contains 34 named lakes, some with sandy beaches and others surrounded by record-size red and white pines. Several lakes support unique fisheries.
Nearby Attractions
Ottawa National Forest Clark Lake Pavilion Charges & Cancellations Cancellations If you cancel reservation at least 14 days prior to check in date, all recreation fees, minus a $10 cancellation fee and the reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center) will be refunded. If you cancel reservation less than 14 days prior to check in date, all recreation fees, minus $10 cancellation fee, reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center), and first night’s use fee will be refunded. The reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center) is non-refundable. No Show Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. For more information about rules and reservation policies, visit the Recreaiton.gov Rules and Reservations Policy page .
What the agency tells you
Please watch the Sylvania Wilderness Orientation Video to help you prepare for your trip to the wilderness. - Fishing Regulations: Sylvania Wilderness & Perimeter Area - Sylvania Wilderness Map
Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Campsite Permits are $15 per night. No pass discounts apply to backcountry camping permits, as they are classified as a 'Special Recreation Permit.' Passports and Interagency Pass fee discounts do not apply to Special Recreation Permit sites per FSH 2309.13.
Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Campsite reservation holders do not have to pay the day use fee to park at Clark Lake or Crooked Lake Boat Landings to access backcountry campsites. Use of the Clark Lake Day Use Area requires a daily $5.00 per vehicle fee, or a season pass for $30 per vehicle. The season pass covers the daily fee for the Sylvania Recreation Area.
Everything else this campground posts · 3
Sylvania Wilderness Rules and Regulations Permit holders are responsible for understanding and following all Sylvania Wilderness rules and regulations. Forest Service regulations are enforceable with a maximum penalty of $5,000 and/or 6 months in jail. Rules and regulations are as follows: 1. Camping is only permitted at designated sites. 2. Between May 15 - September 30 each year, all users must register and have a valid wilderness permit. Permits can be obtained at the Sylvania Entrance Station. 3. Special fishing regulations apply to most Sylvania lakes. Transport of bass across National Forest Lands in Sylvania Wilderness and Recreation Area is prohibited. 4. Metal or glass food or beverage containers, including deposit bottles, cans, and Styrofoam are prohibited. Exceptions include fuel, insect repellent, medicine, toiletries, and containers designed and intended for repeated use. 5. Landing on islands from "ice-off" to July 15 is prohibited to protect nesting loons. 6. Motorized, mechanized, or gas-powered vehicles are prohibited within the Wilderness (note exceptions below). Portage wheels and bicycles are also prohibited. -Only electric motors with a maximum size of 24 volts or 48 pounds of thrust (4 HP equivalent) or less may be permitted or possessed on Crooked, Devil’s Head or Big Bateau Lakes within the Sylvania Wilderness. -Wheelchairs are allowed 7. A maximum of 6 people per campsite is allowed. 8. Fires are only allowed in metal Forest Service fire rings at designated sites. -Collect only dead and down wood. 9. Sailboats or other sailcraft are prohibited on Clark Lake or any lake within the Wilderness. 10. Commercial guiding for any purpose is prohibited. 11. Outside of campsites, a maximum of 10 people can be together. 12. Washing and bathing with soap must be done on land and 150 ft. or more from any lakeshore or wetland. 13. Pack and saddle stock is not permitted. 14. Dogs and other domestic pets must be on a 6 ft. leash and under control at all times except when hunting during a sanctioned Michigan state hunting season. 15. Metal detecting or possessing a metal detector is prohibited. 16. Digging holes or trenching is prohibited. 17. Firearms may not be used except for hunting and may not be used near campsites or other occupied areas.
These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 CFR Part 261, Sub-part A
For more information about the Ottawa National Forest, visit their website.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 50 · 50 tent-only, 50 group
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Shade
- Every site
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Beach
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Cross Country Skiing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Hunting
- Picnicking
- Snowshoeing
- Swimming
- Winter sports
Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:32 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
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.
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 make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 17
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the lowest per-night amount the agency’s fee record states ($15), 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.
“Cancellations - If you cancel reservation at least 14 days prior to check in date, all recreation fees, minus a $10 cancellation fee and the reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center) will be refunded. - If you cancel reservation less than 14 days prior to check in date, all recreation…” · this campground’s own no-show terms
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 · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 16:32 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
50 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 50 mapped sitesAll 50 sites
| Clark Lake | ASH-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 297 ft | 152 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | ASH-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 297 ft | 200 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | BALSAM-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 254 ft | 132 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | BALSAM-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 254 ft | 144 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | BIRCH | group tent only area nonelectric | 1837 ft | 128 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | CEDAR-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 324 ft | 169 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | CEDAR-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 324 ft | 163 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | MAPLE-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 242 ft | 110 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | MAPLE-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 242 ft | 161 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | PINE-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 269 ft | 166 ftClark Lake |
| Clark Lake | PINE-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 269 ft | 161 ftClark Lake |
| Crooked Lake | BADGER-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 322 ft | 195 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | BADGER-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 322 ft | 218 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | CHIPMUNK | group tent only area nonelectric | 720 ft | 114 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | FISHER-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 187 ft | 115 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | FISHER-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 187 ft | 73 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | FOX-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 323 ft | 287 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | FOX-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 323 ft | 180 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | MINK-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 136 ft | 215 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | MINK-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 136 ft | 187 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | PORCUPINE-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 322 ft | 149 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | PORCUPINE-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 322 ft | 190 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | SQUIRREL-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 210 ft | 119 ftCrooked Lake |
| Crooked Lake | SQUIRREL-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 210 ft | 146 ftCrooked Lake |
| East Bear Lake | DEER-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 417 ft | 223 ftEast Bear Lake |
| East Bear Lake | DEER-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 417 ft | 214 ftEast Bear Lake |
| East Bear Lake | WOLF | group tent only area nonelectric | 1382 ft | 129 ftEast Bear Lake |
| High Lake | BOBCAT | group tent only area nonelectric | 1135 ft | 162 ftHigh Lake |
| High Lake | RACCOON | group tent only area nonelectric | 1135 ft | 196 ftHigh Lake |
| Loon Lake | EAGLE-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 290 ft | 164 ftLoon Lake |
| Loon Lake | EAGLE-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 290 ft | 184 ftLoon Lake |
| Loon Lake | LOON | group tent only area nonelectric | 1502 ft | 164 ftLoon Lake |
| Loon Lake | MALLARD-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 147 ft | 133 ftLoon Lake |
| Loon Lake | MALLARD-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 147 ft | 135 ftLoon Lake |
| Loon Lake | OSPREY-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 295 ft | 224 ftLoon Lake |
| Loon Lake | OSPREY-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 295 ft | 158 ftLoon Lake |
| Mountain Lake | BEAR-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 223 ft | 177 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | BEAR-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 223 ft | 120 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | BEAVER-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 291 ft | 146 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | BEAVER-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 291 ft | 219 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | ERMINE-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 354 ft | 183 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | ERMINE-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 354 ft | 131 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | LYNX-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 294 ft | 157 ftMountain Lake |
| Mountain Lake | LYNX-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 294 ft | 182 ftMountain Lake |
| West Bear Lake | COYOTE | group tent only area nonelectric | 2120 ft | 121 ftWest Bear Lake |
| Whitefish Lake | BASS | group tent only area nonelectric | 3230 ft | 138 ftWhitefish Lake |
| Whitefish Lake | PERCH-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 142 ft | 193 ftWhitefish Lake |
| Whitefish Lake | PERCH-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 142 ft | 144 ftWhitefish Lake |
| Whitefish Lake | PIKE-1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 160 ft | 198 ftWhitefish Lake |
| Whitefish Lake | PIKE-2 | group tent only area nonelectric | 160 ft | 158 ftWhitefish Lake |
25 of 50 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Sylvania (Clark Lake) CampgroundOttawa National Forest · 0.0 mi
Lac Vieux Desert CampgroundNicolet National Forest · 11 mi
Marion Lake Group SiteOttawa National Forest · 11 mi
Imp Lake CampgroundOttawa National Forest · 12 miPomeroy Lake CampOttawa National Forest · 13 miMoosehead Lake CampOttawa National Forest · 14 miBackcountry wilderness campsites can be accessed from the Sylvania Recreation Area by parking at the Clark Lake or Crooked Lake Boat Landings, or from entry points on the perimeter of the wilderness (see map). To reach the Sylvania Entrance Station and Recreation Area: From Watersmeet, travel approximately 3.5 miles west on US 2 to County Road 535 (Thousand Island Lake Road), then drive south on CR 535 approximately 4 miles to the Sylvania Wilderness and Recreation Area entrance.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Watersmeet, MI
Typical weather
Typical October night 33°F, day 53°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 2°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
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.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping is in Michigan’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Jack Bergman (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →