Dispersed Camping

This page includes information on backcountry campsites and dispersed camping.

Backcountry Camping

While camping in the Sylvania Wilderness is remote, it is not considered dispersed as use of these designated, backcountry camp sites is managed and requires a special recreation permit. These single isolated campsites within Sylvania Wilderness require boating or hiking to reach. They have a cleared area for a tent, a campfire ring, and a wilderness latrine (an open pit toilet with no outhouse building).

Reservations for Sylvania Backcountry Camping are available on Recreation.Gov. A few sites are reserved for walk-in, first-come/first-served visitors. For more click here.

Dispersed Camping

Camping is allowed in general National Forest areas for no longer than 16-days in any one location. After that period of time, if you wish to continue camping in a dispersed area of the Ottawa National Forest, you must relocate to another site at least five miles away. This means you may not set up a dispersed campsite within a developed campground or adjacent to it, or on a road, or on a trail. Remember to pack out what you pack in.

Dispersed Camping Areas

Bergland Ranger District
The Bergland Ranger District is managed by the Ontonagon Ranger District. Currently the Old Ranger Quarters houses the Bergland/Matchwood Historical Society and the Administrative Offices is home to the Bergland Cultural & Heritage Center. The Bergland Cultural & Heritage Center provides information about the Ottawa National Forest and surrounding attractions during the summer months. This district offers miles of hiking trails and wildlife/nature viewing.
Trap Hills
Bessemer Ranger District
Bessemer Ranger District has a variety of traditional lands, fisheries, and timber programs with new challenges in wildlife partnerships, in recreation (Region 9's only Harbor) and with management of our Wild and Scenic Rivers, and Scenic Byway. The district has an excellent reputation for being team participants at both the district and Forest levels.

There is something for everyone with 32 waterfalls; 1200 miles of rivers and streams; over 1,100 lakes; and 30 miles of Lake Superior shoreline just 15 minutes north on County Road 513.

It's a perfect spot for fishing, picnicking, swimming, boating, canoeing, hiking, camping and hunting for grouse, black bear, and white tailed deer. BESSEMER'S Fourth of July celebration and Pumpkinfest are among the finest in the Midwest, and involves the whole community. A Lake Superior fishing derby on Labor Day ushers in the fall color and salmon run for the Black River Harbor area.

The Black River Harbor Recreational Area is a popular destination for many when visiting the Bessemer Ranger District. This recreational area provides a marina/harbor, campground, watersfalls, access to the North Country Trail.

BESSEMER is in the heart of Big Snow country where fresh powder graces four ski resorts with novice to expert trails atop three mountain ranges; kilometers of groomed cross-country trail; The almost one million acre Ottawa National Forest is located throughout the western half of the Upper Peninsula. The forest has five ranger districts and a nursery that serves the Great Lakes area. The Eastern Time zone cuts across the heart of the Forest.
Kenton Ranger District
The Kenton Ranger District is the largest and oldest district on the Ottawa, dating back to 1931, when the forest had only one district. The recreation program includes a wide variety of dispersed activities including hunting, fishing, remote camping and hiking including two wildernesses, snowmobiling on numerous maintained trails, recreational driving with a variety of potential destinations including lakes, waterfalls and other scenic attractions. Developed recreation includes 7 campgrounds (3 on rivers, 4 on lakes), 2 waysides on M-28 and a CCC era organizational camp, which is used seasonally by a wide variety of organizations for outdoor education and other purposes.

The McCormick Wilderness and The Sturgeon Gorge Wilderness are located on the District.
The district is a premium spot for the outdoorsman. Whitetail deer are numerous. Black bear are common and getting more numerous. Upland game birds include ruffed grouse and woodcock. There is some local Canada geese and ducks in addition to migrants, which concentrate on local farm fields and Michigan DNR wildlife projects. Wild turkey hunting is also available with a two-hour drive. Fishing includes brook, rainbow and German brown trout, Chinook and Coho salmon, walleye, large and small mouth bass, northern pike, musky and numerous species of pan fish. The area is also home to a wide variety of other wildlife including moose, gray (timber) wolves, fisher, pine marten, bald eagles, osprey, loons, river otter, bobcat, mink, beaver and many more. Sightings of bald eagle are common occurrences with local population being among the highest in the Midwest along with numerous nesting sites. In general, it is a good place if you enjoy clean air, water, outdoor experiences and nature.
Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness
The Wild and Scenic Sturgeon River rushes out of the northern portion of this wilderness, over the 20 foot volcanic outcroppings of Sturgeon Falls, and through a gorge that reaches 350 feet in depth and a mile in width. Throughout this rugged, steep Wilderness, the Sturgeon and Little Silver Rivers and their tributaries have carved falls, rapids, ponds, oxbows, and terraces. Stunning views are possible from the eastern rim of the gorge. Except for a few naturally bare slopes, most of the land is forested with pine, hemlock, aspen, sugar maple, birch, and basswood. When the leaves of the hardwoods change color in the fall, they form a vivid tapestry. There are few established trails in Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness, and the few overgrown logging roads are hard to find and follow. The North Country National Scenic Trail parallels the northern and eastern boundaries for about eight miles. Sturgeon River Campground offers seven sites on the southeastern boundary. In spring and during peak runoff, kayaking and white water canoeing are challenging, and only recommended for advanced paddlers.

Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness Map
McCormick Wilderness
Three generations of McCormicks, the descendants of Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the reaping machine, held the deed to this area before Gordon McCromick willed the land to the U.S. Forest Service. McCormick Wilderness has recovered from the logging era that ended in the early 1900's. Today, you'll find a mixture of northern hardwoods and lowland conifers interspersed with small patches of towering white pine, Michigan's State Tree. Straddling the divide between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, this region ranges from nearly level terrain to rocky cliffs. McCormick's water is what draws most visitors, with the Huron, Dead, Pahokee, and the Wild and Scenic Yellow Dog Rivers all have part of their headwaters within the wilderness. Many cascading waterfalls on the Yellow Dog make it unnavigable. The Yellow Dog is one of a few Eastern rivers designated "Wild". Eighteen small lakes add sparkle to the landscape. Trout, pike, and bass live here, but only in small numbers due to the less-than-fertile-waters. The three mile White Lake Trail connects County Road 607 to White Deer Lake where the McCormick Estate once stood. Remnants of old, unmaintained trails can sometimes be found, but the rest of the Wilderness is fairly rugged, isolated, unspoiled, and relatively difficult to access.

McCormick Wilderness Map
Watersmeet Ranger District
The Watersmeet Ranger District is one of five districts on the almost one million acre Ottawa National Forest. The District has approximately 25 people who manage a variety of traditional lands, fisheries, recreation and timber programs. Both the Wilderness and the recreation area receive high use, particularly during the summer season. Six developed campgrounds and a major visitor center, add to the heavy recreation program. The Ottawa Visitor Center is currently open year round with about 30,000 annual visitors.

Watersmeet is located in Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula, an area known for its woods and waters. This Headwaters area boasts beautiful, deep, clear, glacially formed lakes that provide water to the Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Mississippi Watersheds. Waterfalls are numerous and the major attractions to thousands of visitors annually.
The Watersmeet area is a perfect spot for fishing, picnicking, swimming, boating, canoeing, hiking, camping and hunting for grouse, black bear and white tailed deer. Tourism and timber products are the major industries in this area of forested hills and interspersed lakes and rivers. There are several resorts for those who wish to come to the Northwoods to stay in a comfortable cottage, or the Sylvania Wilderness for those wishing a more primitive experience in a pristine setting.
Watersmeet is in Big Snow Country where the rolling hills provide some of the best cross-country skiing in the mid-west. With snowfall averaging more than 100 inches a year, skiing usually begins in early December and sometimes doesn't end until after Easter. A half-dozen Alpine ski resorts are nearby - with Thanksgiving the declared opener for some. Major snowmobile trails cross the district and some trails even take the riders to view waterfalls in winter splendor
Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping
The Sylvania Wilderness encompasses 18,327 acres of primitive lands and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Visitors can camp in 50 designated campsites within the Sylvania Wilderness. Visitors enjoy endless canoeing, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities.

Natural Features: The old-growth forests and pristine lakes in the region 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.

The Ottawa National Forest is comprised of nearly 1 million acres and is located in the western reaches of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The forest's rolling, forest covered hills extend from the south shore of Lake Superior to the Wisconsin border. Lakes, rivers and waterfalls are found throughout this beautiful landscape.

Recreation: Sylvania's abundant lakes provide plentiful non-motorized boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing opportunities. Other popular activities include hiking and viewing wildlife.

Facilities: Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camp is not a physical campground located at one location. The 50 individual sites are located along eight lakes within the Sylvania Wilderness. Camping is allowed only at designated sites. Campsites are primitive, but each is equipped with a campfire ring and a wilderness latrine.

Camping is permitted at designated sites by permit only. Permits MUST be reserved by visiting Recreation.gov (see details below). No first-come, first-serve walk in sites available in 2020.

Fish Your National Forests: Fish available include: Trout, Native Trout, Bass, Walleye, Panfish, Pike; Types of fishing available include: Wade, Shore, Non-motorized boat, Float tube, Fly, Spin, Ice;

Maps:
- Sylvania Wilderness Map
- Clarks Lake Campground Map
2022 SYLVANIA WILDERNESS AND RECREATION AREA UPDATES