A gravel road curving into a high mountain valley at first light, the peaks catching the sun.

Forest Service campground

Lake Ottawa Campground

Forest Service campground in Ottawa National Forest, Iron County, Michigan. 1,535 feet. 6.4 miles from Iron River.

Managed by
Forest Service Ottawa National Forest
Elevation
1,535 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
31 31 standard non-electric
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Iron County

Overview

Planning a trip to the Lake Ottawa Campground? Watch for Alerts at the top of the page for any Alerts regarding this facility.

Lake Ottawa Campground is in a beautiful forested northwoods setting located 5 miles southwest of Iron River, MI, on the Iron River Ranger District.

Recreation

Located adjacent to the Campground is Lake Ottawa, a deep cold water lake that provides fishermen with a good variety of game fish. There is a boat ramp with ample parking for trailers.

Ge-Che Trail - Length is approximately 9 miles on a dirt trail. This trail provides scenery of primarily hardwood forest. The trail can be accessed from Lake Ottawa boat landing, and from within the campground.

Lake Ottawa Recreation Area day use area provides indoor facilities for a group picnic, and a large outdoor picnic area complete with picnic tables and grills. The area is large enough to provide plenty of space for all. Also located in the same area is an athletic field. The day use building provides indoor seating for eating or parties. The building has a fireplace, electricity, and flush toilets.

Facilities

Lake Ottawa Campground is 95% surrounded by National Forest System Land and offers 32 campsites, a picnic shelter with two stone fireplaces and original log picnic tables, and two log toilet buildings with flush toilets. A pressurized water system and RV dump station are located in the campground. Adjacent to the campground, in the day use area, is a CCC era recreation building, with flush toilets, swimming beach, playing field, picnic areas and boat launch.

Nearby Attractions

Stateline-Mile Post Zero Trail - Scenery is hardwood, forested with two destination points on the Brule River. The trail is not a loop, it is a relatively flat dirt trail. The length of the trial is approximately 4/10 of a mile and takes you to the historic Stateline Mile Post Zero location indicating the border between Michgian and Wisconsin.

The combination of topography and thousands of miles of rivers and streams have created hundreds of waterfalls throughout the Upper Peninsula, with several of the waterfalls located on the Ottawa. The Ottawa National Forest has 18 named waterfalls, 53,637 acres of lakes, 2,366 miles of perennial streams, 2,890 miles of intermittent (occasional) streams, and 210,761 acres of wetlands. The falls vary in size and some are easier to get to than others. For more information on the most visited waterfalls on and around the Ottawa National Forest, visit the Ottawa National Forest website waterfall page .

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • biking
  • boating
  • camping
  • canoeing
  • day use area
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • kayaking
  • mountain biking
  • swimming

The land around Lake Ottawa Campground

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated May 18, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.