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Wagner Lake Campground

Rose City, Michigan · on Wagner Lake · Huron National Forest

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Verified · 5 independent sources · top-verified

WATER
lake
ACCESS
Designated swim area
FEE
No fee found
SEASON
Varies by conditions

About Wagner Lake Campground

Wagner Lake Campground is a small, 12-site U.S. Forest Service campground on the shore of Wagner Lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, near Rose City, Michigan. The lake is officially described as a shallow, sandy-bottom lake with a designated area for beach play and swimming, a mellow swimming hole for campers who want a lake to swim in right at camp.

The campground sits on the banks of Wagner Lake within a mixed hardwood forest setting inside the Huron-Manistee National Forest, in a rural stretch of northern Lower Michigan reached via M-72 and M-33 from Grayling.

Swimming at Wagner Lake Campground

The lake is described by the Forest Service as a shallow, sandy-bottom lake with an area set aside for beach play and swimming, making it suited to casual, low-key swimming and wading rather than deep-water or cliff-jumping style swims. The same shoreline area supports launching non-motorized watercraft (canoes and kayaks).

How to get to this swimming hole

From Grayling, Michigan: travel east on M-72 for about 30 miles, then south on M-33 for about 7 miles, then west on Wagner Lake Road for about 1 mile to the campground.

Parking: Each of the 12 campsites includes its own paved parking pad; no separate day-use parking area is described in the sourced material.

The walk in

No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. This is a drive-up campground: each paved campsite parking pad sits on the shoreline, so the swim/beach area is reached by a short walk (well under 5 minutes) directly from the campsites/parking. No trail or hike is required.

Plan your visit

Bringing kids

Good for kids

Official Forest Service description calls Wagner Lake a shallow, sandy-bottom lake with a designated area for beach play and swimming, i.e. a low-key wading/beach spot rather than deep water, cliffs, or current.

Parking

Lot

Each of the 12 campsites has its own paved parking pad directly by the lake; the source material does not separately describe a dedicated day-use (non-camper) parking lot, so it's unclear if there is parking for visitors who are not staying overnight.

Restrooms

Yes

Vault toilets on-site at the campground (serving the 12 campsites and adjacent swim/beach area); hand-pump wells provide drinking water.

On the water

KayaksCanoes

Restrictions: Carry-in / non-motorized only - the Recreation.gov listing describes canoes and kayaks launched from the shoreline; no boat launch ramp is mentioned and motorized watercraft are not listed among the site's activities.

Recreation.gov's own activity tags for the campground list Boating, Canoeing, Paddling, Fishing, and Swimming as on-site activities, consistent with a small carry-in lake.

Wagner Lake Campground: FAQ

Is Wagner Lake Campground kid friendly?

Official Forest Service description calls Wagner Lake a shallow, sandy-bottom lake with a designated area for beach play and swimming, i.e. a low-key wading/beach spot rather than deep water, cliffs, or current.

Do I need to hike to reach Wagner Lake Campground?

No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.

Where do I park for Wagner Lake Campground?

Each of the 12 campsites has its own paved parking pad directly by the lake; the source material does not separately describe a dedicated day-use (non-camper) parking lot, so it's unclear if there is parking for visitors who are not staying overnight.

Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Wagner Lake Campground?

Recreation.gov's own activity tags for the campground list Boating, Canoeing, Paddling, Fishing, and Swimming as on-site activities, consistent with a small carry-in lake.

What are the rules at Wagner Lake Campground?

Campers must occupy their site within 24 hours of the reservation start; only downed wood may be used for fires and outside firewood may not be brought in (to prevent spread of invasive pests); fireworks are prohibited; ORVs are not permitted in the campground; standard Forest quiet hours apply; nothing may be tied or tacked to trees; hot campfires must not be left unattended. The site is gated during the off season.

What water body is Wagner Lake Campground on?

Wagner Lake Campground is on Wagner Lake, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.

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