4.0728 reviewsPrice
$16 - $22/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
22 campsites
Season
May 17 - September 3...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Price
$16 - $22/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
22 campsites
Season
May 17 - September 3...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
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E23979 US 2 East Watersmeet, MI 49969
Paddlers and trout fishermen who want a quiet no-wake lake to themselves. The concrete boat ramp is right there, the 111 acres are motor-restricted, and fall weekends deliver color from the maples and actual silence after summer crowds leave. Bring your own water filter since the
No showers, no hookups, no dump station, and no reservations means showing up and hoping. Summer visits bring serious mosquito pressure that multiple reviewers flagged as more than annoying. If a full-facility base camp is the baseline, this one won't get there.
Reference information about Imp Lake Campground sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
<p>Imp Lake Campground located 6 miles southeast of Watersmeet, MI, provides visitors with a unique camping experience. Lakeside sites offer a quaint view of a small island populated with nesting loons, while off lake sites are perched beside towering hemlocks. Visitors are free to roam the nearby Imp Lake Interpretive Trail, canoe or fish the quiet wake free lake. This campground consisting of two camping loops, with a total of 22 campsites, provides drive-in sites that can accommodate tents, trailers and motor homes. All sites are spaced with natural vegetation for screening. Each site offers a wood table, fire ring, and parking spur. Three sets of vault toilets and two hand pumps for drinking water are located within the camping loops. A picnic area, and boat landing are located adjacent to the campground.</p>
The elevation is 1,660 ft. Possibly the most appropriately name campground in the Ottawa National Forest, it is just off U.S. Route 2. Convenient to the highway, the campground has two loops which offers visitors sites among magnificent old hardwoods and pines on the shores of Imp Lake. Best suited for tent and campers with small recreation vehicles. It is quiet and rustic. The Lake is a Loon nesting area so campers have the added pleasure of hearing this bird's mystical and haunting calls. Bug repellant is recommended. Ottawa National Forest 357
Services provided May 22 through September 27
The water spigots are hand pumps.
Imp Lake is 111 acres and no-wake.
The parking aprons are gravel, grass and asphalt. The parking aprons are gravel, grass and asphalt. Many spurs are narrow with drop offs - Use caution when stepping out of vehicle.
From Watersmeet, MI, take US Rt. 2 east 5.5 miles to Forest Rt. 3978. Turn right onto Rt. 3978 and go south 0.8 miles to campground sign. Turn right into campground.
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Early-to-mid fall delivers the most reliable conditions, with daytime highs in the mid-40s to mid-60s°F and cool nights in the 30s-40s°F. September offers peak hardwood color before Loop 1 closes September 30. Summer brings warmer temperatures but also significant mosquito infestations that multiple campers mention in reviews. Fall visits mean fewer bugs, quieter sites, and better conditions for paddling when loons are most active.
Early-to-mid fall offers peak hardwood color; noted as particularly attractive in autumn.
Imp Lake Campground offers basic amenities suitable for a rustic camping experience. Each of the 22 campsites is equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, and parking spur. There are three vault toilet facilities and two hand-pump water spigots within the camping loops, providing potable water. A picnic area and boat landing are located adjacent to the campground. However, there are no modern facilities such as flush toilets, showers, or hookups. Multiple user reviews highlight the rustic nature of this campground, with observations such as "Imp Lake offers just the basics - vault toilets and drinking water - but for the right type of camper in the right setting, that’s all you need for a great trip." Another user stated, "The vault toilets appear to be 40+ years old... but infrastructure here has been well maintained and is in good shape."
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