Council Lake Campsites
October 2026
About
Overview
The Munising and Rapid River/Manistique Ranger Districts of the Hiawatha National Forest offer a variety of camping experiences. Many are located on inland lakes in a rustic forest environment with no drinking water. The rustic environment offers a wonderfully serene and peaceful setting for your next camping experience.
Recreation
Council Lake is a 12-acre lake with yellow perch, rock and largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, bullhead and northern pike. Licenses are required to fish in Michigan waters.
Council Lake is part of a small chain of lakes and offers excellent canoeing and kayaking opportunities. There is a short portage that links Council Lake to Bar Lake and the Indian Wild and Scenic River.
Non-motorized boats can be used on the lake, however access at the campground is by land only. A boat ramp can be found at adjoining Red Jack Lake.
The day-use area is equipped with tables and a pedestal grill. The area is near a beach that is perfect for lounging and swimming. No drinking water is provided at the campsite; water must be brought in and garbage must be carried out.
Facilities
There are four campsites at Council Lake for tent and small RV camping. Each campsite is equipped with a table and a campfire ring. A pit toilet is located near site 1, but toilet paper is not provided.
There is NO drinking water.
Lake Name: Council Lake
Number of Sites: 4
Maximum Number of People: 8 (for each site)
Toilets: 1 (by site 1)
Boat Access: Carry-In
Lake Size (acres): 14
Natural Features
These four campsites are situated on the quaint 12 - acre Council Lake, nestled in a mixed stand of hardwood and pine trees. They are on the southern shores of Council Lake, close to adjoining Red Jack and Scout lakes.
Contact Info
For local information, please call (906) 387-2512 or call (906) 474-6442 for general information.
Amenities
Phone: 906-387-2512
Is Council Lake Campsites fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches Council Lake Campsites in Munising, MI for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching Council Lake Campsites for cancellations is the paid part.