Black Lake – Remote Camping In Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest

Camping at Black Lake in the Chequamegon National Forest

Remember my last post about boondocking? This was the camping trip I was referring to in that post. You’ll have to go back and read about the items that made this trip a little easier. No electricity, flush toilets, and running water may not be everyone’s cup of camping tea. If not, you may still enjoy the pictures and other things I’m going to share.

Let me start by saying that if you value a full body of blood, Black Lake may not be the spot for you. I came armed with four cans of various bug sprays knowing what I was up against from reading other reviews. Seriously though when you live in Wisconsin, losing a little blood out in the wilderness is to be expected. Did it make this camping trip unbearable? Not really. At times a bit miserable, yes but it helped that I was a bit prepared. If you venture into the deep woods without being armed with bug repellent ammunition anywhere in Wisconsin, expect to come home with 1000 mosquito bites versus 100! Not even kidding!

Anyway enough with the negative.

I seriously could not wait to pack up, hitch up and head north to meet my friend Amy near her home in Seymour. Three out of the seven of us camping were meeting at designated spots along the way to caravan. Usually, I just hit the road and arrive at my destination solo, but in this case the more the merrier. Amy and I had our vintage trailers and Sue, a newer camper. We stopped a couple of times to gas up. It was a joy to drive through towns watching people point and smile at our cute campers. Also stopping at gas stations is always a treat. More times than I can count I have people (usually older men) stop to comment on how cute my little Beatrice is. A proud mamma moment!

The long and winding (gravel) road

For what seemed like FOREVER, we finally turned off Highway 70 at Loretta for the final 12 miles of our journey. Six of those miles were on county road GG and the last six were unpaved gravel road. All I kept thinking was are we ever going to get to the campground? I had my first feeling of slight anxiety. No cell service and in the middle of the north woods. “Toto we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Or Sheboygan, or my home town of Kiel, or even Ada!! I wasn’t even at the campground yet and I was having connection withdraws.

I kept telling myself it was going to be okay. Four days of complete disconnection from the outside world and four days with five other women I’d never met. I met Amy last year when she came to visit me when I went on my first solo camping trip. Lord knows I needed a break from the madness of the world. With all the bad things going on and the need for people to attack each other on social media, and being in the middle of a pandemic, I was struggling to not let things get to me.

Hello Black Lake!!

Black Lake Campground is a popular spot located 30 minutes east of Hayward. I wasn’t kidding when I said it is remote. There are 29 primitive sites (17 of those reservable) within the camping area, most with lake access. Vault toilets are on the property and there is a pump well for water that is suitable for drinking. The lake is large at 129 acres and offers great fishing. There are two small boat landings.

A four-mile walking trail circles the lake and the area has a rich history in logging.

It is the perfect place to get away from it all and enjoy the outdoors.

We arrive and promptly found our campsites. The lawn on my site #13 was still being cut. So I pulled over, got out, and assessed the situation. From the looks of my campsite, I had a prime spot. A clear view of Black Lake and plenty of room to park my kayak.

Another advantage to site #13 was that Amy was in the site right next to me. There was a nice wide mowed path between our sites where we set up her screen tent. We called this or day time meeting spot for our stay.  My fire ring was our night time meeting spot.

I also had easy access to the grassy beach area which was small but a perfect spot to launch the kayaks from.

Because the two sites were connected, it may make it a little odd to have strangers in the site next to you. Especially if those neighbors would have kids. I wouldn’t want then going back and forth all day. In retrospect, site #13 is huge so this may not be a problem for others. There are trees to create some privacy.

I took my time setting up and getting my awning up. It was the first outing of the season and you have to reacquaint yourself with all the equipment so it usually takes some extra time to get things situated.

I took a walk around to see if there was any chance of getting cell service (no dice). I was beginning to get a bit comfortable with the disconnection. In the end, I found it a welcome thing. No temptation to scroll through Facebook or post pictures on Instagram.

Although the weather was perfect, we decided not to build a fire that first night instead opting for that first beer in Beatrice.  The four of us that were there were tired and those pesky mosquitoes were too much to manage. Before we hit the hay, we were treated to a fabulous light show courtesy of the fireflies that were all around us. That was pretty cool!

A trip into Winter

I didn’t sleep very well that first night. This usually happens when I am away from home.

Sue, Nancy, and I decided to drive the half-hour into the nearest town with a gas station, Winter (population 299). While I didn’t venture to downtown Winter, I suspected that there was only one gas station and not much else. Probably a couple of taverns. You are very secluded in this area of Wisconsin.

I wanted to connect with home and had some Etsy business to take care of. We gassed up our vehicles, grabbed bags of ice, and Nancy and Sue made their way back. I parked and messaged home and took care of customers. You don’t realize how much you rely on your phone!! That was it for the rest of the week. I took care of things, touched base with Rick, and said I will let you know when I have service again on the way home Saturday.

The rest of that day was spent sitting around and chatting. Eventually, Jacqi, Jessica, and Barb joined the four of us and our group was complete. Relaxation was the only thing on the agenda and that’s what we did. Get up, gather and have coffee, spend the afternoon reading, writing (in my case), or napping. I felt guilty that first full day on Wednesday because I never took my kayak out on the water.

Thursday I did manage to get the kayak out in the afternoon. Nancy joined me and we paddled around the lake. It was so still, we could hear the campers talking! I could have stayed out there all afternoon! Kayaking is one of my favorite things to do. Of course, any time I am on or in the water, I’m happy. I guess that comes from my childhood of spending all summer in the water. We didn’t have a lot of money, but I grew up having a pool in my backyard. We spent all day all summer long in that pool.

Jessica did manage the four-mile hike around the lake. She added that the path in some parts was pretty overgrown. Most likely a victim of lack of funds to update the trail I guess. I gave her a whole lot of credit. She and her sweet little puppy came out mostly in one piece. The mosquitos were no match for her!

We met nightly around the campfire but most of the time, except for the last night, the mosquitos were too bad for us and we would retreat to our lodgings early.

Nancy, Jessica, and I managed to take the kayaks out on Friday. I had never seen a kayak outfitted for fishing before, but Jess had quite the setup. She didn’t have a “fishing kayak” but hers is long and her husband set it up that she can comfortably fish from. I’m not a fisherwoman, but I was impressed. I found out there are a lot of lady campers that kayak fish. That’s okay, I’ll just happily paddle around and check out the scenery!

As far as food goes, I was happy to make melted cheese sandwiches in my pie iron and toast hot dogs. I also opened a can of minestrone one night. For lunch, I just made sandwiches or munched on veggies. Maybe the more I camp, the more creative I will get with food. The most exotic thing I did was make sugar cone s’mores. I took sugar ice cream cones, put mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and broken graham crackers inside. Rolled it in foil and put it in the fire. Not bad!!

The other ladies are seasoned camping veterans. Foil packet dinners, tuna steak on the grill, and other gourmet delights were on the menu with my fellow campers! Perhaps I should experiment with classic French dishes while camping! How about a big pot of Beef Bourguignon?

Our last night the mosquitos seemed to leave us alone and we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset, another firefly light show, and some laughs. We talked about future camping trips like a big one to Madeline Island next year. I’m in!

I had so much fun with these ladies. By the end of our four days, I felt like I knew them for ages. We talked about our lives, our kids, our work, and significant others or exes. There is still something special about a group of women who have a mutual enjoyment of something. It’s our little club!

Saturday morning it was time to pack up and venture home. Boondocking wasn’t bad at all. I had my shower and tent, the weather was perfect, and I had access to well water. I’d say the only damper was the bugs. I enjoyed myself and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

Some more photos

Camping is a fabulous way to relax and enjoy nature. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure is mine!

Until the next adventure!