Chippewa Recreation Area among July 1 forest openings
On Wednesday, July 1, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest opened additional recreation sites, including the Chippewa Recreation Area on Taylor County’s Chequamegon Waters (Miller Dam) Flowage.
For a full list of open areas and other up-to-date information, visit the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/CNNF.
Among the July 1 openings are:
_ Chippewa Recreation Area on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations honored starting July 1, however, no showers will be available in the restroom facilities and some finishing construction work in Bass Loop may still be underway, however, sites will be open and available for use.
_ Sailor Lake Recreation Area on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations honored starting July 1.
_ Namekagon Lake Recreation Lake on a firstcome, first-served basis. Reservations honored starting July 1. Some construction work may prevent access to individual camp sites. If your site reservation will be impacted by construction, the Forest Service will contact you and provide instructions to obtain an alternative site.
Chippewa and Namekagon Lake Recreation areas were closed last fall as contracts were awarded to install electricity and pave the access and interior roads at these sites. The contractors are continuing to complete these upgrades. The electrical pedestals have been installed, however, they are not ready for visitor use. Visitors are reminded to not touch the pedestals or attempt to use them until the work has been completed and the pedestals are fully functional.
All additional campgrounds remain closed until further notice, including Eastwood, Picnic Point and West Point campgrounds on the Mondeaux Flowage. Reservable sites will be canceled and refunded through July 16. If circumstances change, and additional campgrounds are opened prior to July 16, reservable sites may be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Forest Service is making every effort to expand access to recreation on a site-by-site basis within the context of CDC guidance and state and local government orders for residents. As staff and volunteers are being onboarded and COVID-19 prevention mitigations are being implemented, the Chequamegon-Nicolet is continuing to implement its phased plans to provide public access to recreation sites.
The Forest Supervisor’s order limiting the size of groups of 10 people or less per group across the entire Forest remains in place until further notice. Visitors are asked to stay as local as possible when choosing a site to visit.
