About Franklin Lake
Number of accommodations: 43
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
Water Access
- Beach Access
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Rates, Sites & Availability
43 Sites Available
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Site Details
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43 Sites Available
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Reviews (306)
What Guests Are Saying
Franklin Lake is a beloved campground with spacious, well-maintained sites and beautiful surroundings, making it a favorite for many returning campers. Visitors appreciate the clean facilities, scenic hiking trails, and the tranquility of the lake, especially for families and young swimmers. Some concerns include the lack of showers and limited water access, but overall, the positive experiences and friendly hosts contribute to its charm.
What Guests Are Saying
Franklin Lake is a beloved campground with spacious, well-maintained sites and beautiful surroundings, making it a favorite for many returning campers. Visitors appreciate the clean facilities, scenic hiking trails, and the tranquility of the lake, especially for families and young swimmers. Some concerns include the lack of showers and limited water access, but overall, the positive experiences and friendly hosts contribute to its charm.
Review Summary
Debora N
VerifiedAugust 22, 2022 • Stayed at: 056, Loop: North
Love it here, it is the only place we go to camp.
Debora N
VerifiedAugust 22, 2022 • Stayed at: 056, Loop: North
Love it here, it is the only place we go to camp.
Dennis H
VerifiedAugust 21, 2022 • Stayed at: 058, Loop: North
Every year is different but always excellent!
We love our time there!
Dennis H
VerifiedAugust 21, 2022 • Stayed at: 058, Loop: North
Every year is different but always excellent!
We love our time there!
Dennis H
VerifiedAugust 21, 2022 • Stayed at: 058, Loop: North
Every year is different but always excellent!
We love our time there!
Peter J
VerifiedAugust 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 031, Loop: South
Franklin Lake is a lovely campground in a bucolic Northwoods forest setting with an adjacent swimming lake. We have often visited Franklin Lake and toured the campground, but this was our first time actually camping there. We were only staying one night and we thoroughly enjoyed the facilities themselves, including swimming in the lake. Generator noises from RVs were not pleasant, and there were a fair number of mosquitoes at the wooded campsite 031, which is to be expected in mid-July. However, a couple by the name of PLITZ in site 030 across from us thoroughly ruined our camping experience. They were evidently affiliated with other people staying at or visiting the campground and engaged in all sorts of tomfoolery, including towing large groups of kids and dogs around the campground on their trailer. But the worst was yet to come. The couple, PLITZ, stayed up until 2:00 a.m. drinking and talking full voiced, and running back and forth to the bathroom, slamming doors. I'm not a wimp, but as my wife and I were already in our nightclothes and sleeping bags, trying to doze off, I did not feel like going over and confronting them, as who knows what a drunken and possibly armed yahoo is likely to do. So we just toughed it out with a lousy night's sleep. The campground hosts, who might otherwise enforce the rules, reside at the mouth of the campground and have a cabin, and so are quite insulated from the goings on in the camping spaces themselves. I never saw the hosts during our stay and certainly never saw them take a spin through the campground to see what was going on. I'm not saying they NEVER inspect things, but I didn't see them that afternoon/evening. Just another instances where a couple of unrestrained jerks with nobody to police them can wreck your entire out-of-doors experience. A shame, especially since this was likely our only camping episode in the National Forest for the year.
Peter J
VerifiedAugust 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 031, Loop: South
Franklin Lake is a lovely campground in a bucolic Northwoods forest setting with an adjacent swimming lake. We have often visited Franklin Lake and toured the campground, but this was our first time actually camping there. We were only staying one night and we thoroughly enjoyed the facilities themselves, including swimming in the lake. Generator noises from RVs were not pleasant, and there were a fair number of mosquitoes at the wooded campsite 031, which is to be expected in mid-July. However, a couple by the name of PLITZ in site 030 across from us thoroughly ruined our camping experience. They were evidently affiliated with other people staying at or visiting the campground and engaged in all sorts of tomfoolery, including towing large groups of kids and dogs around the campground on their trailer. But the worst was yet to come. The couple, PLITZ, stayed up until 2:00 a.m. drinking and talking full voiced, and running back and forth to the bathroom, slamming doors. I'm not a wimp, but as my wife and I were already in our nightclothes and sleeping bags, trying to doze off, I did not feel like going over and confronting them, as who knows what a drunken and possibly armed yahoo is likely to do. So we just toughed it out with a lousy night's sleep. The campground hosts, who might otherwise enforce the rules, reside at the mouth of the campground and have a cabin, and so are quite insulated from the goings on in the camping spaces themselves. I never saw the hosts during our stay and certainly never saw them take a spin through the campground to see what was going on. I'm not saying they NEVER inspect things, but I didn't see them that afternoon/evening. Just another instances where a couple of unrestrained jerks with nobody to police them can wreck your entire out-of-doors experience. A shame, especially since this was likely our only camping episode in the National Forest for the year.
Peter J
VerifiedAugust 11, 2022 • Stayed at: 031, Loop: South
Franklin Lake is a lovely campground in a bucolic Northwoods forest setting with an adjacent swimming lake. We have often visited Franklin Lake and toured the campground, but this was our first time actually camping there. We were only staying one night and we thoroughly enjoyed the facilities themselves, including swimming in the lake. Generator noises from RVs were not pleasant, and there were a fair number of mosquitoes at the wooded campsite 031, which is to be expected in mid-July. However, a couple by the name of PLITZ in site 030 across from us thoroughly ruined our camping experience. They were evidently affiliated with other people staying at or visiting the campground and engaged in all sorts of tomfoolery, including towing large groups of kids and dogs around the campground on their trailer. But the worst was yet to come. The couple, PLITZ, stayed up until 2:00 a.m. drinking and talking full voiced, and running back and forth to the bathroom, slamming doors. I'm not a wimp, but as my wife and I were already in our nightclothes and sleeping bags, trying to doze off, I did not feel like going over and confronting them, as who knows what a drunken and possibly armed yahoo is likely to do. So we just toughed it out with a lousy night's sleep. The campground hosts, who might otherwise enforce the rules, reside at the mouth of the campground and have a cabin, and so are quite insulated from the goings on in the camping spaces themselves. I never saw the hosts during our stay and certainly never saw them take a spin through the campground to see what was going on. I'm not saying they NEVER inspect things, but I didn't see them that afternoon/evening. Just another instances where a couple of unrestrained jerks with nobody to police them can wreck your entire out-of-doors experience. A shame, especially since this was likely our only camping episode in the National Forest for the year.
Debra W
VerifiedAugust 8, 2022 • Stayed at: 019, Loop: South
The sites are beautiful and well spaced out. The park is well cared for and very clean.
Debra W
VerifiedAugust 8, 2022 • Stayed at: 019, Loop: South
The sites are beautiful and well spaced out. The park is well cared for and very clean.
Location Franklin Lake
Address:
U S D A Forest Service
Eagle River, WI, 54521
United States
Drive approximately 8 miles east from Eagle River on Highway 70. Turn south onto Military Road/Forest Road 2178 and continue about 2 miles, to Butternut Lake Road/Forest Road 2181, and continue approximately 4 miles to the campground.
Franklin Lake campground is accessible via Highway 70, approximately 8 miles west of Eagle River. There are no nearby interstates or freeways within 25 miles.
Latitude & Longitude: 45.9247 / -89.0081
Elevation: 529 feet
Policies & Rules
Cancellation policy
- Reservation fees are non-refundable. For campsites, cabins, lookouts, yurts, group sites, and similar stays, we charge a reservation service fee of $8.
- Standard cancellations usually have a $10 cancellation fee. Customers can generally cancel before the check-in date online.
- Late cancellation rules differ by stay type.
- Individual campsites: cancelling after 12:00am local time the day before arrival usually means a $10 cancellation fee plus forfeiting the first night's fee.
- Cabins, lookouts, and yurts: cancelling less than 14 days before arrival usually means a $10 cancellation fee plus forfeiting the first night's fee.
- One-night reservations: a late cancellation usually forfeits the full amount paid, up to the total original reservation cost.
- Modifications are allowed before the cut-off window, but fees depend on the change. Changing to dates completely outside the original reservation dates may trigger a $10 change fee. Extending or shortening a stay that still includes original dates usually has no change fee, though refunds may depend on timing and facility rules. Switching to the same type of campsite for the same dates usually has no change fee, but price differences are charged or refunded.
- Early departures may or may not be refunded. At certain facilities, partial refunds may be possible if staff can mark the site available for other visitors. No refund is given for a night if the early departure is requested after that day's check-out time.
- Security deposits are separate. Security deposits may be refunded to the original payment method if the facility is left in acceptable condition, as determined by the property.
Amenities
- Electricity is provided at certain campsites.
General
- Click here for more information on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Fires & fuel
- Firewood from outside the area is prohibited to protect against invasive pests.
Site types & loops
- Camping is limited to designated hardened areas only.
Nearby Campgrounds
Nearby destinations
Last updated: June 4, 2026
