Beautiful Ada Lake (75 acres) has wide sandy shallows along its perimeter and a 60-foot-deep hole near the center. The deep waters provide an excellent habitat for a variety of fish including Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Panfish and Largemouth Bass. Paddlers will enjoy exploring the shallows along the west and north shorelines, the water is so clear you’ll see fallen logs on the rocky bottom and plenty of fish (wear polarized sunglasses!).
Hardwoods and pines surround most of the lake with a scenic area of hemlocks on the east shore where the campground is located. Homes and cottages occupy areas of the west shore, but the north, east, and south shores are undeveloped.
Aside from a narrow strip of Hemlocks along the lakeshore, most of the campground lies in a hardwood forest. Maple, Birch, Ash, and Elm provide plenty of shade for each campsite. A small creek meanders through a small hemlock swamp at the south end of the campground.
There are 18 non-electric sites available for tent and RV/trailer camping (back-in only, see list below). Site #2 is the campground host. Every site has a tent area, parking spur, picnic table and fire ring. Campground amenities include drinking water (electric well & hand-pump), and accessible vault toilets. An excellent swimming beach with a shallow, sandy bottom is at the north end of the campground. All sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lakeside Campsites with Lake Access
Waterfront sites 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10 are set back from the lakeshore and offer at least partial views of the lake through tree trunks and light foliage.
A public boat landing is at the south end of the campground with a gravel ramp, turnaround, and trailer parking area. Ada Lake is restricted to electric motors.
Ada Lake is a Loon nesting site.
Trails & Places
- Cathedral Pines SNA* | Hiking
- Mountain Fire Lookout Tower* | Scenic overlook
- Jones Springs Area Trail* | Hiking
- Nicolet Roche Trail* | Mountain Biking
- Wolf River | Paddling
- Peshtigo River | Paddling
- North Branch Oconto River | Paddling
Season
The campground is open from May through mid-October.
Registration
A self-registration kiosk is located near the campground entrance. You must register and pay before occupying a site.
GPS: 45.370400, -88.731433
Campground Stats
- Total Number of Campsites: 18
- RV & Tent Campsites: 18
- Tent Only Campsites: 0
- Group Campsites: 0
- Reservable Campsites: 0
Campground Amenities
- Contact station kiosk
- Drinking water (hand pump)
- Accessible vault toilets
- Garbage & recycling
Campsite Amenities
- All sites are non-electric
- Fire ring
- Picnic table
- Tent area
- Parking spur
- Campsite Capacity: 8 people per site
- All sites offer at least partial shade
RV & Camping Trailer Info
- Campground Roads: Gravel
- Campsite Spurs: Gravel
- All sites are back-in
- 25-foot max: 1, 7
- 30-foot max: 5
- 35-foot max: 10
- 40-foot max: 4, 11
- 45-foot max: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
- Generators Allowed: Yes (6:00am to 10:00 pm)
- Generator noise must not disturb other campground guests!
- RV/Trailer Dump Station: No
- Nearby Dump Station: 45.370400, -88.731433
Forest County Veterans Memorial Park ($ fee) 19 miles away
- Nearby Dump Station: 45.30481, -88.55562
Maple Heights Campground ($ fee) 21 miles away
- Visit sanidumps.com or rvdumps.com for more info.
Recreation Area Amenities
- Public boat landing
- Swimming beach
- Pets Allowed? Yes
- Pets must be restrained or on a leash in campgrounds & developed areas.
- Pets (except guide dogs) are not allowed in swimming areas.
Recreation Area Activities
- Ada Lake (75 acres, max depth: 60 feet)
- Swimming
- Boating (electric-motor only)
- Canoeing & kayaking
- Paddleboarding
- Fishing
- ⥾ Largemouth Bass (common)
- ⥾ Rainbow Trout (present)
- ⥾ Brown Trout (present)
- ⥾ Panfish (present)
- Ada Lake contour map
- Lake Bottom: 10% sand, 10% gravel, 70% rock, 10% muck
Managing Agency
- Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
- Lakewood-Laona Ranger District
- Lakewood Office
- 15085 State Highway 32
- Lakewood, WI 54138
- Phone: 715.276.6333
- Official website: Ada Lake Recreation Area
Local Gas & Services
- Wabeno is 9 miles away
(restaurants, supplies, convenience store, gas & services) - Laona is 17 miles away
(restaurants, grocery, supplies, convenience store, gas & services, laundromat) - Townsend & Lakewood are 19 & 23 miles away
(restaurants, grocery, supplies, convenience store, gas & services, laundromat) - Crandon is 21 miles away
(restaurants, grocery, supplies, convenience store, gas & services) - Antigo is 33 miles away
(restaurants, grocery, supplies, convenience store, gas & services, laundromat) - Distances are from the campground entrance.
An asterisk* indicates an external link.