Chippewa Flowage Gear Checklist
The Chippewa Flowage boat-in sites are 11 primitive DNR island camps on a lake of about 15,300 acres and some 200 islands, reached only by water. The gear that matters is about wind, water and raccoons: the only drinking water in the DNR's own listing is at the CC South landing, open bays can funnel waves onto a camp, and one group's forgotten snack bag drew a raccoon. Firewood must be bought locally.
What shapes your gear on Chippewa Flowage
- The sites
- The DNR runs 11 primitive island campsites. Each has a sign, a fire ring, a picnic table and an open-air box latrine. All are reached by water, and the DNR suggests leaving your itinerary with someone at home.
From Wisconsin DNR
- Reservations
- Since 2025 every DNR island site needs a reservation and a fee. Booking is required from May 1 through November 30, up to 11 months ahead, and you search with the Boat-in filter. Tribal sites on the lake are closed to the public for the 2026 season.
From Wisconsin DNR
- Water
- The DNR names the Highway CC South landing as the place with drinking water and trash service. A solo paddler also reported it was the only landing with potable water, and none of the facilities the DNR lists at the island sites include water.
From Wisconsin DNR and Canoetripping.net Forums
- Size and wind
- The lake is about 15,300 acres with around 200 islands, so you cannot see half the distance in most directions. A late-September 2019 solo trip met south-southeast wind of 10 to 12 mph with gusts, and the next day open bays had waves running 4 to 5 feet from crest to crest.
- Crowds before reservations
- On a Friday afternoon in a past summer, a youth group found the first five sites it checked already taken by motorboaters who were camping. That was when the DNR sites were first come, first served. The DNR now requires reservations, which fixes the site you will use.
From northwestwisconsinpaddling and Wisconsin DNR
- Plants and animals
- Poison ivy grows at several island camps, and two different groups mention it. The DNR says bears can be present. A raccoon found a smelly bag that had missed the group's bear bag.
From northwestwisconsinpaddling, Four Corners of the World and Wisconsin DNR
What the agency requires on Chippewa Flowage
A reservation for the site you will use
You must hold a booking before you pitch a tent on any DNR island site. Camping is allowed only at the designated, signed sites, and you must occupy a site the same day it is set up.
From Wisconsin DNR
Locally bought firewood
It is illegal to bring firewood from more than 10 miles away or from outside the state. The DNR asks you to buy bundled local wood and burn all of it rather than leave it for the next camper.
From Wisconsin DNR
A way to carry out every piece of trash
Plastic, cans, glass and all other trash go out with you and must not go in the pit toilets. Trash receptacles sit at public landings, and the DNR says trash service is offered only at the CC South landing.
From Wisconsin DNR
What hikers carry on Chippewa Flowage
Extra stakes and guylines for a wind-proof shelter
A solo paddler on a gear test used borrowed stakes for an experimental tarp and had to re-rig it in the night, for about two hours of sleep. His second camp was more sheltered, yet the wind still howled through the nearby trees.
A paper or phone map you can read on the water
A youth leader says map reading is essential on this lake because it is so big and full of islands. The solo paddler says the lake is so broken up that you cannot see half its length in most directions, and the DNR publishes a lake map.
From northwestwisconsinpaddling, Canoetripping.net Forums and Wisconsin DNR
A bear bag or sealed food bag
A raccoon at an island camp went for a forgotten, smelly bag that did not make it into the group's bear bag. The DNR says bears can be present on the property.
From northwestwisconsinpaddling and Wisconsin DNR
A screened canopy or other rain shelter
A four-night kayak camp at Crane Creek Island woke to rain on the first full day, and a friend's screened canopy turned the day into cards, books and conversation.
All your drinking water, filled at the CC South landing
The DNR lists drinking water only at the CC South landing, and the solo paddler confirmed it is the only landing with potable water. Island sites list a fire ring, table and latrine and no water.
From Wisconsin DNR and Canoetripping.net Forums
A camp stove and a frypan
On a night with howling wind the solo paddler tried baking biscuits in a frypan on a camp stove and reported that it works.
Fishing rods and tackle
The lake is known for musky, and a guide says walleye, northern pike, bass, crappie and panfish are stocked too. A kayak camp group fished the Crane Creek Channel from a canoe.
From Miles Paddled and Four Corners of the World
A heavy, low-packed camp load for ballast
The solo paddler found that the weight of his camp kit helped him control the canoe in wind, and he repacked it at his first camp so he could move on.
Going as a group? Split this list between you so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Chippewa Flowage
A camp on an exposed neck of land
The solo paddler's first night was at Little Banana, a thin neck between two chunks of island, with about two miles of open water upwind. By morning waves made launching a poor idea, and he moved camp rather than stay another night.
Food left outside the bear bag
A group that carried a bear bag still had a raccoon find one smelly bag that was left out of it. A single forgotten item was all it took.
A plan to cross open bays against the wind
A three-quarter mile upwind stretch took the solo paddler two hours at near sprint pace. The youth group also turned back from a trip to the southwest corner because of strong west wind.
From Canoetripping.net Forums and northwestwisconsinpaddling
Gear questions for Chippewa Flowage
Do I need a reservation for Chippewa Flowage boat-in campsites?
Yes for the 11 DNR island sites. They need a reservation and a fee from May 1 through November 30, bookable up to 11 months ahead with the Boat-in filter. Tribal sites are closed to the public for 2026.
From Wisconsin DNR
Is there drinking water at Chippewa Flowage campsites?
Not at the sites. The DNR lists a fire ring, picnic table and latrine at each, and says the CC South landing has potable water. Fill your containers there before you paddle out.
From Wisconsin DNR and Canoetripping.net Forums
Can I bring my own firewood to the Chippewa Flowage?
Only wood harvested within 10 miles. The DNR bans firewood from farther away or from outside Wisconsin, and asks you to burn all of what you buy.
From Wisconsin DNR
Are there bears or raccoons at the Chippewa Flowage?
The DNR says bears can be present. One group had a raccoon take a smelly bag that was left outside its bear bag, so keep all food and scented items in one bag.
From Wisconsin DNR and northwestwisconsinpaddling
Sources
- Chippewa Flowage Camping · Wisconsin DNR · Agency
- Lake Chippewa Flowage mini-trip (Sawyer County, WI. Near Hayward) · Canoetripping.net Forums, Forum member (trip of late September 2019) · Forum thread
- Lake Chippewa Flowage · northwestwisconsinpaddling, northwestwisconsinpaddling · Blog
- Kayaking Wisconsin's "Big Chip" Wilderness · Four Corners of the World, Sue Pischke · Blog
- Canoe & Kayak Camping Wisconsin: Chippewa Flowage · Miles Paddled · Blog