Wagner Lake
Wagner Lake is a small lake nestled between Mio and Rose City in Oscoda County. The shallow lake is completely surrounded by National Forest System land and has a healthy fish population that includes largemouth bass, pan fish, and a few rogue pike. The frog population is also in high supply, and when we visited, we saw numerous snakes and turtles, too. The view of the stars at night was pretty fantastic as well. Just east of the lake lies a small campground and a boat ramp. There aren’t many sites at this campground, so it fills up quickly. There is a group site on the west side of the lake, which is called the Chimney Loop Campground. The group site area does not offer electricity, has just one vault toilet but can accommodate up to 30 people, and has a historic chimney perfect for roasting s’mores. When we stayed at the group sites, we hiked through the woods, swam in the lake’s warm water, caught some nice largemouth bass, and kayaked a ton. On our last trip I hiked around the whole lake, most of which I would classify as bushwhacking, which ended up being just under a mile and a half and took about 25 minutes. Each time we have stayed at Chimney Loop, there have been people staying at the campground across the lake, but I felt like our group had the entire lake to ourselves, apart from an occasional unknown but friendly fisherman. Although I have not stayed at the individual sites on the east side of the lake, just having access to the lake alone would make those sites worth it!
