Monocle Lake Campground is a Hiawatha National Forest campground and day-use area on the south end of Monocle Lake, a 172-acre inland lake in Chippewa County in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula. The U.S. Forest Service (St. Ignace Ranger District) owns the site and a concessionaire runs it in summer. Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay is less than a mile to the north, and Point Iroquois Light Station is under two miles away. Mixed aspen, maple, birch and pine shade the shoreline, and private homes line other parts of the lake.

From the M-28 and I-75 junction, drive 7.5 miles west on M-28 to M-221, go north 2.5 miles to Lakeshore Drive (Forest Highway 42, the Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway), then turn west for about 6 miles to Forest Road 3699 and follow it to the campground. Brimley is roughly 5.5 miles to the southeast as the crow flies. Day visitors park in the large lot next to the day-use picnic area, and a separate paved boat launch has its own lot sized for trucks and trailers.

The swimming beach sits beside the day-use picnic area at the south end of the lake, a short walk from the parking lot. The Forest Service lists swimming as an activity here, but it does not post a lifeguard service, a marked depth chart or water test results for this beach, so plan on swimming at your own risk and keeping children within reach. Monocle Lake is a deep, cold Upper Peninsula lake. Expect the water to stay brisk until midsummer and drop off quickly once you move away from the shallows. Motorboats and personal watercraft share the lake, so stay close to shore and away from the launch.

The Forest Service lists fees for overnight camping only: $24 per night for a single site and $7 per extra vehicle per day. It publishes no day-use fee for the picnic area or beach, so day use appears to be free, but check the self-pay station when you arrive. The 2026 season ran June 12 to September 13, and visitors must leave by 10 p.m. Repaving of the campground is scheduled for fall 2026 and spring 2027 during the off-season, depending on weather, and the alert also lists the Monocle Lake Interpretive Trail as affected. Call the St. Ignace Ranger District at 906-643-7900 or the concessionaire at 906-767-1111 to confirm the opening date before a trip early in the season.

The picnic area has tables, grills, drinking water and accessible vault toilets. Anglers fish for walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and perch, often around two artificial reefs off the eastern shore. The Monocle Lake Trail starts with about 1,100 feet of accessible boardwalk, has interpretive signs along its first two miles, and continues into the hardwood ridges above the lake. Point Iroquois Light Station and the rest of the scenic byway along Whitefish Bay are a short drive away.

The campground itself has about 39 shaded, non-electric sites for tents and RVs, some reservable on Recreation.gov and some first come, first served. There are no hookups. It is a quiet base for a swim day on Monocle Lake followed by a Lake Superior sunset at Point Iroquois.