Our family is going camping for the first time ever, planning to stay at Franklin Lake in northern Wisconsin. One small question we have is in regards to grills. Websites I've read indicate they have "grills". Are these charcoal, or do they consider the firepits grills ?

Sorry if it's a stupid newbie question!

Sorry it's taken so long to respond. Suggest you go to our website - click on icon upper left on this page. Select the Nicolet NF and read the description for the CG. There are two basic types of grilles - fire pit (variety of types) and pedestal. The former usually has a grille that folds over the pit. The pit can also be used for a campfire. The latter is strictly a grille that stands about 4ft. and is primarily designed for people in wheelchairs. It is not intended for campfires. But, is good for cooking w/charcoal. We normally include whether campsites have a pedestal grille; we did not indicate such for Franklin. However, they may have been added since we researched the CG. Suggest you contact the ranger district office (noted in the CG description) and ask about the pedestal grille.

Now, you are wanting to camp in one of the most popular CGs in the Nicolet. It does take reservations - see our website for process. When you talk to the ranger district office ask about whether all the sites are reserveable. If so, hard to find available campsite w/o reservation. If not, as a "drive-in," you might have a chance but only if you arrive NLT Firiday noon. Sure, you might luck out, but . . .

Sorry, to take so much space, but as a newbie . . . Hope we're not too late.

P.S. As a newbie, you are not stupid - no such thing! We all started at some time or another and the mistakes we made? Well, too many to enumerate here.

Thanks for the reply! We actually just got back this afternoon after spending 6 nights there and had a great time. We arrived on Monday afternoon so were able to get a beautiful spot right on the lake.

We found out that they had the fire pits with the grate that flips over onto the pit. Worked great (we even managed to make pizza the last night).

Will definitely be camping again (now if I can only figure out how to get more vacation time LOL!)

I think some of us would like to know how you cooked that pizza on a fire pit. You can teach us something.

Well, I have to give my wife a lot of the credit LOL.

Started out with a fresh store-made pizza (not frozen). We also purchased a foil cookie sheet from the grocery store (large enough to hold the pizza).

Had a nice hot fire going, but kept the flames to a minimum (just tried to use hot coals).

Put the pizza on the cookie sheet and create a tent over it with aluminum foil. Took about 45 minutes to bake.

Pretty easily actually...

thanks, we will try it.