$35 / night

Camper submitted image from Pokegama Dam Campground - 1

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Nature

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Official

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Roads

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Buildings

Established Camping

Pokegama Dam Campground

8 Reviews

About

US Army Corps of Engineers

Mississippi River Headwaters - Pokegema Lake

Overview

Pokegama Dam Campground (USACE) is situated in the heart of northern Minnesota's lake country next to the Mississippi River. Popular activities include boating, fishing, picnicking and wildlife viewing.

Recreation

The Mississippi River offers great opportunities for boating and fishing. Anglers will find Walleye, Northern Pike, Blue gills, sunfish, Large and Small mouth Bass among other species. Birders enjoy viewing Bald eagles, loons, ducks, geese and many other species from the banks of the park.

Facilities

Natural Features

A forest of mixed hardwoods and towering red pines cover the area, housing an abundance of wildlife including bald eagles, porcupines, black bears chipmunks and many others. Wild blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries grow seasonally on the forest floor.

Nearby Attractions

Judy Garland Museum, Forest History Center, Itasca County historical Society, Childerns Discovery Museum, Tioga Beach, Mesabi Bike Trail

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Location

Pokegama Dam Campground is located in Minnesota

Directions

From Grand Rapids, Minnesota, take Highway 2 west for 2 miles, turn left at signs and follow to campground.

Address

34385 US HWY 2
Grand rapids, MN 55744-9663

Coordinates

47.25 N
93.5833333 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Trash
Phone Service
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Big Rig Friendly

SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE

$35

/ night

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

Shari M.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2021

Right on the Mississippi

Small campground, large sites with electric, tables and fire grills. Nice restrooms!

We used our Senior National Park pass for 1/2 of $26. Sweet deal!!

You can walk over the dam to a short walking path along the river.

Lots of choices to eat, drink and be merry in Grand Rapids!

Forestry History Center was great! History of logging in the area and we saw a draft horse pulling logs for demonstration.

Site18

Month of VisitSeptember

Stephen L.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 2, 2021

Pokegama Dam Campground

Sites are level gravel pads. On the water sites have no beach shoreline lots of cattails. Highway noise is constant and Trains go by often all hours of the day.

Site9

Month of VisitAugust

Alex L.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 28, 2020

Great parking lot for travel vans. Free hot showers. Clean.

An extremely safe and pleasant location. You can either use the paid campground or stay in the parking lot, say if you had a sprinter travel van or some such thing. Alternatively if you are tent camping there are a couple nearly hidden campsites that you can use for free right by the canoe landing. A large part of the year clean showers are available and are free! although this fact is not publicized and at certain times of the year they are put under code for campground use only. I find that most the time they are open. A bathroom is attached each shower and can be locked from the inside making it great for a couple to use the facilities efficiently together. This is a one-of-a-kind place that does not exist much anymore. Free shower free camping clean bathroom , great walking trails, Great spot to fish. For a stop alongside the highway it has it all.

Janet R.

Legend

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2020

Pleasant camping at Pokegama

Pokegema Dam This is a campground established by the Army Corps of Engineers, adjacent to the Pokegama Dam. Highlights include fishing in the rapids below the dam, or in the still river water above it, camping and relaxing under the tall pines in the campground, canoeing and kayaking on the river, and having a base to explore nearby Grand Rapids and attractions like the Minnesota State Forest History Museum a few miles away. Unless you are here for the fishing on site, though, you will probably use this campground as a base to do day trips in the area, as the campground is not big enough to feature hiking trails and other on-site activities. The campground seems oriented towards RV and trailer camping, with hook-ups and hard packed gravel vehicle access on most sites. A few sites do include sufficient grassy areas for tent camping. Almost all the campsites are located on the shores of the Mississippi River just downstream from the dam, and are sheltered under huge shady pines. The setting is more beautiful and scenic than can be seen from the road when passing by. Unfortunately, that road is the 4-lane highway 2, which provides easy access to the campground, but also adds a bit of road noise to your experience. Plus factors include a thoughtfully designed handicapped accessible campsite, several canoe campsites for paddling the Headwaters Water trail, and easy fishing access via boat landing, the dam itself, and various fishing piers. Everything is sparkling clean and there are bathrooms, showers, potable water, and a kids playground.

SiteCanoe tent site

Month of VisitSeptember

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Nathan R.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2019

Very clean and nice campground

Was very impressed by the facilities. Super clean and very nice. Overall quiet it’s nice with fishing and the River right there. Only downfall is noise from trains and traffic on Hwy 2

Melinda S.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 14, 2019

Nice place to camp

My friend and I go here about twice a year. It is an excellent Campground that cost around $26 a night there is on-site electricity but not water or sewer there are several stations close by then you can hook a hose to and fill. The lots are spacious and has a good size playground . It also has a shower and toilet facility and great views of the Mississippi River.

TyAnn J.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2018

Comfort camping on the Mississippi

The Pokegama Dam & Recreation Area is a small but comfortable campground just minutes from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. There are 19 extra large campsites that can accommodate a large RV, boat & trailer, and vehIcle wIth room to spare, and also two gorgeous campsItes rIght along the bank of the MIssIssIppI RIver. We had a girls getaway camping trip here during the Tall Timber Days Festival so the campground was at full capacity.

There are so many activities to do while staying at the campground!! We toured the dam area that offers a great history lesson about the dam, we spent time in the boat fishing on Lake Pokegama, there are gorgeous and well maintained trails to hike (bring bug spray!!) and a great breeze coming off the dam/river to sit and enjoy the spectacular view of mighty pines and oak trees. The only drawbacks for us(hence the 4 star rating) are that you are just feet off the 4 lane highway, so there is a lot of traffic noise, and the cost per nIght Is $26.00.

All campsites (save the 2 tent areas) offer 30 amp electric service, and there is a roomy area for dump/fresh water/drinking water fill. There’s a great playground for kids, and a big picnic shelter that’s reservable. The bathrooms were very clean, and they have 1 shower stall in both the men’s and women’s bathroom. Plus they have 1 family/handicap accessible bathroom. The fish cleaning shack is clean, and has a beautiful flower garden surrounding it:)

Next time we visit we will bring our kayaks to paddle down the Mississippi. To make a reservatIon (up to 6 months In advance) by goIng onlIne to www.recreatIon.gov or callIng 1-877-444-6777. Check out is at Noon. And while you’re in Grand Rapids, we recommend taking the tour of the Forest History Center-great for adults and kids!!

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Alyssa J.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 4, 2016

Nice, but so close to the highway

This is a nice campground. With a playground and indoor "facilities", it's ideal for the faint-of-heart campers. Great for a day trip, but I don't know how long I'd like to stay considering how close it is to highway 2 and Grand Rapids.