Baptism River Campground, near Tettegouche State Park, is a fantastic spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature. With a mix of tent and RV sites, it’s designed to cater to different camping styles, making it a popular choice for families and solo adventurers alike.

The campground is known for its stunning views and well-maintained facilities, including clean restrooms and showers. Visitors rave about the variety of hiking trails nearby, with some saying, “The hiking trails in the area are amazingly well maintained.” You’ll find everything from easy walks to challenging hikes that lead to breathtaking waterfalls, so lace up those hiking boots!

For those who enjoy a bit of creature comfort, the campground offers electric hookups and picnic tables at many sites. Campers appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, with plenty of trees providing privacy between sites. As one happy camper noted, “The sites are fairly private with trees in between,” making it a great place to unwind after a day of exploring.

If you’re up for some adventure, Tettegouche State Park has miles of trails and stunning views of Lake Superior. Plus, the visitor center is a great spot to grab a coffee or pick up firewood. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, Baptism River Campground is a solid choice for anyone looking to enjoy the great outdoors.

Located on the Baptism River, the campground is one and one-half miles from Lake Superior. These are secluded, well-screened sites. Eight sites are available in winter. Note: A campsite may be occupied by a group of six or fewer people using one camping shelter. Groups of six or fewer traveling in one vehicle may have one additional tent with prior approval from park staff.

Baptism River Campground — Tettegouche State Park

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The Best Camping Near Illgen City, Minnesota

There are a bunch of drive-in or hike-in sites here that you can reserve ahead of time. Pretty peaceful area with good facilities. At the Baptism River sites there are even showers and flush toilets.

What I love most about this campground is the proximity to awesome activities. You can take a hike to view the impressive waterfalls, or you can head towards the cliffs for some truly spectacular rock climbing over Lake Superior.

The North Shore in all its glory

I have spent many weekends at Tettegouche, in the group campground, in the tent campground, and in the hike in cabins.  What a great state park!  Lots of trails to hike.  Beautiful waterfalls to experience and photograph.  A nature lover's dream.  Campground has centrally located water and shower facilities.  Very nice visitor center at the main park gates.  

Give 'em the Gooch!

Tettegouche is a fantastic park for a weekend getaway, a week long camping trip, or even a day hike-through. Clean campsites and shower houses, friendly staff, and picture perfect views of scenery and Lake Superior!

A great park!

Very close to great sections of the Superior Hiking Trail and the baptism river. Beautiful in the summer if you're willing to make the drive from the twin cities or further. Campground is clean and scenic. Great for just the weekend or a week long stay!

Great campground, great hiking

This was our first camping trip of the year:) The camping sites are very roomy with a picnic table and fire pit. Some campsites also have bear proof food lockers. We camped in a site that also had electrical hook up. For those that want to have more privacy, there are cart in sites. At the entrance of the campground there are very clean men's and women's restrooms that have private showers. There are hiking trails that are clearly marked to each of the waterfalls. The views are spectacular!! There are plenty of spots for fishing too!!

Early Spring Camping

My wife and I arranged to get married on the stone beach at Tettagouche in 2001\. We arrived Friday night after the Ranger Station was closed, so we deposited our payment in the box.

The next morning, we went to the station to upgrade our weekend pass to a year state parks pass. On telling the rangers we planned on getting married in the park, he replied "oh, you will need a special permit for that". I said "it's just me, her, and a court clerk coming up from Two Harbors...and we need two witnesses..."

"Oh, that's different. It's supposed to rain all weekend- but we'll stay after to be witnesses, and if it's raining we'll start a fire and you can get married in the lodge!"

Sure enough, it rained. Sick of sitting in our tent, we made the most of it-put on rain ponchos, hit the trails, and enjoyed the bridges and waterfalls. And that evening, the Rangers fired up a huge fire in the lodge stone fireplace, took pictures, and signed as witnesses for our wedding. One of them had been married in the park as well, at the river outlet to the lake.

According to Japanese tradition, if it rains on your wedding you will have a happy marriage. We've had a lot of adventures together!

Rain on your wedding day...

The north shore of Minnesota is beautiful. Granite cliffs line the drive north of Duluth Mn. This is where you will find Tettagouche State park. The park has many hiking trails and a beautiful waterfall!

Beautiful North Shore

Absolutely gorgeous campground with great hiking. Only downside are the typical state park rules of being quiet by 10pm and no drinking, but otherwise it's a beautiful area and well worth it.

Gorgeous campground

Tettegouche State Park is beautiful in all seasons!! We went here primarily for the hiking, so many options with different views at this park it has a great variety for everyone! You can hike up along the coastline of Lake Superior, you can go down the coves and climb on the rocks, or they have a few nice waterfalls hiking inland up the river! One thing I will say about the waterfalls, it's about a 3 mile round trip. When you get about a mile in there's a staircase that leads down to the 2 step falls. Now the two step falls are beautiful but there's ALOT of stairs. If you not feeling up to the stairs skip the two step falls and continue on to the high falls which are much more worth your time and energy!

Waterfalls

Great day hike and so many different trails. Went down to cove and relaxed on rocks in lake superior and also went up top to scenic overlook where lots of rock climbers were climbing!!!

Hike and skyline

Trip to the falls in fall!!! Beautiful colors and amaxing views!!!

High and twostep falls

Like most of MN State Parks it was a very clean camping area. Beautiful scenery, Lake Superior on one side and the Tettegouche River runs between the two campgrounds. So much to do there! Swimming, fishing, hiking, photography, the list goes I'm!

Beautiful State Park 

The park itself and visitor's lodge is absolutely gorgeous. There are so many great trails and sights in the park and along the Lake Superior shore. We camped in the campground closer to the lodge and highway but heard little traffic and saw no light. The campsites were spread out far enough and were clean, but signage could've been better for the area, especially when trying to get to the beach.

Beautiful scenery...it's a must stop!

We visit the north shore every Labor Day weekend to celebrate our anniversary. This park is less crowded than gooseberry and has beautiful waterfalls with scenic hiking trails.

One of our favorite campgrounds.

The campground is very small, but we were able to reserve a spot with electric for a long weekend. The natural beauty of the North Shore is on full display here! There are several shorter hikes (our specialty) including one to the highest waterfall completely in Minnesota (non-border waters), shovel point, and Palisade Head. Every one is a must see!

Our site was very private and quiet. In fact when the wind was still we could hear the rushing waters of the Baptism River.

The new visitor center is beautiful and has fantastic naturalist programs and a great store. I could go on an on about the things my kids loved here, but I'll sum it up by saying that overall we rate this as one of our top 3 favorite State Parks!

One of many jewels on the North Shore

Awesome park for exploring. There are tons of stairs on one trail, but they are worth it to see the top of the waterfall and walk the swing bridge.

Park of 10,000 steps 🤣

Great place to stay for the adventurous, almost never packed but heavily hiked in the area. Kind campground volunteers, good water stations, well run. 

Northwoods MN Classic 

This campsite was amazing. Right on the shore of Lake Superior, within walking distance to a beach. There were several miles of trail to hiking including a pit stop at a waterfall. We had to walk in off the parking lot, they provide carts. Employees in the main building were very helpful and had recommendations. Great get away from the city life.

North Shore View

Tettegouche State Park is extremely large and is located on the north shore by Lake Superior. Palisade head is one of the main attractions and is a very busy one. I recommend seeing it when it’s morning or evening due to the crowds. The road to access it is very curvy and a little scary so beware. 

Busy busy busy

Tettegouche is such a big park that there's SO many different things to review. Palisade Head is a popular destination in this park and is awesome to see for sunrise or sunset. Note that the drive up to Palisade Head is curvy and long so I wouldn't suggest walking-drive instead, and slowly since there's typically other cars using the same road.

Bean and Bear Lake is my favorite hike in Tettegouche. It's about a 7 mile (round trip) hike and you can camp right at Bear Lake. This is a beautiful place to visit in the Fall! I'm always surprised with Tettegouche of, first, how large the park is. Second, since the park is so large and there's so much to see it's surprising quiet even during peak months. There's a great mix of forest, clear paths, waterfalls, and Lake Superior shore line.

Great place to space and explore!

Great Variety!

great waterfalls, great trails to the waterfalls and hanging bridge across the river

fabulous waterfalls

I wish we had a longer weekend to enjoy the park. Between all the great hiking trails waterfalls and lake Superior there is something for any outdoor enthusiast.   Lots of ups and downs. One trail we counted 595 stairs one way. 

Great MN state park

Tettegouche has lots of camping options -- walk in, cart in, RV, and drive in. We drove in.

The drive in sites didn't have a lot of space between them, but site 16 had a little more privacy than the others. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. Facilities are nearby and there is also a bath house which is closed for cleaning every afternoon.

There are plenty of gorgeous hikes and waterfalls to visit. We even caught someone getting engaged at the waterfalls -- that's how pretty it is. It's still cold in June - bring lots of layers and be prepared for a fire!

Lots of Camping and Hiking Variety

This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds in northern Minnesota along the glorious shores of Lake Superior.  The campsites are surrounded by plenty of wilderness to allow some privacy.  There is a wonderful newly built visitors center with wonderful interpretive displays.  You can hike some really great trails to beautiful waterfalls.  This is Minnesota in all it's glory

Beautiful campground along Lake Superior

The drive in sites are unique and more private than your typical state park site. Some have stairs from where you park to the picnic table and fire ring. The hiking trails are gorgeous, unique, and challenging, with lots of roots and rocks to manage. The pebble beach is a gem, with lots of other treasures to find, like crab claws. 

  

We’ve visited a number of state parks in MN and Tettegouche is definitely one of my favorites.

Great for a hiking challenge and crisp clean air

Amazing views by the water and while hiking up above it all.  Great campsites, visitor center and restrooms up near the campsites.  Definitely would go back.  We stayed at baptism river campground.  Tried once to stay at the cart in sites but had two little kids and a dog and the black flies were horrible. 

Great park!

Site #20e was perfect for our 5th wheel camper, and had easy access to both the high falls and two step falls. Quick drive to the main park building and lake superior. Dated shower house, but very clean!

Great State Park Visit

I camped at the Baptism campground with my mom and our dogs. 
The state park is simply beautiful. And so is the campground. The sites are all very private. Some have electricity, some are without. There are even some walk in campsites. 
The bathhouse with showers and toilets is very clean. A lot of people had campers so I had the feeling it was not used so much. The walk in sites had little vault toilets in the parking lot. 
From the campground you have the choice of several hiking trails and access to 2 waterfalls. 
You can also park at the visitor center and enter hiking trails from there. 
They have a very nice gift shop. Firewood can also be purchased. 
There are a lot if cool things around the park as well like Split Rock Lighthouse or Gooseberry Falls. 
I would definitely camp here again. It was a great experience. 


Simply beautiful.

2/15/19-2/17/19. We arrived in the dark and found a clipboard to select your campsite by the main office. It’s first come, first serve. Only a select number of campsites are available in February in the main loop. 

The roads were plowed and campsites that were open were well marked. We stayed in #17 and it was shoveled out and kept up for a nice winter camp. The outhouses were open and a short walk from our campsite. We cross country skied on groomed trailed right in the park and they are beautiful. The lake was frozen so we also got to experience walking on Lake superior as well as hiking within the park. It snowed all weekend and I really enjoyed my experience. If you have never winter camped I highly recommend your first time at Tettegouche. Bring a 4-season tent a warm sleeping bag, layer up and make a nice fire. 

We also got to see the famous “sea stack” (3rd photo) from the ice. Which was taken down and crumbled during a powerful winter storm in November 2019. 



First time winter camping  campsite 17

Great RV spots

We've camp here before, and it's a lovely park. The problem is that it is increasingly popular during the summer, so you have too book well in advance. When we checked on a Tuesday in late August, all sites were already reserved for the next four days. (We instead stayed at a campground in the Eckbeck Forest nearby.)

  

We still spent the day rock climbing in the park. The black flies were unbearable along the hiking trails though, so we ended our day hours early because we were getting painfully bitten so much, even with bug spray and long sleeves/pants.

booked up and buggy in August

1/24/20-1/26/20. #17

Second time camping here in the winter.  Snow was falling when we arrived but the road and open site driveways were plowed out. We had to stomp out a path, spot for a tent pad and the campfire area - but we didn’t mind. The site was very private and has a lot of pines. It was beautiful. The bathroom and shower house was even open.  7 people were staying here this weekend. 

We had a wonderful time. If you are looking for a camping site, I highly recommend this one. 

Too notch, year round  

We stayed at campsite H, which has its own cement platform, as well as a great lookout to Lake Superior. We also hiked the bean and bear lake trail- well worth the views! Only downside is the length of the hike to the cart-in site from the parking lot. 

Stunning views and awesome campsites 

We really enjoyed our time at this State Park.  The trails we fun to hike and the many waterfalls were beautiful.  There was a swimming hole with a river that flows into it that makes the water warmer than the traditional Superior cold.  The reason I gave it a 3 instead of a 4 is because everything was closed due to the employees having been furloughed so no giftshop and we had to go to the gas station for wood.  The Park is beautiful but it was strange without staff.

Covid--Everything was closed

I have spent years going to Tettegouoche with friends and I love it. Good selection of hikes, great location, fantastic facilities. Highly recommend.

World Class

The spots seemed smaller and the road was interesting to get into narrow and hilly didn’t seem like big campers could get in there as easy. Tent pads mainly gravel some with grassy-ish spots. Amazing location though you can’t beat the north shore! Do the full shovel point hike it’s an amazing view 

Great for small campers

The drive up the coast towards Tettegouche is beautiful with great views of the coast and all the beautiful wildflowers everywhere in June. When you pull into the park there is a visitor center there but it was closed to to Covid-19. To the right of that is the road to the campground. 

  

We stayed in site # 20 which was big and private.  We had Electric and filled with water when we entered. You fill with water near the restroom in the campground next to the bath house across from the dumpsters.  From our site you can here the river flowing it’s so peaceful. The sites are not level so come prepared. The only downfall is no dump station yet there is a dump station up the road in Silver Bay for a donation. When you leave the park you go left on 61 to the first light &amp; go right at that light. Past the sheriff station on the left is the dump station. 

  

The smell of Pine is so nice sitting in the campsite or walking a trail. Smells like Christmas. Nice trees

  

  I think the best sites are #1, 22 and 20. There is a path behind 20 &amp; 22 leading to 2 different falls. It's a easy hike about 1 1/2 miles round trip to High Falls you cross a suspension bridge  to the other side there are lookouts both sides. Now 2 step falls has a 200 stairs so beware. There are many different trails in the park one which goes down to the beach on Lake Superior. 

  

Close by:

Great fishing from our Kayak on Lax Lake. It's about 5 to 6  miles inland, has a boat ramp very easy access and a dock you can fish on. We caught 3 to 3 1/2 lb Bass, Perch, Northern Pikes and Pan fish.

  

Firewood can be bought along the side of the road I believe on 1 going towards Lax Lake. There were 2 vendors with cut wood one on each side of the road. The wood wasn't for sale in the park due to COVID. 

 in Silver Bay is Zups grocery, Ace hardware, Gas station, the dump station, and a few places to eat. 

  

Beautiful views from places along the coast, Palisade Head, (we saw people rock climbing) nice view of cliffs &amp; lake Superior. Split Rock Lighthouse was closed but you could park near the picnic area &amp; walk along the shore on a trail to it. Nice path to get there. Gooseberry Falls is another great little hike within Gooseberry state Park. You can take a dip near the falls or just relax &amp; soak it all in. There were lots of people at the falls when we were there in June. 

  

Had lunch at Betty;'s Pies it was ok. The place is packed all the time. The we went to the Rustic Inn Cafe they have the best Peanut butter Pie ever along with other great Pies. 

  

Grand Marais is a cute town it's a drive up the coast but worth seeing it. We had lunch at the Gunflint trail Tavern. It was good especially the steamed dumplings. The French onion soup was good too.  You can drive through many state parks along the coast they are all different.  Many people go the Grand Marias to see the Northern Lights. 

  

The crows did shred my flannel backed table cloth it was a mess, yet we cut it up and used it to cover the firewood from moisture &amp; rain. A win, win!

  

This was my favorite State park along the coast of MN.

Nice campground, good hikes, waterfalls, the river and Lake Superior

This campground is super pretty, great location close to many things to explore, and I love that you can hear the waves of the lake at night. Unfortunately, the sites are very close to each other, and not much privacy between them or from the road. All of this makes the campground fairly loud, from sites around you and people walking past down the road. 

Decent campground

Couldn’t see everything this park has to offer but we had so much fun. Dream come true. 

Tettegouche 

Walk-in site 6 is close to parking (and to the RVs/pop ups/ etc though there are plenty of woods (even in autumn) to feel private . sites 7&amp;8 are further back in the woods, and I would def reserve one on the future.  

When I got there were warnings on the walk-in site parking signs, as well as on the campsite picnic tables, warning the black bears had been seen in the campsites. So use the lockers or put all food, cooking utensils,  and hygiene products  in your car. 

There is a pit toilet at the end of the trail, and is clean-ish.  

Trailheads are only minutes walk away. 

I don’t know if this is specifically Covid related, but the campsite was supposed to be full, but over half the sites were empty. There is no one working at the welcome center during Covid, so you must reserve on the DNR website.  Also, bring cash for firewood. 

I do know that because of covid a lot more people are visiting the parks. The main trails along the river were packed! I’m talking multiple larger groups (some as big as 10 people); the trailhead parking lot by Baptism River campsite was full by 8 am, and by noon people were parked a 1/4 mile down the road. When I left at 2 pm, every parking lot was full and people were parked along side Hwy 61.  I also noticed more garbage/litter along the river than ever. So—my suggestion is to camp here and stay away from the river. 



Baptism river walk-in site 6

Nice but the new 120 day booking system has made it impossible to book a site. I was trying to book a site at 8:00 in the morning 120 days out, boom, slam , nothing available 

Impossible to book

Great Park with loads and loads of things to do. Lots of great hikes and the hikes lead out to the backcountry and s few more sites even. Some great sites in here with some variety. We did not stay out in the backcountry but we did run into a couple that were off on a thru hike and offered some great knowledge. The information building looks to be fairly new and that is where you will want to get firewood and all the information you could ask for. They park rangers offered up some great hiking thoughts. The campground itself has a lot to offer. Great tree coverage, clean, and private. When we come back we plan to make this our basecamp and then do some overnight camping out by the waterfalls and the lakes up north. Also would highly encourage bean and bear lake…this was amazing! I would highly encourage you to book and take a risk as these sites fill up because of its location.

Perfect out of the way spot

The campground was great. It was by a hiking path so that was the only downside, but that wasn’t at all a big deal. We were pretty close to the river so it was nice to hear the water when life was a bit calmer at night. The tent pad allowed for us to set up two tents, one 3-person, and one 2-person tent. 

Outside of the campground, Tettegouche offers some great hikes and views. We only wish Castle Danger Brewery was a bit closer. 

If you camp at Tettegouche, I’m sure you’ll have a great time. The sites booked up pretty fast. I did book this campground in mid-January to stay during mid-May so be sure to book as quickly as you can. 

Tettegouche State Park

Since we live near Lake superior, we visit our beautiful North Shore state parks often. Tettegouche is one of our favorites. Most of the sites have plenty of vegetation between them for pretty good privacy.

There are miles of trails to hike, a beautiful visitor's center, and a lovely trial along the big lake. The campsites are not on the lake. They are back in the forest. Excellent access via wide dirt roads and good, even sometimes level gravel parking pads. Picnic table and fire rings of course.

Many options for the kind of camping you like. Walk in sites, backpack sites with bear safes, camper cabins, group camping, electric and non electric sites in the main campground.

Nice private sites

My kinda place.  The Campground, restrooms, showers, and water are open year round. It earns my best favorite for the year.

  

The critter that ran off with my flip-flops during the night is another story.  Do you know how hard it is to find new ones at this time of year?  Lucky I carry emergency backup flip-flops!  ~{;-)

Best campgroung for off season camping.

Wow…the views here are unreal. Great trails to explore and very nice visitor center.

Amazing North Shore experience

This campground is way back a long road within the park so it feels very remote and peaceful. The sites are fairly private with trees in between and some walk to sites. Ours was large with steps up to it and fairly level. The bathroom had showers and was very clean. 

Nice Sites with Clean Modern Restroom

it’s a nice campground with plenty of sites to see in the area. plenty of hiking opportunities trails are rough so pulling a wagon with kids is tough but possible 


nice campground with plenty of things to see

Absolutely enjoyed this state park: it has everything you’d want + more.

-Campground store has ice, firewood, bathrooms lots of parking available.

-Many trails to fill your day! High falls is a must see (not accessible by the bridge as of now because of recent rain)

-Spent more time on trails than on campgrounds but wouldn’t want it any other way!

10/10!

Hands down favorite in MN!

Variety of sites. Some with electric and some without electric, walk in, cart in, and backpack sites. Bathroom, showers, and vault toilets in the campground. Office building is huge and has a nice coffee shop! Lots of trails to hike and waterfalls!

Great hikes!

Camping &amp; lodging available at the time I visited. The weather was tolerable Oct 20th when I visited. 

Not too crowded despite the good weather that day.

Photos of Baptism River Campground — Tettegouche State Park

Real photos from real campers