Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Cherokee Lake Backcountry Camping

In my haste to make the reservation online I forgot to indicate I was a Good Sam member. I thought, no problem, I will say something when I check in to pay the balance.

The office was very busy at check in and we were in quite a hurry as we had RV service scheduled and technician waiting on us. MY fault only, I forgot to mention it. I went into the office this morning and a clerk told me there was no way to issue a refund in their system. I told the clerk if they would not refund my 10% then I would have to dispute the charge at the bank and then they would have to make an adjustment with their banking service. The clerk said, “Do what you want, but we don’t do any refunds.” I called my bank and they said, “The charges are still pending to your account, so ask them to void the transaction and start over.”

I returned to the office and suggested that, and the clerk then contacted the manager who agreed to do just that.

Sorry I made the mistake, but that is not a way to earn a return stay.

Sometimes you gotta be the squeaky wheel.

The dog park has old astroturf on it. I found that a bit strange.

They have a cute little store. Laundry takes debit snd credit cards.

This area is insanely beautiful and serene. You’ve got to be sure to reserve your spot ahead of time though! Lots of campsites in different lakes to choose from. We stayed on Crab Lake and had an entire island all to ourselves. 200+ rod portage, all well worth it. Plenty of fishing too. It’s the absolute perfect spot to unplug from the world and truly live in the wild. We plan to go back at least once every year!

This campsite is very spacious, enough room for all 3 of our tents and 3 hammocks (and there was even room for more!). There are sunny, open spaces for tents, as well as very wooded, shady spaces.

There was a small landing area for the canoes.

There is a large rocky point that the sun hits throughout the day and allows you to watch the sunset in the evening. We spent multiple days fishing off of this point, with little luck. We caught 1 northern from this point. We tried fishing from other spots in the lake and only came up with 2 more northerns... tad disappointing. 

On the opposite side of the island you can canoe (we tried to walk and couldn't find a path) to a cliff (25-30feet) that is great for jumping! You can walk up a clear path to the top. You cannot see the bottom or touch when jumping in.

The campfire/cooking area is large with plenty of logs to sit on. Also, the latrine is located on a well-traveled path up into the woods.

Overall this campsite was wonderful and would have gotten 5 stars if it wasn't for the lack of fish!