Established Camping
Crescent Lake Campground
About
National Forest
Superior National Forest
Overview
Crescent Lake is an undeveloped lake surrounded entirely by the remote Superior National Forest. This quiet campground has waterfront campsites with easy access to fishing, exploring the nearby wilderness and simply enjoying the beauty of the natural area. Superior National Forest, located in northeastern Minnesota's arrowhead region, is comprised of 3 million acres. The forest spans 150 miles along the United States-Canada border. Visitors can find recreation opportunities year-round, including travel in the famous Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Recreation
The fishing is good for walleye, northern pike and muskie. Crescent Lake allows motorized boat use without limit on horsepower, but is most appropriate for small fishing or similar type boats. The surrounding national forest offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking in secluded woodlands and canoeing in pristine lakes and rivers. View recreation guides and maps of hiking trails and canoe routes in the national forest.
Facilities
The campground has 32 sites situated on a peninsula that juts out into the lake, providing many sites with nice views of the water and some sites with access to the water. A few sites are first-come, first-served, including one primitive backcountry camping site that campers can boat into; access is a boat ramp on the northwest side of the lake. Picnic tables, campfire grates, water pumps and vault toilets are provided. A fishing pier is located within the campground.
Natural Features
Superior National Forest is known for its boreal forest ecosystem, numerous clean lakes and diversity of plants and animals. The entire campground is heavily wooded with white pines, red pines, spruce, balsam, birch and aspen. Birds and wildlife are abundant, from moose and bear to bald eagles and loons.
Nearby Attractions
The concessionaire Sawbill Canoe Outfitters maintains a store with showers, laundry, fishing licenses, fishing bait and tackle, ice, grocery and convenience items, canoe and camping gear rental and a pay telephone. It is 13 miles from the campground. Numerous outdoor recreation opportunities lie within Superior National Forest, including the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Over one million acres in size, the Boundary Waters extend nearly 150 miles along the United States-Canada border and contain over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites. Additional sites of interest.
Location
Crescent Lake Campground is located in Minnesota
Directions
Travel Highway 61 along Lake Superior's north shore to Tofte, Minnesota. In Tofte, turn north (away from Lake Superior) on Sawbill Trail (CCHS 2). Follow the Sawbill Trail for 16 miles to The Grade (Forest Road 170). Turn right onto the The Grade and proceed east for 7 miles. The campground is on your right and is marked by a large sign.
Address
CRESCENT LAKE
3236 THE GRADE (FOREST ROAD 170)
Tofte, MN 55615
Coordinates
47.8367556 N
90.7731444 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Big Rig Friendly
Go here.. its worth the drive!
Don't expect cell service. I had Verizon and was teased with 1 bar, but really no service. The lake side sites are amazing. The Camp Host is great and keeps the place very clean and the pit toilets, don't worry about those, they are great some of the best maintained I've ever seen. This campground is a long way out there, but worth the drive. You can do a trip into Grand Marias, Lutsen or other Northshore areas fairly easily. Don't let it being on a gravel road and right next to the BWCA scare ya.
- (14) View All
Excellent Paddle Boarding
Mosquitos are outta control at this campsite in June and July! If you don’t have bug spray…. Don’t come these months. We stayed at 15- great for 50’. Picnic table and fire pit. The lake wasn’t great for fishing for us this trip. Others only caught small mouth bass. There is no internet access. You get some cell service at the fishing deck. 3G and LTE with 2-3 bars.
Very peaceful… the lake was beautiful. Expect a 13 mile gravel road from Tofte.
No dump, no water and no electric hookups. There are several clean bathrooms with hand sanitizer and drinking water stations.
- (20) View All
Gorgeous, kind, incredible
The tent sites or sites not on the water were EXTREMELY lacking. Site 25 specifically was awful. Brush is over grown making very limited space to set up a tent and the path up to the small clearing up the hill is being taken over by growth BUT the sites on the water are breath taking. Knowing this we will be back. Bathrooms are clean, water access is great, and water is available for drinking and cleaning that’s really a great set up. -Mosquitoes are BAD (as to be expected) so bring a screen tent. -Fire pits have a GREAT cooking set up that swivels over the fire, downside is some of them are broken or need upkeep as dirt has settled under it and it won’t move anymore (needs to be dug out). -camp host is SUPER nice and has the cutest relationship with the chipmunks, if you need wood stop by and say hi and meet the cute and bossy chipmunks.
Dog loved it there, it’s quiet, beautiful, campsites are generally well maintained, tent sites are just VERY small and getting smaller.