Judge C. R. Magney State Park Campground

The state park campgrounds still being closed due to the pandemic is actually a prime time to assess the quality of different campsites! This was also somehow my first visit to this state park ever, despite coming up to the North Shore generally at least twice a year for the last 8 years. I think I was dissuaded by the constant references to all of the stairs required to reach the falls. I did not find them to be terribly exhausting, but if you are not in shape you will definitely want to take advantage of the rest bench that is about halfway up the staircase. 

  

The highlight is definitely Devil’s Kettle falls- where some of the water from the falls disappears into the rock and doesn’t obviously resurface anywhere. Science says that this mystery water resurfaces shortly after the falls, but people like the story about how if you throw in a ping pong ball that you will not find where it resurfaces. 

  

The campground suffers from the same issue that a lot of North Shore parks suffer from- their close proximity to Hwy 61 and its 60 mph speed limit which means you get plenty of road noise. The facilities are on the older side, and I anticipate that they will stay this way for quite some time since this isn’t one of the most popular state parks in this area. A lot of the sites are quite small, especially the smaller numbers. Please see the videos and pics for site comments!

A quieter north shore state park

Over night camping trip while hiking Eagle Mountain in the BWCA. Great site with bathroom and shower facilities (free showers). Small with limited sites, but spaced for room. Going back soon.

Highway 61 North of Grand Marais

The walk to devil's kettle is pretty nice. Long trail, lots of beautiful scenery to see on the way. I liked sitting by the lake at night (a theme in my reviews).

Awesome!

A big draw of this state park is the viewing on of this areas many waterfalls. A popular 2.2 mile (round-trip) trail leads from the parking lot upstream along the Brule River to “Devil's Kettle.” The river splits around a mass of volcanic rock leaving half the river to plunge 50 feet into a pool while the other half surges into a huge pothole.  The trail is dog-friendly so bring Fido but it can be crowded too so you may want to go early. The trail is considered “strenuous” and has nearly 200 stairs that need to be climbed but it was not bad and worth the trip.  The Brule River is very popular among anglers where brook and rainbow trout are said to be plentiful and I regretted not bringing my fly rod along for the trip.

The campground is small with just 27 drive-in sites for RVs or tents and one walk-in tent site. The first thing you notice is how wooded the campground is which is very welcome on the warm summer days.  The tall trees also provide a bit of privacy between sites and you get the feel of being tucked back in the woods. Picnic tables and fire pits (with grills) are at each site. Sites are without any hook-ups but there is potable water in the campground.  The bathroom was nice and clean with flush toilets and showers. During our stay, we routinely saw staff attending to the bathrooms and other campers were courteous and didn’t trash the place. The campground is very peaceful and quiet when we were there. Part of that is probably due to its small size and little traffic. There are numerous other great state parks in the area with gorgeous waterfalls and hiking.

Hiking and Waterfalls!

This is a great park on the north shore, one of the smaller and quieter state park campgroynds with a few nice bonuses. The park is north if Grand Narais ( be sure to stip there first fir groceries and supplies) and is well licated for day trips along the Gunflint or up to Grand Portage. There is terrfic hiking within the park, trailing alongside the Brule River and its waterfalls all the way up the Superiir Ridge to connect with the Superior Hiking Trail. There is also a shorter trail over to Lake Superior, for nice beach access. There us goid fishing along the way. The park is unique geologically, shaped by rhyolite flows from ancient volcanoes and with a unique subterranean kettle stream for which scientists cant find an outlet.

The campground is small and quiet and has modern bathroom facilities and potable water but no hookups for RVs. There us room at each campsite for trailers to drive in. The campground is heavily wooded and very peaceful. One of the really nice amenities is that, after a long day of hiking, you can dine out if you want at one if the most unique, romantic and historic lodges along the north shore, the Naniboujou Lodge, immediately adjacent to the campground. They also have a high tea in the afternoons, and a fantastic brunch in weekends. If you want great hiking, quiet tent campung, swimming in Lake Superior—and with unique dining OR campfire cooking, this is the place for you!

Quiet camping with upscale options at Magney State Park

Well maintained. Easy in and out. Fairly private. Hiking trails lead right to Devil's Kettle Falls. Great scenery and plenty of areas to explore.

Judge C.R. Magney State Park

Well maintained. Easy in and out. Fairly private campsites. Great hiking trails that lead to Devil's Kettle Falls.

Great hiking

Yes this park is FAR up the north shore, but that should NOT stop you from checking it out. I have stayed here 2-3 times and every time I find new adventures. There are great trails at the park itself, definitely check out Devils Kettle and marvel in where that water all goes. If you feel like exploring elsewhere there are so many options within ½ hour drives of this park it’s insane!

On our most recent visit last weekend it was raining at our site so we decided to drive into Grand Marais, about 25-30 min away - there was a little farmers market going on, we checked out the camp supply store where we were given advice to hike up Eagle Mountain, the highest elevation in MN. It was an AMAZING hike, 7 miles round trip but worth every step!

I have stayed at a few different sites at Judge Magney, they all offer their own charm. Most recently we were in site #24 and I think it was my favorite thus far. It offers a picnic table, fire ring, and flat clearing for your tent like all the others, but when the sun came up in the morning it hits your tent just right in the clearing to let you know it’s going to be a beautiful day. You can clearly see the people at the sites on either side of you, but they’re far enough away where you rarely notice them. Directly behind the tent spot is a wooded hill that leads down to highway 61 - being from the city though I didn’t notice the cars driving by. I actually noticed when there weren’t anymore driving by later in the evening and the frogs were out singing.

As most Minnesotans are realizing, the parks are busy and loud in the summers. This park was no different but I think most people here were aware of the sound they were making and no one was extremely obnoxious.

One of my favorites!

Judgr Magney was a visit for me while hiking the Superior Hiking Trail. This trail cuts through the park as part of it's 300 + mile journey through the Northeast part of the state.  This park was a beautiful place for a good night rest and the free Wi-Fi was a good chance to touch base with family. The park is well layed out, the campground was well kept and facilities were immaculate!  Just walking through the park was such a different feel and atmosphere than the trail itself, but you could tell that the park was going to be a gem as you followed the river into the park.  This park has spectacular over looks including the famous Devil's Kettle Falls!  These are a sight to see but be prepared for steps, steps and more steps. There are a couple of different views of the falls and none should be missed.  The park is located of HWY 61, if you need to stop for conveniences Grand Marais is a short drive south.

Clean and Perfect

This was our least favorite of campsites of four this summer. The sites were so close together and I felt bad for the people who were next to my sometimes rambunctious kids. There were a lot of trees for our hammock, though! There was not a lot to do, but maybe a good stop if someone is hiking the Superior Trail.

We did enjoy hiking to Devil’s Kettle Falls and driving down to the lake to look for agates. Brunch at Naniboujou Lodge was a nice hot breakfast. Other than that, nothing too spectacular.

OK for a short stay

Campground Review:

On our 3rd day of a 4 day trip on the Superior Hiking Trail, heading north out of Grand Marais, we stopped at Judge C.R. Magney State Park. Our morning started at the Kadunce campsite; we headed south and did the famed lake walk and then headed north following the little Brule River, then a straight line East following private property until we hit Judge Magney and did a short stint south to the campsite. The next morning we'd be heading North again along the Brule River. Passing the famed Devils Kettle, a waterfall that splits in two and half disappears. Back at the campsite we were site #8\. It is a spacious flat area that is suitable for drive in campers and vehicles. The fire pit and picnic table were together and there were a few trees at the site to hang our hammocks from. The bathrooms were across the road, a comfortable distance for noise but easy access at night. We were also very close to the SHT to hop right back on the next morning. Overall the location was pretty great, we were surrounded by nature on two sides and the other campsite was pretty separate from us. Just an FYI it was a quiet campsite mostly filled with older couples.

Product Review:

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Ranger Review: Ethnotek Cross Body Bag at Judge C. R. Magney State Park

We were impressed with how great the hiking trails were. We only had a few hours to explore the park and we were not disappointed. The trail to Devil's Kettle was a nice hike. Be warned lots of stairs but excellently maintained. 

Great place to hike

Didn’t camp there but hiked it last year in May!

Devils Kettle hiking trail 

One mile hike to the Devil's Kettle Falls. You can hear the rapids at night. Fairly small campground with close together campsites. 

Devil's Kettle Falls

This is a rustic state park with no electric sites, dump station or water source for RV tanks, as well as nearly non-existent cell service, but it's a pleasant getaway spot. It felt like a rustic forest campground but had amenities like a bathroom/shower house. Regarding water, there is drinking water available to fill containers, just no hookup to fill RV tanks. They also have trash and recycling dumpsters available. 

The sites are decent size; privacy depends on the site but most aren't crammed on top of each other. All sites are dirt/gravel and the roads are dirt so be prepared for some dust in dry conditions. 

We saw mostly tents and smaller rigs but that's probably due to no electricity and no water source for RVs to fill from. Still, some sites were large enough for the Class As that were there. 

Bathrooms were decent but be ready for push-button showers for water conservation.  They run long enough to essentially do Navy showers, which works fine. Water never really hot but plenty warm enough to not be considered cold.

Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, plus firewood is available at the front office or at the camp host site (via self-service). Front office rarely staffed but there is a work garage and the DNR staff came through the campground regularly. 
Little to no cell service on T-Mobile and Verizon, but there is a WiFi spot available near the DNR work garage. 

It's nice that you can hike from the campground to Devil's Kettle and another waterfall (same trail), both of which were great.

Access is from Highway 61 down a relatively short dirt road We would stay here again.

Pleasant rustic getaway

Campsites have space between them, nice bathhouse and showers and great hiking!

Quiet place to unplug

Nice cozy campgrounds, the restrooms/showers were nice and clean! The hike up to Devil’s Kettle was rough but oh so worth it! The park staff member we ran into was able to help direct us to the perfect store for us to pick up some supplies we forgot! Grand Marais is only a 15 minute drive away. We’re only here for two nights but we love it and will definitely be coming back! ￼

We love it here! 

Nice, clean campground. Big trees throughout. Clean restroom/shower house. Also has vault toilets. Firewood available. Good water supply. Trash dumpsters. No hookups. At least half of the sites are level. Hiking trail. Helpful  friendly staff. Can hear some traffic on nearby MN 61, but not bad. Can also hear the roar of surf on Lake Superior. Campsites are separated, but not much growth in between for privacy. 

Can Hear Lake Superior Surf

Small (27 site) campground north of Grand Marais, MN on MN61. Although there is easy access from the highway, the campground is very quiet and there are several hiking trails accessible directly from the campground, including the very popular Devil’s Kettle trail (just over two miles roundtrip but including over 200 steps). The bathhouse was very clean and centrally located. Attention to maintenance detail was very apparent throughout the park on the trails and restoration in the campground. In addition to the camping fees, you also have to pay a state park fee ($7 daily or$35 annual). Wish we would have stayed here but the campground was full.

Quiet and peaceful along the North Shore

Loved stopping here for a night in Grand Marais this summer. Ranger was friendly and said hello while I enjoyed a morning hike to Devils' Kettle. Downside was sites are very close together, not much privacy from your neighbors. Sites was crawling with tons of bugs that look like ticks, but aren't (you could squish them).