Little Isabella River Campground

Not much to add to other reviews. Very standard sites. I think it is mostly for the OHV trailriders.

It's been a few years since I camped at Little Isabella, and they've been kind to the campground. The trees are taller, the river is wider, and visitation is back to pre-pandemic levels. (Light) My pastor-wife had church duties for Trinity Sunday, so she let me take a solo trip to LIRCG. Pouring rain everywhere south of Duluth, clear and sunny at Isabella, which made for unseasonably cold (mid-30°s) nights for mid-June. That made the bugs almost non-existent. Aurora Borealis lit up the night sky, which made it a little more tolerable. Campground was immaculate despite Forest Service staffing cuts, vault latrines were clean and odor free. Only one other site of 11 occupied all weekend. Little Isabella River itself is much wider than some other reviews have posted. All in all, it was a great weekend and I plan on coming back later this summer.

We have stayed at Little Isabella many times over the past 30 years (Photos are from a 2015 trip) and will be there a couple of times the upcoming summer. Normally quiet (west side is non-motorized and quieter) situated in the tall pines along the banks of the Little Isabella River, a Class 2 Trout Stream, (although access behind the campground is pretty overgrown) with 11 sites, so it doesn't get overcrowded. 5 sites are reservable on Recreation.gov, all on the west loop. Trails lead to better river access, Flathorn Lake Day Use Area and beach, and the Gegoka Lake Trail system. Solar water pump, so you don't have to pump, clean vault latrines. Great little hideaway midway between Ely and the North Shore.

This campground is tucked into the Superior National Forest but off of a main road. Access is easy enough for most rigs other than maybe very large ones.

There are a little over a dozen campsites here with 4 on their own loop in an ATV camping area.

The sites vary in size and access due to trees and foliage so not every rig will fit in every site. And, depending on your rig size, some sites will require a bit more work to level. A handful of sites are reserveable but most are first come, first served.

Site 11 is a prime spot if you can grab it due to size, layout and location.

There are vault toilets and a well available.

Each site also has a fire pit and picnic table.

If you need it, the cell service was very good for T-Mobile and great for Verizon.

Be prepared for mosquitoes and deer flies (in mid-July anyway) but overall, we had a peaceful stay and got a great night's rest.