Sawbill Lake Campground - Superior National Forest

Tented here one night prior to paddling into the BWCA. Reserved a site a few months prior, campground was pretty full during our stay (July). Bugs were awful as expected. Campground was quiet and had trails to hike near the lake. Great spot to stay overnight if you're getting up late in the day.

Great access to the boundary waters. The store isn't overpriced. The staff are nice. The only problem is the party people who come to drink instead of camp.

No joke, this was our family’s first camping trip. We have five kids 10 and under. The sites were clean and large. Some are larger than others. Ours was about 15 feet from the next site but that was through trees.

Plenty of drinking water and bathrooms. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit with a grate.

The outfitters on site are amazing. Kind and helpful. They have pay showers and all the rentals you need.

We did a day trip and had a blast.

Perfect little campground (and outfitters) right in the lake. Great for those who still want a few amenities.

It’s a dry campground. Water at the outfitters. Vault toilets (clean and nice!) throughout. Water spigots in the campground. Dump station next to the outfitters. Outfitters have basic necessities and gear. Canoe rentals too. Campground is right in sawbill lake. Lord of portages nearby. Amazing place!

Sites are spaced out. Shaded. Most can accommodate trailers. Some are better for tents only. Our 34’ and 37’ fit perfect with plenty of room. Fire pits and tables in each one.

Highly recommend. It’s a wonderful place to camp!

BWCA entry point.

Large, busy campground. You have to check in at the Sawbill Canoe Outfitters across the street from the campground entry. Even if you reserved online. It’s a bit bizarre, but whatever. Campsites are hit or miss. Some are spectacular. Some are on top of each other. Mine was right next to another site. However, it was also near water and the bathrooms.

This campground was where we stayed the night before we went out on our portaging canoe trip. I was impressed with how well kept and clean the campground was. The biffy was clean and there were multiple clean water pumps located around the campground.

We stayed at campsite 36, not our ideal choice, there were multiple campsites on the water that looked great. We arrived around 7pm, so campsites were slim pickings. Site 36 was spacious and allowed room for our 2 tents and 2 vehicles (one with a trailer). The site had a picnic table and fire pit and we were located close to the biffy.

There was a clearly labeled trail close to our site to walk to the lake. The lake was beautiful! The trail continued along the shoreline in the wooded area.

Additionally, with the Sawbill Canoe Outfitters located on the campground, there is a small convenience store supplied with food, clothing, souvenirs, camping supplies, etc. There is also a bathroom and you can pay to take a shower in the shower house. The shower cost $4 or $4.50 if you needed to rent a towel. The showers are very clean, but the water temperature is difficult to control (either hot or cold).

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Sawbill Lake Campground and it was convenient to have the canoe outfitters right there.

Two of us were in the area for the weekend, a lovely August weekend, and loved this campground! We had short walks to the water point and to the biffy, which was clean and not unpleasant, but the problem with this, as with so many places, was that other people were there too. Quiet hours are something I would prefer enforced by a terminator-style robot. Drunken college students singing at all hours of the night are not the night-sounds I enjoy. Everything else was very nice. We had beautiful scenery and will return if we can find an opening.

Sawbill is one of our favorite campgrounds! We've stayed here numerous times and never had a bad visit. This was our first time at site #49. It is a very nice site with plenty of room. We usually do a day canoe rental when we visit and the staff at the outfitters are wonderful. Very nice and helpful - again never a bad experience!

Best ever

Superior National Forest is one of my favorite places. There is something for everyone!

Beautiful campsite, gorgeous location, and the canoe outfitters is within walking distance in case you want to shower, buy some food, supplies, or head into the BWCA! Every time I've stayed here, it's been magical. Because it's so far up north & secluded (you have to drive 30 miles down a dirt road to get there), everyone staying at the campsites are super respectful of nature.

The hike was beautiful and we saw moose tracks. We took a snowmobile track rather than following the trail because the snow on the trail was up to my waist. Once we got to our site it was very quiet and beautiful but not for very long. There was an ice fishing group that was drinking and snowmobiling around the lake. This would be a great place to camp once the ice fishing season is done.