South Pike Bay is located near Walker, MN, within the Chippewa National Forest. The area features forested terrain with access to South Pike Bay of Leech Lake. Temperatures range from lows in the 50s°F during summer nights to highs in the 70s°F during the day, while winter temperatures can drop below freezing. Nearby attractions include the Paul Bunyan State Trail and the Chippewa National Forest Scenic Byway, offering opportunities for hiking and sightseeing.

## Overview

 South Pike Bay Campground is located on the south shore of beautiful Pike Bay, on Cass Lake in north central Minnesota. Visitors enjoy the area for its excellent boating, canoeing and fishing opportunities. 
## Recreation

 South Pike Bay offers offers many recreational activities, including boating, canoeing, water skiing and swimming. Anglers fish for walleye, northern pike, perch and trophy muskie. A boat ramp is located within the campground. A trailhead for the Migizi Bike Trail is on-site. The paved trail stretches 14 miles along the lakeshore and is open to biking, walking and rollerblading. The campground is a portage point for the 128-mile Chippewa Headwaters Loop Canoe Route. With six portages, the historic waterway is considered the most difficult in the forest, but is a beautiful trip through history.
## Natural Features

 The campground is a long spur stretching along the shore of Pike Bay in a pleasant stand of mixed hardwoods and old growth pine. Some of the campsites are situated on the beautiful sand beach. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The town of Cass Lake, Minn., is six miles northwest of the campground, offering restaurants, a bank, grocery and hardware stores, a movie theater and museum.

South Pike Bay

Join the fun near Cass Lake. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.

Cass Lake

The Best Camping Near Cass Lake, Minnesota

Many people assume that Pike Bay is so named because of the plentiful fishing here for northern pike and their cousins the muskies. The fishing reputation is well earned, but the bay also has historical significance because it is the furthest north and west that explorer Zebulon Pike managed to travel on his fateful February expedition in search of the Mississippi Headwaters in 1805\. After visiting what was later named Pike Bay in his honor, Zebulon Pike decided that Leech Lake was instead the source of the Mighty River; neither option was quite right!

The National Forest Service campground at this location is really terrific. Like its larger neighbor to the north at Norway Beach, it is resplendent with old growth pine forest, and you can camp on large expansive shaded campsites right on the water and have your own hard sand beach to swim at plus a place to pull up your boat or canoe after launching from the nearby public access. There are bathroom facilities and a water supply here, and the Migizi Bike Trail runs right through the campground for those who want to bike up to Norway Beach for park naturalist programs, or to loop around all of Pike Bay, or join up with the northern spur of the Heartland Trail which will carry you south to the quaint town of Walker where you can spend a great day out, or continue on bike paths towards Bemidji, Park Rapids or Brainerd.

This campground has all the advantages of the the Norway Beach campgrounds, but is smaller, quieter, and more off the beaten path. If given a choice between Norway Beach, Knutson Dam, or Pike Bay, hands down I would choose this one!

Remember: Pike Bay does connect on its north end into Cass lake, where invasive exotic zebra mussels have been found, so be sure to check and clean your watercraft if out on the water!

Photos of South Pike Bay

Real photos from real campers