Best Tent Camping near Bigfork, MN

Recent Tent Reviews near Bigfork, MN

197 Reviews of 20 Bigfork Campgrounds

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2020

  Highbanks Resort Campground on Lake Winnie

  Full service resort with camping available at High Banks landing

  This is a full service fishing resort with a lodge and cabin rental, but RV and tent camping is also available. The campsites are very nice and wooded, the tenting sites include some very secluded spots back in the woods which is nice for solitude but precludes a view of the lake. There are daily rates as well as weekly rates for camping or cabin stays. This is a top notch place to stay for a fishing vacation, off the beaten path but with full amenities. It can be a destination vacation spot, or can be a great stop-over  for through-paddlers crossing Lake Winnie on the Mississippi River Headwaters Water Trail. Although near the National Forest campground on Tamarack Point, this has many more amenities which is nice when you are so far from the nearest town, especially if you are paddling through and have no vehicle for travel. Amenities include groceries, ice cream shop, full service boat launch and fishing supplies, and more. You might not be into winter camping in a tent, but there are ice houses to rent that you could camp in if you come in winter. More expensive than usual campgrounds, but with more amenities provided and with a stellar location. Pets welcome at no extra charge! Seasonal campsite rental can also be arranged.

• 

  Casey J.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 4, 2023

  Scenic State Park Campground

  Nice Park

  Better for Rvs but a few sites that are good for tent camping. Very clean facilities, super helpful & friendly staff. Swimming beach was small but the water was the perfect temperature. Really cool walking path around the fishing docks. Ventured into town (bigfork) so cute. Ate at both the pizza parlor and parks & rec. Got a giant ice cream at the local gas station.

• A

  Albiann T.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 22, 2021

  COE Leech Lake Reservoir Leech Lake Recreation Area

  Mosquitos and trouble reserving site

  I had to call the reservation.gov phone line because the website would not allow me to reserve a site for that night, even though it was available. The bathrooms are good, but they are far away from the tent site. People mostly drive up to the good bathroom. Lots of mosquitos no matter what time of day. Lots of shade, but the 4 strictly tent sites are very close together and right next to a road, separated by trees.

• 

  Scott M.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 19, 2021

  Onegume

  Very Popular and Access to Lake

  We went on a busy weekend, but the campground itself was in good shape and had several options for individuals who want to tent camp or RV camp. This is the best campground in the area in my opinion as it offers a lot. The hosts were great and very welcoming. The electric sites are not on the water which is fine. Sites are big and offer some privacy. The sites on the water are a little smaller, but that is the price you pay to have the ability to doc your boat at your site. Mostly RVs in the campground but you can easily tent camp and get some peace. It is a popular destination bc of its proximity to other lakes.

• 

  Lisa A.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 8, 2020

  Leech Lake Recreation Area & Campground

  Pretty good

  Not a terrible place to camp. Great amenities and care taken to clean bathrooms and showers. Walk in tent site was large enough to accommodate a 10x18 tent easily. Raccoons are smart enough to open coolers and non latching totes. Mosquitoes will also sweep you off around 9pm even with bug spray.

• H

  Heidi T.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 29, 2018

  Mesaba Cooperative Park

  Historic Finnish Co-op Park with beautiful grounds, lake, and camping

  The park has a beautiful private lake with swimming beach, a few cabins available for rental, plenty of space for tent camping. A large pavilion with dancehall above and kitchen/dining on the lower level. There are memberships available to the park with sponsorship by a current member. There are fun events held at the park including a midsummer festival.

  Check their website for scheduled events to come in and check out the park.

• J

  Jake

  Scout

  

  Oct. 5, 2020

  Trout Lake RV Park and Campground

  Highly recommend

  Stayed here for two nights in tents. Used it as a base camp while me and some friends were mountain biking RedHead Mountain and Tioga over the weekend. Beautiful spot, kind of secluded away from the rest of the campers but not tucked away by any means. Right on the lake. Grills are at all the tent sites but we used the fire. The fire wood provided was wet and sappy and didnt light but we iust grabbed some from town. Will be staying here again when I come back to the area.

• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 7, 2019

  Norway Beach - Chippewa Campground Loop

  Great for tent camping but not so much for Rv/travel trailer camping

  We planned a huge family camping trip this year and the lovely Chippewa Loop campground in the Chippewa National Forest was the camp ground that we had the honor of staying at! We had three sites, 79, 80, and 81 with 17 people total. 9 Adults and 8 kids ranging from ages 7 to 1. The campground is right outside Cass Lake Minnesota that had a nice grocery store, a pretty weird liquor store, a family dollar, and a fishing pier if you didn’t have a boat. It was about a half an hour outside of Bemidji, Mn that has a lot of history from Minnesota and a great fireworks display over the lake on the Fourth of July. The City of Bemidji has a lot a little boutique shops if you are into shopping while on camping trips. It also had a cute little ice cream store that we took all the kids to across from the Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox statue and a nice park for the kids to play at right off of Lake Bemidji. If you’re into craft breweries Bemidji also has a brewery called Bemidji Brewing right in town. There’s also a Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and a dollar tree amongst other stores if you have that “I forgot list”.

  Site number 80 was the best to put up a travel trailer, but it was also extremely close to site number 82 and practically joined site number 82. We ended up putting our Jayco Eagle 30 foot travel trailer in site number 81 because with everyone else tent camping and we were the only one with a travel trailer, we felt this site was the best to park our travel trailer in because it was the least level site and only had one small pad for a tent. Site number 79 and 81 were joined together by a path that made it easy for us to all eat in one site. We all pretty much congregated in site number 81. We put most of our tents, three to be exact, in site number 80 because it was the most level and open for tents. The site was capable of having two large cabin tents and a small 4 person tent comfortably. Site had a lot of good pine trees for hanging Hammocks but, like I said before, it was almost right on top of site number 82 so we decided to only put up the 3 tents and congregate across the road in site number 81 as to not disturb the other site occupants. It was pretty frustrating that that was the most level site because it was also the best one to park a travel trailer in and have an awning out and a picnic table but we couldn’t do it because we didnt want to disturb the other site with 17 people.

  Site number 79 had a good drive pad but the tent pad was extremely un-level. we put up a single pole tipi in that site because the people in that site had cots and didn’t mind sleeping on an incline. When I say incline, I mean incline, the tent pad was not level at all which is kind of frustrating. Site number 79 was the least friendly for hammocks so we hung all her hammocks in site number 81.

  Site number 81 is where we decided to put up the trailer but the trailer pad was super un- level. We ended up making a Walmart run to get two more packs of leveling blocks and we use three packs of leveling blocks to make it level with room to have our awning and out. Right behind the travel trailer was a sloped hill that went down to the fire pit and a tent pad that was also on a slight incline which we were up by eight person tent there but that person had a raised air mattress and didn’t mind sleeping on an incline. Attached to site number 81 was also the path to the showers that was right down the hill. It worked out great because the showers and the bathrooms were so close to our site but we felt like the trees were blocking everything from our site.

  We took a lot of bike rides and got to see a lot of the other sites and they had a lot of good tent sites in some of the other loops and it seems like all of the electric sites were not as great as the tent sites. All of the electric sites seem to be un-level and not a great place to pitch a tent as well as having the camper.

  The park itself was very beautiful had a lot of nature things like milk weed and monarch butterfly’s everywhere and a beautiful swimming beach that was about waist high (4 feet deep) for about 300 to 400 yards out from shore. The beach was great for swimming and kayaking and you could dock a boat on the sandy beach and eat lunch if you wanted to. We ended up catching 40 crawfish and doing a crawfish boil, which the kids absolutely loved. The picnic shelter was pretty awesome too, very shaded and on a rougher part of the beach. There was a really long bike path that went through all of the loops and the main road was super bike friendly as well.

  In the visitor center there was a really cool area for the kids to go to play if it was too hot or rainy, or if you just wanted to be indoors for a little bit. They had a bike decorating event and we brought all the kids bikes and decorated them. There was a little gift shop and they also gave out free stickers which we ended putting on our camper as we do at every park we get a sticker from.

  Each camp ground loop also had a campground host that sold firewood, three bundles for $10. The firewood was pretty bad and some of it was wet and it burned really really fast. But like every park in Minnesota you can’t bring your own firewood unless it’s kiln dried lumber or something like that within a certain number of miles of the place you are camping.

  A few downsides to this park where there’s no official places to fill water up for your camper and no official place to dump your black and grey water tanks from your camper. You end up having to go to another park and pay to dump your camper. This could be a problem if you are staying for an extended time and use a lot of water. There also wasn’t a whole lot to do aside from biking and hiking and swimming like there was a leech lake recreation area we were at a few days prior to this trip. The restrooms and showers were pretty unkempt and dirty. Everyone but me and my sister had cold showers every time they went to take a shower.

  All in all the park is very beautiful and I had some very good attributes like friendly staff, clean campsites and secluded campsites where you didn’t feel like you are right on top of the other site aside from site 80 and 82. It seemed like there were three or 4 sites together in groups and then a little ways away there were a few more clumped together.

  I don’t know if we would actually come back to this park because the sites weren’t as big as they seemed in the pictures online and we felt cramped most of the time. There wasn’t a good space in the sites to put up games like corn hole or ladder ball which made it a bit boring at times to just stay at camp. We spent a lot of time at the beach.

• 

  Duncan G.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 29, 2022

  Cabin O' Pines Resort

  Very Pretty Place On Pelican Lake

  A really nice place with lots of fun stuff do to right in the campground including a beach and boat ramp on Pelican Lake. There is a nice playground area for kids. The place caters mostly to seasonal folks more than overnight roadies. I stumbled on it by accident when I was heading to Voyageurs NP but just wanted to get off the road for the night.

   Some of the seasonal sites have extensive decking and screened porches. The sites for the temp folks had full hookups but were gravel that was not well maintained and not level. The bathrooms were ok, maybe a C+. There was no soap at the men’s bathroom sink. There are only six daily/weekly RV/tent sites.  The rest are seasonal rentals.  It got 4 stars instead of 3 because it is so pretty and peaceful.

• A

  Alex L.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 28, 2020

  Pokegama Dam Campground

  Great parking lot for travel vans. Free hot showers. Clean.

  An extremely safe and pleasant location. You can either use the paid campground or stay in the parking lot, say if you had a sprinter travel van or some such thing. Alternatively if you are tent camping there are a couple nearly hidden campsites that you can use for free right by the canoe landing. A large part of the year clean showers are available and are free! although this fact is not publicized and at certain times of the year they are put under code for campground use only. I find that most the time they are open. A bathroom is attached each shower and can be locked from the inside making it great for a couple to use the facilities efficiently together. This is a one-of-a-kind place that does not exist much anymore. Free shower free camping clean bathroom , great walking trails, Great spot to fish. For a stop alongside the highway it has it all.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 11, 2018

  American Legion Park

  Relax at Sand Lake in Warba

  This is a well maintained community campground and community park sponsored by the local Warba American Legion, which actually has its building on the premises. They take good care of the park, which includes playground and picnic shelter for day use, a campground with hookups and large grassy drive-in campsites , and an area of walk-in tent sites right by the shores of Sand Lake. There is a small beach area too, and a really nice DNR fishing pier out into the lake. The lake is really pretty and quiet, and seems to have great fishing. It would be a good place to stop if passing through, or visiting in the area. My two main concerns are 1) proximity to Hwy 2, which generates a fair amount of traffic noise, plus the bathrooms are basic pit toilets which arent in great shape

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2020

  Big Winnie Store RV Park & Campground

  Camping at historic location

  The quality of this campground is really a 4, however the location is a little  bit out of the way for doing day trips, exploring and access to the Chippewa National Forest. It is not on Lake Winnie, so you have to drive to a boat landing to launch your watercraft, and there is swimming at a nearby beach but it is not on the premises. However, the grounds are meticulously maintained and the camping prices cant be beat--$20 a night for tent camping, and $35 a night for full RV campsite with hookups. There is a playground. laundry facilities, and full bathrooms. There are also many walking trails on the premises. The general store on the premises provides staples and treats. If you prefer, there are also vintage cabins you can stay in here. Best of all, staying here supports a local family business including their painstaking efforts to maintain an hisotric general store and vintage vacation spot that was established almost a century ago and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 1, 2020

  Pokegama Dam Campground

  Pleasant camping at Pokegama

  Pokegema Dam This is a campground established by the Army Corps of Engineers, adjacent to the Pokegama Dam. Highlights include fishing in the rapids below the dam, or in the still river water above it, camping and relaxing under the tall pines in the campground, canoeing and kayaking on the river, and having a base to explore nearby Grand Rapids and attractions like the Minnesota State Forest History Museum a few miles away. Unless you are here for the fishing on site, though, you will probably use this campground as a base to do day trips in the area, as the campground is not big enough to feature hiking trails and other on-site activities. The campground seems oriented towards RV and trailer camping, with hook-ups and hard packed gravel vehicle access on most sites. A few sites do include sufficient grassy areas for tent camping. Almost all the campsites are located on the shores of the Mississippi River just downstream from the dam, and are sheltered under huge shady pines. The setting is more beautiful and scenic than can be seen from the road when passing by. Unfortunately, that road is the 4-lane highway 2, which provides easy access to the campground, but also adds a bit of road noise to your experience. Plus factors include a thoughtfully designed handicapped accessible campsite, several canoe campsites for paddling the Headwaters Water trail, and easy fishing access via boat landing, the dam itself, and various fishing piers. Everything is sparkling clean and there are bathrooms, showers, potable water, and a kids playground.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 20, 2021

  Winnie Campground

  Good for paddlers and for fishing

  This campground is off the beaten path, and very quiet and peaceful. You have a choice of lakeside campsites, or sites tucked into the woods away from the lake. The lakeside campsites are your best bet, if you can get them--beautiful view over lake Winnie, cool breezes, and HUGE campsites that can accomodate large fishing boats and whatever rig you might use to haul such a boat. The campsites away from the lake are much smaller, meant more for car and tent camping. The campground is also an option for paddlers to overnight if paddling the Mississippi River water trail, which enters the west side of the lake just south of the campground. There is a boat launch with several docks adjacent to the campground, water pumps for drinking water, and a restroom building with basic toilets. This is a good option is you want a peaceful out of the way campsite in tall pines, or to go fishing on the big lake, but there arent hiking or biking trails near by so other options are a bit limited. And although the lakeshore is pretty, the swimming experience is a bit crunchy due to the lake having been invaded by zebra mussels, unfortunately

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 7, 2020

  Becker's Resort & Campground

  For vacation, or paddler stopover

  Becker’s resort is a vacation destination for many folks in the summer, with offerings of cabins, RV campsites, and tent sites. The RV sites are not near the water and to me seem a little crowded, but the RV area is nestled in some nice woods. The cabins appear to be modern and recently renovated with new siding etc, and seem to be great for families. There is a nice pool, and a good boat launch and marina with easy access to the Mississippi River and Lake Winnie. Of importance to paddlers on the Mississippi River Water Trail, this is definitely an upgraded alternative to the primitive water trail campsite located just upstream, called Smiling Joe Landing, and I would recommend this one over that one. Not only do you have a nice tenting area close to the river, but you also have access to the pool and showers, flush toilets, etc, and can stock up on snacks. The owners stay alert to area weather, and can give good advice to paddlers about safe routes across Winnie before you launch, depending in weather. They are also paddler-friendly in terms if assisting in other ways, such as letting a recent through-paddler stop and use garage space for a few days to repair a hole in his canoe, which is very kind. I would give this spot a 5-star rating for canoe campers, but a 4 star overall rating for the resort

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 7, 2020

  Smiling Joe's Canoe Campsite

  Smiling Joe Canoe Campsite

  Note, the full name of this campsite should be Smiling Joe Canoe Campsite, one of the many Headwaters canoe campsites in the Mississippi River Water trail. You will see it noted as such on the water trail map for the Cass Lake to Vermilion River segment on the DNR water trail website.

  Although certainly a decent location for a canoe campsite, I would not recommend staying here. The road access from the nearby Forest Service road is not marked, nor is the access from the river marked with the usual canoe campsite marker. So, if you can find it, and can manage the mucky access to pull off the river, then you will have a decent place to put up a tent, but that is it. No shelter, no table, no fire grate, no water, no outhouse. It also appears to be a party spot for locals who know the road access even though its unmarked. If you have a choice, stop upstream at The USFS Knutson Dam campsite, or go downstream to the Winnie USFS campground by the river inlet. Alternatively, there is a private campground at Beckers Resort just before you get to Winnie. Beckers caters to those who want a cabin vacation, but they do also have tent sites by the river for paddlers. Smiling Joe campsite is barely adequate and probably for last resort use if on the river.

• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 3, 2019

  Leech Lake Recreation Area & Campground

  Awesome and extremely clean and quiet

  While at Leech Lake Recreation Area we stayed in site number 33 which was the electric site with our 30 foot Jayco Eagle travel trailer. There was enough room in the site for a travel trailer truck and probably another tent or screen tent. The other sites were close but not too close. if another travel trailer or RV pulled in it would block our view from their fire ring. The pad was all dirt and you can only set up on the dirt and not on the grass around it. The trees around the site were perfect for hammocks, we hung three of our Kammok brand hammocks. Our only complaint about the site was that the fire pit was dug down into the ground making it kind of unsafe if you had children and the fires didn’t stay lit very well because there was no oxygen going underneath them, so you’re constantly fanning it which was annoying because we cook with cast-iron over the fire for every meal.

  We were able to go and take a walk to the lake which is super short walk from pretty much any of the sites but really close from our site. The sunset over the lake were stunning and a loon hung around the dock while we fished.

  We took a lot of bike rides around the campground looking at each site and going to the park which was absolutely amazing for the kids. They had basketball courts, a huge playground that was amazing quality, shuffleboard, volleyball, badminton, and a picnic shelter that you could rent out with the cooking area inside the picnic shelter. There are pit toilets and bathrooms close to the playground so that isn’t an issue with little ones. The playground area is a great place to hang out with adults and children.

  We took a bike ride to the tent sites as well and found that there are pretty close together and right next to a main road that was kind of noisy. They would probably be good if you got all four at once with a group of people. The dump station for the RVs was right next to the tent sites to which would probably be annoying to see all the RVs on a busy day dumping at the same time.

  The federal Dan was a magnificent sight but it was pretty hard to fish around that area without a boat going on the leech lake because of the fast-moving water. They’re also wasn’t an area to swim because it would be unsafe which is kind of a bummer but the playground made up for it.

  The park is run by the Army Corps of Engineers volunteers and they were super friendly and kept everything clean and sanitary which was amazing. There was even Washers and dryer’s to do laundry for free and amazing shower facilities that they called comfort stations. Everything was borrow on the loan and bring back which included all of the equipment at the park like basketballs badminton shuffle board stuff and rakes shovels and stuff to clean up your campsite.

  All in all this would be a park that we would definitely come back to you and spend a week and possibly have a group of people with kids because it’s a super cool friendly kid park.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 1, 2020

  Tamarack Point Campground

  Quiet camping on the Point

   This is a Chippewa National Forest campground on the tip of Tamarack Point which juts way into Lake Winnibigoshish. It is a haven for folks who like to fish, or walk on quiet forest backroads. There is a standard basic US Forest Service campground for tents and trailers(no hookups though) along with a paddlers tent site located at the nearby boat launch. At the present time, the regular campground is officially closed due to staffing issues with the covid-shutdown, but the nearby USFS boat launch is still open, and through paddlers on the Mississippi Headwaters Water trail can tent here if traversing Lake Winnie and not able to make it the whole way across. Under ordinary circumstances, the campground offers several nice basic but heavily forested campsites which would be very enjoyable for tenters who want a more secluded camping experience. Some sites have RV and trailer possibilities, but without hookups so be prepared. Folks like camping here for the quiet National Forest destination, and for fishing in Lake Winnie. Though the water is clear and pristine, a recent infestation of zebra mussels does make the beaches a bit crunch now, and you need to take care to clean watercraft so as not to transport veligers to other locations. The boat launch has a good ramp with great lake access, and it is easy to pull out or put in a canoe or kayak here as well. The paddler tentsite here just has a grassy site and fire ring though, so be prepared, but it is a good stopover site if trying to traverse the lake from west to east on the water trail.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2020

  Pines Resort & Camp Grounds

  Great camping and cabins close to Winnie Dam

  This is primarily a cabin resort, however camping is also offered for both RV's and tenters. Camping rates are a little hard to find on the website, so check them at this link:https://www.thepinesresort.com/camping/camping-rates

  There is a nice swimming area and dock on the lake, a camp store, boat rentals, laundry facilities, etc. I think staying in the cabins might be a nicer experience for a long term stay, as the campsites are rather open and close together, but the lake access and amenities are favorable for a short stay. 

  For through paddlers on the Mississippi Headwaters Water Trail, this is the most convenient campsite above the Winnie Dam. The tent sites are only $25 per night, you have more amenities than at the COE or Forest campgrounds on the other side of the dam, and your portage around the dam from the campground to the boat launch below is super easy if you have a canoe or kayak cart--just pull out at the resort boat launch dock, cart your craft a short walk on the paved road across the dam, and put in at the COE boat launch below the dam.Much preferable to scaling the dam on the steep rocky portage that is on the east side of the dam, plus you have a decent and reasonably priced place to camp the night before.  So for that type of camping, this spot is ideal!

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 23, 2020

  Scenic State Park Campground

  Remote backcountry sites are the best!

  Scenic State Park has a variety of camping options, including a small lodge, standard RV campsites with hookups, and standard campground tent sites. But, best of all, they also offer numerous remote backcountry campsites that require you to either backpack in for a few miles, or paddle or boat in a mile or two, and a few where you can access the site via either backpacking or boating in. The backpack in only sites are on trails a few miles north of the lodge campground, and the boat-in only site is on Coon Lake about a half mile from the Lodge campground boat landing, and then there are 4 sites on Sandwick Lake to which you can backpack in or boat in. Sandwick Lake is located to the south and east of Coon Lake and is reached by boat or canoe by launching from the main boat landing, passing through Coon Lake , and then down a channel into Sandwick Lake. To me, the regular campgrounds seemed pleasant but pretty busy; the remote campsites, however, are absolutely exquisite and peaceful and quiet and off by themselves.  we camped at campsite #6 on Sandwick, you would have to backpack into it by hiking about 3 miles, or you have the option to boat in which we did. The boat-in campsites do each have a small dock, perfect for accomodating canoes, kayaks, and very small fishing boats like ours; larger boats would have trouble I think, because the docks are firly shor and there isnt much room to pull in alongside them. From the dock at our campsite there was a sloped path to walk up from the dock to the campsite, but the three others on the lake have a small set of stairs. Our site had a three sided log lean-to as well as a bear box, picnic table, and fire ring with grate. Our site had room for one tent, maybe another small one, but we visited site 4 and it had space for maybe 4 or 5 tents so you could had a scout troup or large family at that site. There is a pit toilet off in the woods, "al fresco"  because the site is isolated on its own. The campsite we had was up on a hill with a beautiful view, and faced north for catching wonderful breeezes that kept the bugs away! The lean-to was great for doing food prep, and would be a good shelter if a storm came up. The grill on the fire ring was sturdy, and the bear box looked to be brand new and indestructible. The shoreline had a pretty dense cover of cedar trees, but you can swim by your dock, and the water is crystal clear! If you boat in to this site, then you will be off on your own in a peaceful quiet spot, but you can hike either north or south on the hiking trail that passes nearby, you can paddle or boat acrros the lake to the unique esker where there is an educational geology trail, or you can go fishing, or bird watching, or get back to the main part of the park for nature programs or accees the many miles of trails that have trailheads near Coon Lake. If you dont have a watercraft of your own, the park rents canoes and kayaks that you can use. The state park is in the middle of the Big Fork State Forest, and the Big Fork River Water Trail runs through the area with many access point nearby. if you need supplies, the park's camp store is currently closed due to covid, but the town of Bigfork is about 7 miles from the state park entrance, so you have access to groceries, gas, hardware etc there, as well as a small hospital if needed. All the campsites are currently reservable online, and you must use that system because the main park office is closed to visitors at this time due to covid, though park staff are out and about in the park for cleaning and maintainence and campground supervision. I highly recommend this park, and especially the remote sites, but they are taken quickly on weekends so you need to reserve ahead!

• 

  Nancy W.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 20, 2017

  Trout Lake RV Park and Campground

  Great Fishing!

  Trout Lake is a small campground less than 10 minutes from Grand Rapids. We came here because we wanted to see Grand Rapids and liked that this campground was right on a lake that we could fish. The park is mostly occupied by seasonal campers who take advantage of the amazing fishing in the lake, but, there are some sites for transient RVers and tent campers. The park recently came under new management and they are working hard to improve the campground. When we were there the park was pretty full and because of our RV length they offered to let us park down near the pavilion. The site was great because it had a nice view of the lake with 30amp electric and water hook-up (there is a pump out service which costs $5/40 gallons) and we loved the privacy as the main part of the campground was a little too cramped for our taste. Unfortunately, the day after we arrived a woman with six kids drove up and set up her tent about 15 yards away from where we were camped. We complained to management because there were numerous other places they could have camped that were even more ideal than right in front of us. Finally, they moved but only another 15 or so yards. This campground actually has some really nice tent sites set right on the lake in some trees but apparently this woman wanted to be right near the pavilion. For us, it meant kids running through our campsite all day and night which kind of ruined our experience.

  The campground has a swim beach which is a big attraction for kids. You can also launch a kayak or canoe there or use the concrete public boat launch right next to the campground. We spent many hours paddling the lake and had great luck catching bass and walleye. Apparently, the lake is well-known for its fishing in the area. The park was $35/night which seems a little high for what you get especially since a weekly rate is listed at $150-200. We did like that everything was on the honor system – self pay, firewood, t-shirts, etc.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 28, 2018

  Side Lake Campground — McCarthy Beach State Park

  Off the beaten path at McCarthy Beach

  This state park that may be well known to locals for its stellar beach and day-use picnic grounds, but seems to be off the beaten path and a well kept secret as a family camping destination.

  I would give the beach area a five star rating, as the beach is on Sturgeon Lake which is incredibly beautiful (even on a cloudy weekend like when we were there), the beach is amazing with crystal clear water, shallow depths for kids and family swimming, great picnic spots all along the expansive shoreline, new beautiful bath house, and overall terrific accessibility for folks of all kinds, including families with young kids and folks with disabilities as there are great paved walkways and gentle access ramps everywhere. There is a public boat access onto the lake just south of the beach area on Sturgeon Lake, and also in the campground which is actually across the isthmus on adjacent Side Lake. It is worth camping here if you want a relaxing vacation with daily trips to the beach, or time out on the water of either lake for fishing and boating. There are canoe rentals avaialble if you dont have a craft of your own. There are also naturalist programs,and regular outdoor perfromances by local music ensembles too, so overall there is lots to do in a relaxing and fun outdoorsy location.

  I am giving the campground itself just a 4 star rating for a couple reasons. First, there is currently a water issue--testing has found contamination in the campground wells, so there isnt potable water and you have to get drinking water from other locations in the area. The campground also seems a bit cramped, with most sites placed very close together, so you dont get a real quiet secluded experience. An exception are some of the sites at the end of the loop, such as campsite 30, where the neighbors arent so close. Also, the Group campsite, which is located in between the beach and the boat access on Sturgeon Lake, is probably the best camping option in the park, with its own indoor shelter and tent sites for groups up to 40--for your best camping experience here in the park, get a group together and go for the group site!

• 

  TyAnn J.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 8, 2018

  Leech Lake Recreation Area & Campground

  Ranger Review: Grand Trunk Single Parachute Hammock at Leech Lake Rec Area

  There are countless outdoor adventures that await you at the Leech Lake Rec Area in Northern Minnesota. From fishing for plentiful Walleyes, Northern Pike, Perch, and Bass, to biking on the trails, or spending a day at the playground, this park offers adventures for all ages!!

  Campground Review

  This was the second year our family spent 9 days at the Leech Lake Rec Area. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/leech-lake-rec-area/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73246\. We were very happy that we picked a site change to #11 this year as this spot offered plenty of tall pine trees that offered wonderful shade, and gave us a great opportunity to test out our Grand Trunk Hang Anywhere Single Hammock!! Again the park was at full capacity when we arrived, so make sure you make your reservations plenty early. (We made our reservations 6 months in advance.) The campground volunteers have done an amazing job with keeping the area full of fun activities for the whole family, and I can't stress how CLEAN the bathrooms are:) This park offers 68 sites with electric hook ups, 5 full hook up sites, and 4 primitive walk to tent sites, and 2 sites being Handicap Accessible within 3 different loops. Each loop has a bathroom with Mens/Womens sides, and the main loop offers a Fish cleaning building, Laundry facilities, and a Shower/Restroom building seperated for Men/Women. There are garbage and recycling cans every 3rd to 4th site. And they have specific check in times, but let you set up and come back later to check in if you arrive earlier or later.

  The sites are comfortable with plenty of room for a bigger RV, screen tent, boat trailer, and vehicle with plenty of room to spare. We spent the bulk of our time out on Leech Lake having luck catching some really nice Walleyes!! You have to navigate a channel to reach the lake, but it is easy to find your way. We brought our kayaks last summer and had a blast exploring all the nooks and crannies in the channel. The sound of the Loons calling at night are so beautiful to listen to while enjoying a campfire at the site. (Note only approved firewood is allowed at the park, and can be purchased from the general store for $20.00 for a wheelbarrow.)

  Product Review

  As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. Last year I won the June West North Central Review contest and won a gift certificate for Grand Trunk https://www.grandtrunk.com/. I was able to purchase 2 items the Parasheet Beach Blanket (reviewed at Fisherman's Point Campground) and the Single Parachute Nylon Hammock. On this trip, I tested the Hang Anywhere Single Parachute Nylon Hammock https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/single-parachute-nylon-hammock?variant=17340207875\. The website at Grand Trunk is so easy to navigate, and their customer service department is top notch in knowledge and support!!

  Let me start by saying our family has never owned or used a hammock, ever. I was suprised how small of a item this is when packed in its attached carrying bag. I ordered the hammock in Royal/Kahki, and the colors are gorgeous!! The hammock comes with everything you need to hang it up with instructions that are very simple and easy to follow. The hammock comes with a starter rope kit (Two 5 foot long 5mm rope thickness cords) that you wrap around the tree and knot to the attached carabiners. Even with being a newbie to hammocks, my husband Rich had the hammock hanging up within 5 minutes flat.

  I can not put in words how extremely comfortable a person is while hanging out in this hammock!! It makes no difference your height or weight (up to 400lbs capacity for this single) the parachute fabric wraps around your body and has you melting all your cares away. Our rescue pup, Max even loved taking an afternoon snooze (and photo opportunity) with me!! The little storage pouch was super handy for holding my water bottle and phone, and it was super easy to pack the hammock back up in it when we were heading home from our vacation. The super light 20 oz. weight would make it a breeze to carry while backpacking too.

  Overall, I have fallen in love with our Grand Truck Single Parachute Nylon Hammock. We have plans on ordering the Double Hammock and Hangout Hammock Stand for our backyard. (Who doesn't need a little hanging therapy after mowing the lawn?!?) The amazing color choice they have are going to make it hard on which one to pick, but my vote is going to Crimson/Charcoal. Grand Trunk offers a lifetime warranty on their hammocks, and that really adds to your peace of mind. I always do my best to review product transparently, and can not find one thing I would change with this product. You will be extremely happy and comfortable swinging your cares away in a Grand Trunk Hammock!!

• 

  Amy G.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 4, 2017

  Schoolcraft State Park Campground

  Ranger Review of Boost Oxygen at Schoolcraft State Park

  Right on the Mississippi River, Schoolcraft State Park Campground has easy access from the river itself, so canoers have an option for tent camping, however, even the designated "canoe site" requires you to "pay to stay". Beyond that point, it was incredibly quiet and a good choice for our stay. While I was there, I tried out Boost Oxygen. I wanted to see what the hype was all about.

  CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

  Overall, the campground was quiet and nice. All sites are "primitive", as there are no hookups available, however, RV's are welcome to stay. They are all "pull in" sites. No showers, just outhouse style bathrooms.

  We chose this campground for our first night of camping while canoeing the Mississippi River. Along the river, there are many "free" sites that are maintained by the DNR in Minnesota. This park appeared to have one of those sites, but upon closer inspection (which was not clear on the map nor at the camp itself) it appears that you must pay to stay here, even if you are canoe camping. I wish this had been made more clear all around. A lot of canoe campers don't carry wallets with them because they don't want to lose them on the river, and they make their "sleeping" choices based on the camps they can find that are free of charge. That said, it was a nice campground. Very quiet. I'm not sure it gets used very much, but it seems to be decently maintained, despite that fact. Our site, #16, was on the far side of the campground, closer to the water. It was a short walk (less than 100 yards) down to the riverside boat landing and dock, which made it easy for us to get to our things. Outhouse style bathrooms were nearby, and although they appeared to be fairly clean, there was that classic outhouse odor. There was a beautiful site right across from the bathroom (pine trees, open space for tents, really pretty), but I wouldn't stay that close to the toilets.

  There was a pump style water source in the picnic area, which was separate from the campground, but still very close by.

  Please note: It's very hard to find a garbage can here. There must have been one, but we never found it.

  Overall, not bad, but I would choose differently if canoe camping to avoid a fee. This time of year, they wanted $15/night.

  Product Review:

  One of the perks of being a Ranger for The Dyrt is that I get the amazing opportunity to try out incredible products for free in exchange for an honest review. This trip, I took along a mini sized can of Boost Oxygen in Menthol-Eucalyptus.

  Boost is available in two sizes: 22oz for $14.99 and 4oz for $9.99. It's strange...because it's a can of air...literally...it feels like there is nothing inside. It feels like an empty can, but I swear it's in there! There are four "fragrances": Natural (no flavor), Grapefruit, Peppermint and Menthol-Eucalyptus. They are enhanced with natural essences and have a bit of flavor, but not much. More like an essence on your tongue. There are approximately fifty "bursts" in the 4oz size, and 150 in the 22oz. They measure a burst as a "1 second inhalation". So depending on how deeply you inhale and for how long will actually determine how many times you can use the can.

  People use this oxygen for many things, but it seems to have originally been promoted by athletes that needed a quick recovery. Since then, they have suggested use by those that get altitude sickness, those in need of muscle recovery, to combat fatigue, etc. You can refer to their website for full details and suggestions.

  I used Boost several times in a variety of situations and here are my thoughts. Please keep in mind that I did not try it as a "professional athlete".

  1. It is very portable, especially the 4oz version. It's roughly the size of a travel can of hairspray. Would fit very easily into a tote bag, purse or backpack.
  2. All fragrances are very mild and subtle, but noticeable. Nothing overwhelming, so even if you chose the wrong one, the "flavor" is gone in just a few seconds. It does not linger on your tongue. It's more of an essence.
  3. They say that eve though it's safe for airline travel, the TSA does NOT allow it on a plane.
  4. Since I'm not a pro athlete, I didn't find the need to try it in that capacity, but I did use it in a variety of non-traditional ways and it seemed to work. You know that light-headed dizzy feeling you get after blowing up your air mattress while camping? Ya...that one. Well, I figured it was because my brain needed oxygen, so I tried out Boost and it seemed to help me out a little bit! Not sure that the company ever intended it to be used this way, but I had it with me and decided to give it a go!
  5. I also tried it while feeling "tired". I was in the car and got that afternoon sleepy feeling. That one when the sunshine streams through the window and you feel like you need a nap. I inhaled a few times, and it seemed to kick-start my brain. I felt a bit more lively for about 10 minutes, so I'd use it again for that purpose.

  I'm sure if you are and ultra-runner or a cross-country skier or Mt. Everest enthusiast, you may have more opportunity to test this out than I do, but in the few situations I decided to give it a whirl, it seemed to work!

• 

  Heidi W.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2017

  Big Falls City

  Camp among huge pines

  Camp among huge pines next to beautiful rapids, and be lulled into relaxation by the sounds of the Bigfork River. Clean bathrooms and showers, handicap accessible areas, and the community is working hard to make even more areas accessible. Friendly community, with a charming main street, with stores stocking almost anything you might have forgotten, gas station, grocery store, hardware store and gift shop, liquor store, motel, log furniture and home builder, fabrication, automotive and heavy equipment repair shops, and more. The campground is one of the most beautiful places in Minnesota and a great overnight stop on your way to Canada! Dedicated horse camp, and easy access to horse and ATV trails, make this a great place to purse many avenues of fun!!

• j

  juki

  Scout

  

  Aug. 22, 2021

  Big Falls City

  Excellent campground

  Well kept campground, new showers, bathrooms. A laundry room, alas, is not finished but there is laundry in town. Recommend sites 20-32, if you want a little more space. Read the reserve dates carefully on the signs if you drive through to select a site; the site you want might actually be available. We were surprised that the campground was only half full. Easy walking distance into town for supplies. The campground is right on the Big Fork River, very picturesque with large rock slabs and popular with kids. A great stay.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2020

  Plug Hat Point

  Small and limited access during pandemic

  This location is actually a duplicate of The Dyrts Plug Hat Point listing which is here and should be merged: https://thedyrt.com/camping/minnesota/plug-hat-point

  Also, note that the location needs to be corrected, Plug Hat Point Campground is at Latitude 47.439 N Longitude-94.055 W .

  This is a small National Forest camping area with picnicking, fishing, and a boat landing. At present time, there is full boat access, picnicking and parking  available at this location, but the  adjacent drive-in  campsites are closed to vehicle camping during the pandemic due to reduced Forest Service staffing. However, paddlers on the Mississippi Headwaters water trail are allowed to tent here as dispersed campers adjacent to the picnic area while through-paddling. There are outhouses and water avaialble in the picnic area, as well as use of the boat launch which has a nice dock and cement ramp for easy access. From here, paddlers with a canoe or kayak cart can easily portage around the Winnie Dam about 1/2 mile to river launch site below the dam, thus avoiding the  very steep, rocky and difficult portage that is located right at the dam. You do need a good portage cart, however, as the access road from Plug Hat Point is not paved.