Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Birchdale, MN

We love to drive around, aimlessly, enjoy the scenery and then find a place to plop for the night.  Our preference is generally State Forest type of places that are self check in, less than $20 and quiet. Oh yes, and pet friendly.

We were pulling our teardrop on this trip, since it gets cold in MN earlier than southern areas. This campground does not have electric, but it wasn't too cold so we were just fine. Upon pulling in, the place appears huge!  Most State Forest campgrounds are small-ish, but this one has 60 spaces!  Two are ADA accessible, the rest are split between two "loops".  The lower seemed quieter, and the upper had more RVs. Many are lakeside, and there is a hiking trail that runs around the camp on the outskirts that's up and down over rocks and terrain...lovely with the dogs!  A small dock provided a jumping off spot for a quick rinse in the lake (dogs too!).

The campsite was tucked in the trees with all the things you expect.  Fire ring, picnic table, etc, and many of the sites (this one too) were so tucked in the trees it was hard to see neighbors.  Lots of space, not too close together!  We visited in September. Water spigots scattered for drinking water, self check in, easy access.

We loved this campground, It is beside the Boondocks Bar and Grill and is owned by the same people. Dez and Kirk were the consummate hosts, friendly and so nice, we could not have asked for better. We cold called them last minute in late April, most of the other campgrounds were not open for the season, but they welcomed us, which saved our butts because we literally would have had to drive hours and completely redo our itinerary. The Bar and Grill is next door and has great food, awesome drinks, friendly locals and bingo on Thursday nights. The campground is easily accessible and the sites are not difficulty to back into, all were graveled and we had minimal leveling, even with the water and mud. I think there are at least 1 or 2 pull throughs but due to the snow and standing water we parked in site #2.  They have 30 and 50 amp, potable water (wasn't on throughout the park when we were there due to the weather) and a dump site at the exit. They are pet friendly and there are areas for walking leashed pets behind the park.  It is conveniently right off the highway and we did not even notice any traffic noises in the evening. International Falls is approx 20 minutes away, with shopping, laundromat and the Canadian Border.  Voyageurs NP, Rainy Lake Visitor Center is approx 30 min. This is now our go to campground when we visit Voyageurs NP.

The campground (CG) was easy to find, and the regular street address brought us right into the CG. One of our friends had arrived a few days early and let us know that the CG manager was off, so there was no need to stop first at the office at the opposite end of the CG from our site. The sites are set up in a series of cul-de-sacs, but not the traditional cul-de-sac. We had to back in from off the main CG road and then turn slightly to get into back-in site 47 with FHUs. The water and electric were more centered on this very long site, but the sewer was at the back, where we needed around 20’ of sewer hose. The water pressure was around 40 psi. There are a lot of mature trees in this CG, and we actually had to cut down a small tree(with permission) so it wouldn't scratch our rig coming back out. We backed up to a field, so we were able to get a clear shot for Starlink. Our friends had satellite dishes, and they had to move their dishes around mature trees to get a signal. The CG has 25 cable channels that worked well. The CG manager did stop by to see how we were doing and answer any questions we might have, and he let us know where the lawnmower was stored if we wanted to cut the grass around our site during our three-week stay. Our party of four rigs pretty much had the CG to ourselves during our stay. There were six seasonals, but they were mostly only there on the weekends. There were a few campers that came in for a couple of days during our stay. People come to this area for one thing, and that is to fish with a side trip through Canada to Angle Inlet, MN, the farthest point north in the lower 48. The CG has no playground but does have a nice fish-cleaning station. There is a shower and restroom in the little office building. There are two laundry facilities nearby. Baudette has a nice grocery and hardware store. There’s no formal dog park, but we were told the large field adjacent to the park is off-leash, which we took advantage of. We got two bars on Verizon. The CG has WiFi, but we were too far from the antenna to connect. One rig in our party got a signal, but they said it was weak. This CG is about a mile from the Rainy River, so there is no direct water access. Check out Cypress Resort for fishing charters and great food. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this CG.

This is a combo campground and city park, a joint effort of the Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources and the city of Baudette. While serving the recreational needs of townsfolk, it also provides great access to the famous Rainy River and a good place for out of town fishermen to stay. The campgound has water and electric hookups for RVs, and a separate primitive tenting area for those who prefer quiet tent camping. Clean restrooms and amazing hot showers. Good play areas for kids and family dogs, and access to community recreation areas such as ball park, horseshoes, volleyball etc. The fishing ramp is a beautifully maintained professional ramp with cement apron and docks, for good access for fishing boats on trailers, canoes or kayaks. This section of the Rainy River is a fishermans paradise, with sturgeon and other prizes, so it is great to have a spot to camp right on the river if you want to go fishing. 

There are only two issues, you will need to be careful while fishing as the river marks the border with Canada and you do have to be careful on which side you are fishing. Also, the Canadian Pacific Railroad runs right along the river and the frequent trains are a little noisy. Otherwise, if fishing is your mission, this is a comfortable, convenient and clean place to camp.

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!!

61 sites. Multiple loops. All Boondocking- No electric or septic or water hookups. No showers. Very quiet. Two are marked as accessory. Far from the highway- the final turn can sneak up on you. Sights are spacious and most are a far distance apart (50 feet). Lots and lots of trees between sights. Sites are a mix of deep and shallow. Some are one car wide, others are two cars wide. Most 30 foot trailers would do okay. We saw a dozen travel trailers, one fifth wheel, a couple shorter motor homes, and lots of tents. A fire ring and picnic table are located at each site and water fountains/down spouts and vault toilets are located throughout. (Not all spigots have hose attachments.) Bathrooms were clean with a good amount of TP. There is a fair amount of sticks and firewood among the downed trees. A couple of public docks are located along the edge of the campground for guests to dock their boats. The boat launch, beach, and picnic area is very nice and nearby. No weeds when swimming. Dogs are not allowed at the primary beach, but there is a hidden rock beach at the end of the campground by one of the docks were they could swim. There are hiking trails that weave behind sites and between roads. Some sites are closer to the road (shallow) and some are surprisingly deep. A few sites are closer together, but would work well if you had multiple families camping together. $15.00 per night. Dogs are allowed. Unfortunately there are no reservations. We came on a Saturday morning in the end of August and one third of the sights were open, by midday half of the sights were open. We enjoyed our time.

WE stayed here a week it has 3 or 4 sites for Rv's or tents. Check or cash only no credit card. The cabins look nice and the deck on the water is nice, boat dock and swim beach on a calm cove on Lake Kabetogama. We were staying close by so we stopped to see where our site was & we were shown a spot that was big & open. When we pulled in 2 days later the spot had someone new in it & we were put up near the cabins. We had to back up a hill in a tight spot to get into. It was where they keep all the extra parts and supplies to maintain the place along with a bit of old junk. We had to use 2 sewer hoses & just got them to stretch to the limits. We hooked up to a hose that was from the fish cleaning house and we had 2 hoses to reach our camper. The electric box was on a different side than the sewer & the water it also was stretched to reach. We weren't happy & complained. She would have refunded my deposit yet you can't just find campgrounds at the last minute I did look for some. 

There is one waterfront site with a view lucky if you can book that minus the poo. 

The worst part is every cabin had at least one big dog and none were ever on a leash. They pooped in our site along with pooping next to our Kayak that was down near the water. One dog came over & got in our empty garbage (the garbage was tied to a fish cleaning table we have) it got tangled & pulled over my entire table & everything on it. We love dogs but they should be on a leash. After a week of them a new family came in renting all the cabins and the same thing, lots of dogs no leashes.

I'm sure this is a nice place if you stay in a cabin and don't mind dog poo. The owner Elaine has had the place for 48 years and works hard, very nice person but she should enforce the dog leash & pick up poop rule. The families that booked all the cabins have come back for 40 years so they love it.  The 2nd group of families have been coming 30 some years. 

We did catch a few nice fish that we couldn't keep they were in the throw back slot. We got a 36" northern Pike & a 20" Walleye. Voyager National Park is for people who like being on the water, boating, kayaking, canoeing and fishing. It is a pretty area not much to do other than boat. 

This is next to Wooden Frog National Forest so you can launch a boat or kayak there too and watch sunset from there. 

I'm sorry to write this bad review but it wasn't pleasant. We were up the street from here in Voyagers national park so we decided to stay another week since we couldn't find openings when they notified us Chippewa won't open.  I try to research good places to camp this was a last minute booking since Chippewa Stony Point campground closed for Covid then needed updated & closed till sept. I would not stay here again.