Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Chippewa National Forest

Popular backcountry sites in the Marcell area of the Chippewa National Forest include Spider Lake, the birch forest of the Suomi Hills and Trout Lake.

Both my boyfriend and myself grew up visiting the Grand Rapids area so it’s an old favorite. We’ve dispersed camp in a few different spots in the Marcell area and particularity like the Suomi Hills campsites. Some are only a short walk from the (usually small) parking area, some are a mile or two backpack-in and others are only accessed by canoe or kayak. They vary in degree of how “primitive” they are - some have only a rock fire pit while others have a metal fire pit, picnic table and pit toilet. I think some are quite luxurious for being a FREE dispersed campsite. Not only that but they are well traveled and taken care of. It’s nice to see people adhering to LNT principles.

These campsites can be popular so you may need a backup plan or two to keep moving on until you find a vacant spot. Many are located on a lake and you have that entire lake to yourself. There are also hiking trails so you will find plenty to do to keep busy.

If you are looking for complete privacy, great fishing and some amenities, the Marcell area of the Chippewa National Forest is your destination.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chippewa/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=26780&actid=34

This is a US Forest Service Boating area on Lake Winnie in the Chippewa National Forest. It is primarily set up as a boat and canoe landing, with large beautiful group picnic area as well. However, it is also a stop at the Mississippi Headwaters Water Trail, and is a canoe stopover spot. At times, the winds and storms on Lake Winnie are very dangerous, and paddlers are not able to get further up the point to the Tamarack Point campsites, or around the point to the Winnie Dam camground. Under those conitions, it would be dangerous to go further, and paddlers may stay here for the night. Bathrooms, plenty of tent space, easy landing and launching for canoes and kayaks as well as boats, new picnnic shelters, great place for paddlers to shelter.

After a few days at state parks my dog and I needed so time with less distractions. We drove over to the Chippewa National Forest and found a few campgrounds close together. We picked this one and found wooded sites adjoining a serene lake. 

Campground review:

Registration is self-service but there is also a camp host. We drove around the two loops and found many reserved. This is a popular place for those with boats looking to catch some fish. There were still plenty open so we picked one that was nestled among the trees and brush. After parking, I was surprised at how much room was still here. Some of the other sites are smaller but our was plenty big. The vault toilets are clean and the area was well kept. Most sites have electric hookups. A few tent only sites were non-electric. There was a very short walk up from your car at these sites. 

We walked around the quiet campground and found a park right by the lake. It opens onto the small dock where several boats awaited fishing excursions. 

Intermittent cars can be heard along the main road but it’s not that busy. The plentiful birds sing away the motors. 

This was a nice stopover for the night.

This is one of the nicer municipal campgrounds in the area, and is very well maintained. It is heavily wooded, with great campsite options for both tent campers and RV campers. I am guessing it may be fairly busy in summer with folks here for the good fishing nearby, but we came in September when the whole campground was very quiet, and exceptionally beuaitful with deep pine and cedar woods and colorful maples scattered throughout. This would be a nice spot for a quiet getaway for a few days. It is close to town for supplies, has a nice playground for kids, and the lake offers nice paddling or fishing opportunities. You are also close to the Chippewa National Forest and can trek over there to visit other lakes and trails etc.  Group shelter, space to walk, spacious shady campsites in the woods or more open nes near the playground area. Good for a local getaway!

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.

Winnie Dam This campground is a high quality, well kept federal campground sponsored and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It is adjacent to the Dam that marks the outlet of the Mississippi River from Lake Winnibigoshsish. Folks enjoy camping here for the tremendous fishing opportunities on Lake Winnie or the Mississippi River, with boat access at the campground boat launch below the dam, or the DNR/ Forest Service Boat Launch at Plug Hat Point above the dam. There are also possibilities for hiking and ATV riding on nearby trails in the Chippewa National Forest. The campsites here are basic campsites, but there are facilities in the form of regular bathrooms and newer outhouses. Sites are wooded and shady with a fair amount of space in between. Fire ring and tables included. There is a campground manager and good maintenance by campground staff, and there is a resident campground host who can advise on area recreation and other info. There is a playground and picnic area adjacent to the boat launch. Paddlers on the Headwaters canoe trail may want to overnight here, but would need to access this campground either via a half mile portage from the Plug Hat Point boat launch above the dam, or via a short but very steep and rocky portage right at the dam on the left(east) side.

Our family just returned from a 9 day stay at Leech Lake Receeation Area, and wish we could have stayed 9 more!! The Campground is located in north central Minnesota (Federal Dam) about 30 minutes southeast of Bemidji or a 3 & 1/2 hour drive from Minnneapolis/St. Paul, MN area, and is run by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Volunteers. The park is located in the Leech Lake Reservation and Chippewa National Forest.

The park has 77 sites available that you can make reservations online at: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/leech-lake-rec-area/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73246

**Note: We reserved our spot 6 months in advance as they book up super fast in the short Minnesota summer months.

There are 73 sites with electric hook ups (5 are full hook ups) or if you want to tent in a private setting, they have 4 primitive walk to sites. Each site has a large picnic table and fire ring with adjustable grill.

When you check in they give you a code that allows you access to the comfort building (flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities) We took advantage of the boat mooring area (just a few steps down from the campground) that includes a plug in area to recharge our boat batteries, and we really appreciated the fish cleaning station building!! (Super clean!!!)**See pics of the awesome fish we caught-Note all Walleye in the 20-26 inch slot size must be released.

We spent the majority of the time enjoying Leech Lake, but we also spent time hiking the trails (Check out the 400 year old Cedar Tree!!), we played horseshoes, and shuffle board (a new game to us!!), and relaxing by the campfire. **NOTE Only certified & approved firewood can be used in the park. There is a general store just outside the park that sells it for $20.00 a wheelbarrow full.

We would give this campground 6 stars if we could, and know you would too!! Enjoy the pics!!

This is a paddle-in only campsite within the Chippewa National Forest, and is an official campsite on the Mississippi River State Water Trail in Minnesota. It is located downstream from the Lake Winnie Dam, and is a good place to stay after portaging the dam if you dont want to stay at the Winnie Dam Campground. It is located near upper River mile 1225, on the left side of the river. The access point appears very overgrown from the river, but look for the brown watercraft campsite sign with the yellow canoe, and if you land at that point you will see a mall trail that leads to wooden timbered steps up to the campsite. There is a nice view over the river here, and a bit of a breeze, which is especially good in early summer when bugs are bad. This is a typical water access only campsite for paddlers on the water trail, and includes the basic such as picnic table, fire ring, and pit toilet. There is no potable water water avaialble here, so be prepared. There is room for several tents, so a small group could camp here. 

The next watercraft campsite is downs stream quite a few miles, so if you are passing mid in the afternoon it might be good to stop here. The next recommended campsite is at Gambler's Point, the previous campsites on Lake Winnie include Lake Winnie Dam and Tamarack Point.

If you are a through paddler on an extended trip you may already have maps and water trail info, but if not, check out these links: 

Info for camping at watercraft campsites: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/watercraft-campsites.html info and maps for all of Minnesota state water trails: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/index.html map for Mississippi River State Water Trail: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/mississippiriver/index.html section map on which Crazy James landing is located, just upstream from River Mile 1225: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/canoe\_routes/mississippi2.pdf

This is one of several distinct campgrounds located within the Chippewa National Forest, and is located on the east side of Cass Lake. Entrance is through the main entrance at the Norway Beach Forest Service Recreation Area access. This campground is geared towards tent campers and is in a more secluded part if the Recreation area. Many of the sites are right on the water, which means you can put in a boat at the main boat landing and then travel by water to your campsite. The water sites also have nice sandy beaches...however, zebra mussels have been recently found in Cass Lake, and I did indeed find a few on the beach here, which is disappointing. This campground is the farthest from the main visitor center, picnic grounds, boat landing and official beach, which could be either a plus or a minus for you, depending on how secluded and off the beaten path you would like to be. These camp amenities arent too far to drive or even bike, though. Potable water is available here, but you are a good 15 minute drive to town for groceries and supplies, and there is no campground store on site, so be prepared. This campground will be if interest to folks who want to fish on Cass Lake or just relax along shore under the big pines, but if I had a choice I would prefer the Forest Service campground at Pike Bay on the south side if Cass Lake, as that campground is smaller and quieter and has bigger campsites