Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Chisholm, MN

Grew up camping here. Its beautiful with water and trees everywhere. Pet friendly, close to town, clean showers, friendly staff. The only bad thing is no water hook ups.

I spent 3 nights in a tent and my friends had a large camper in the same site. They were clean and the chipmunks were our pets for the weekend. The docks are convenient for your boats or pontoons. The fishing is phenomenal and beautiful! Definitely recommend for hiking, site seeing, swimming at the beach, fishing and other things 😊

PETS ARE ALLOWED IN THE PARK BUT NOT THE CABINS - see below for details.

This part of the state park is very new! These cabins are a fairly new addition and aimed to cater to those that love winter outings but want warmth and electronic lifelines.

We stayed in "Ning" cabin which is an abbreviation of the actual name. All cabins have native Ojibwe names. It was there last on the loop and right next to a short trail. A vault toilet is about 30 feet away.

This campground had wifi throughout the campground and cabins. This let me work while we were there with my computer without issues. It's easy to log into (open your browser and the option will pop up, or search for it in your wifi network options). 

Firewood - this is a super cool policy.  You can't bring your own wood, but you can pay $10/day for a permit that you hand at your site. They have a "shed" with pre-split wood that's dry and ready for the campfire.  You can burn what you need daily and put the rest back before you leave.  This is not meant to "burn it all" but it allows you to have a fire, stay warm, have fun and not run out of wood.  Great price considering the amount many places charge for a dinky little bundle that lasts about an hour. You also can't take it home, so just be smart about the process and it's a great option for everyone!

The inside of the cabin was wow!  Electricity outlets were plenty (in all the bunks - as well as lights in all bunks).  Hard floors, a vacuum for when you were done, shelves for gear and food, baseboard heaters, A/C in summer, big windows, ceiling fan, rug to wipe your boots, lots of coathangers.

Outside a small deck and picnic table, food prep station with an outlet - very cool!  Fire ring was down a set of stairs near the woods.

Please note:  PETS are allowed in the park, but NOT in the cabins and NOT on the deck of the cabin.  Pretty steep fees if they find this happening. 

Also...you have to bring your own bedding (sleeping bags or sheets/blanket).

Nice perk - there is an indoor showerhouse with bathrooms, hot water and potable drinking water station so you don't have to sacrifice in the winter!

Overall great stay for $90 - quieter than a hotel for sure!

I'm pretty sure this campground would be beautiful any time of year, but we visited on our anniversary in the fall and it was gorgeous! Most of the trees were yellow, and even in the overcast morning, gave the campground a wonderful warm glow!

The campground is a good size, and all the sites seem private. This is a state forest campground, and in MN, they are all very well maintained and the price is far better than a state park campground. In my opinion, they are far superior. Usually less crowded, lesser known, but better kept. Normally they are about $14 (bonus!), and sometimes free, depending on the time of year. Drop the money in the box at the entrance (honesty is appreciated) and take a site. No reservations accepted.

They have pit toilets, pets are accepted, there is drinking water available at a well pump, each site has a picnic table, plenty of space for a tent, lots of trees if you want to try a hammock, and a fire ring. It was very quiet at night (there was only one other site being used), and we heard a beautiful owl chanting in the night.

The lake was very nearby, and some sites have access via stairs, if you like. There seemed to be plenty of firewood, if you care to collect it, and it was the best option for a wonderful camping experience!

Located just outside Hibbing and Chisholm, this campground is on Side Lake and Sturgeon Lake. If it is too windy on one lake, just walk across to the other one. Beautiful beach, with modern beach house and nice picnic area. The lake is shallow for quite a ways out so it’s great for water games and younger swimmers, as well as those who just just love floating around. The group campsite is beautiful. We have been Camping there now for over 10 years and it is still one of our favorite spots. Love listening to the loons at night and enjoying a campfire among the tall trees of the campground. This is also the best place that I have seen the northern lights.

Nothing says Minnesota like the call of the Loon and that’s what greeted me upon arrival at my site! This site is lovely—water and easy to access to water sports on either Sturgeon or Side Lake. Some road noise but not too bad. I am imagine it’s much more hectic in the summer with the big beach across the road. Great for kids! Easy trails for walking and dog friendly. Can be buggy but that’s MN. For more rustic, head further up to Beatrice Lake Campground.

Campground Review:

****This campground is located on beautiful Whitewater Lake in Hoyt Lakes, MN. The fall colors are absolutely gorgeous right now, and my pictures don’t even come close to doing them justice!! We have lived just 5 miles down the road from this campground for over 20 years, and regret not camping here sooner!! This campground is very family and pet friendly with so many activities to choose from. We spent the bulk of our time hiking the paved trails, and fishing the lake. You can reserve a spot online at http://www.fishermanspointmn.com/ , or it’s a first come first served campground. There were plenty of spots available when we camped there, but recommend reserving during the busy summer months.

There are 93 spacious and wooded sites divided into separate loops. If you are driving a bigger RV or 5th Wheel some corners can be tight, but they are currently upgrading and widening the traffic areas. Some of the campsites are right on the waterfront which was nice for mooring our boat close to us. They have some 50/30/20 amp spots, but none of the spots are a full hook up with dump capabilities. The campground hosts were super friendly and the showerhouses/restrooms were super clean and smelled freshJ There is no bringing in outside wood for campfires, but they have a nice little general store where you can purchase bundles. Each spot comes with a nice picnic table and a fire ring. One of the things we liked most is the shelters and grill pits they have right on the lakeshore. They have 2 separate boat ramp areas so there is no congestion or waiting in line to get in the water, and the fish cleaning house is just a few steps off the boat ramp. Quiet hours are from 11:00pm to 7:00am, but we noticed there is no enforcement of that rule, hence the 4 Star rating.

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the privilege of receiving products to test from time to time. I tested the PARASHEET Beach Blanket from Grand Trunk. https://www.grandtrunk.com/collections/goods-for-the-campsite/products/parasheet-beach-blanket-new-colors Navigating their website is easy and very user friendly!! The thing I appreciated the most is that they are in constant contact with you from the minute you place the order to when it arrives on your doorstep. The shipping time is super speedy from this company!! All items were packed well, and they included a free can cozy and decal sticker (it went on our 5th Wheel!!)

When I took Parasheet, my first thought was that I would not have used the word blanket in the description, it is so much more!! (on their website they use the sentence “The Best Beach Blanket Ever.” With that being said, the parachute nylon fabric is very lightweight, but super durable. This sheet is a packing/carrying dream!! They have a nice variety of colors available, and I ordered the Parasheet in the color Berry Bronzed. The contrast between the deep blue/tan colors is absolutely stunning!! The one feature I liked right away is that the sheet has it’s own drawcorded carrying/storage bag for easy packing and storing. We had a chance to take the sheet out on a windy day, and the sand pockets helped keep it in place while we staked it down. There are an endless amount of uses for this sheet while camping, and at home too!! (my son of course tested and gave a “thumbs up” on the Superman cape tryout lol) The parasheet stood up very well on different types of terrain (we tested sand, gravel rock, and pine needles) Overall, I think the Grand Trunk Parasheet is well priced at $39.99, and would recommend it to all!!

Bear Head Lake State Park is just south of the Boundary Waters, and shares a comparable wilderness element.  The shoreline is beautiful and very fun to explore by kayak.

Campground features: Cabin rentals, tent sites, and RV sites.  The campground is open in fall & winter. The campsites are private, well shaded, and level. Each campsite has a picnic table and fire pit. Flush toilets, hot showers, dump station, group sites, and electric are also available.

Hiking at Bear Head Lake State Park

• Bear Head Lake State Park Trail is a moderate 3.2 mile trail. This hike is a loop route. Dogs are allowed but only on leash.
• Norberg Lake Trail is a easy 1.5 mile trail. It is a trail for all skill levels and dogs are allowed but only on leash. Mostly wooded.
• Blueberry Lake Trail is a easy 4.5 mile trail. Longer than the other listed trails. It is an out and back hike that is mostly wooded. Dogs are allowed on leash.
• Becky Lake Trail is a easy 2.7 mile hike. Beck Lake is a loop hike that is mostly wooded. Dogs are allowed on leash.

Fishing at Bear Head State Park

Bass, northerns, walleye, panfish, and trout can be caught at this State Park. Many people fish from the fishing dock or shoreline. Panfish are all over the lake and most likely the first ones biting. Good walleye fishing after 6pm.

Other activities:

Boat rentals, cross country ski trail (groomed), snowshoe trails, and snowmobile trails.

I would highly recommend this campground,it’s clean,great fishing,swimming,walking. We stayed for a week with our dogs,and our girls had a blast. Thank you

We first went to Scenic State Park in 1970. Have tent camped stayed in the Managers House, the cabin, in a pop up camper, and last I stayed in Chase Point .Campground. That time on my RV. Scenic is second to none and we have traveled the world. Lost my love in 2020, so now it is me and my dog.

We really enjoyed this park. Electric loop was tight and some sites had minimal privacy. The non electric sites were much more private. All sites had nice shady trees. It's a very forested park. We really appreciated the new restroom facilities. 

We had easy water access for our kayak off the campground loop. And it was easy enough to carry the kayak across to the other lake to explore out there. The beach on the big lake was very nice, clean and there were easily accessible "ends" of the beach to have a dog. The sandbar was expansive! 

This was a great park for campers of all styles; very family friend - it was very busy with lots of kids. Trails can be reached from the campground but the hike to the trails would be a hike in itself for some. Trail heads seemed remote compared to other parks. 

There were temporary problems with the drinking water on the whole campground - couldn't brush teeth with sink water, and had to go to the dump station to fill up from the one safe water spigot, but it wasn't anything that would keep us from coming back.

First off, and most appealing to me is the fact that there is no cell service. All 12 campsites are first come first serve and you can’t jump a line by going on a website to reserve a spot.  there are no water or electric hook ups but there are hand pumps for pumping water and you could bring a generator or not.
Located north of Grand Rapids Minnesota about 60 miles or 35 miles from Nashwauk Minnesota which is the closest gas station, grocery store or post office. All the sites are back in no pull through sites, generally level however there’s a few that are on an angle

We celebrated the 2017 Minnesota Walleye Fishing Season opener at one of our favorite campgrounds. North Star campground has 38 sites between north and south loops. The sites are not reservable, and are available on a first come, first served basis. Camping is $14.00 for a single site, and $28.00 for groups. Each site has a fire ring and an oversized picnic table. There are also outhouses and a well water pump on each loop. This year we were greeted by a new campground host who was very friendly. There are many smaller sorounding lakes within a few miles to fish from, and if you like hiking and historic sites, don't miss the Suomi Hills hiking trail. Listening to the loons tonight reminds me of how very lucky we are to call Minnesota home.

We camped for Minnesota Grouse Hunting Season. The sites are roomy (boat in, drive in, or backpack available) The Chase Point Trail is gorgeous for hiking!! You are not allowed to bring in your own firewood, but the campground host has bundles of split wood for purchase.

There were no problems getting to this state park. We pulled into the dump station just before entering the campground(CG) area to get fresh water. While we were there, a park ranger stopped to check us in, including processing us for a free annual MN state park pass for disabled veterans. We followed the site signage to electric(50/30/20 AMP) only site 110, which was an easy back-in. The site was long enough for our 40’ toy hauler to include putting our back patio down and parking our F-450. We especially liked how ample trees and bushes were separating the sites, and you are well away from your neighbors. The site gave us plenty of space to set up our chairs around a nice fire pit and one fine picnic table. Get water as you come into the CG, as the spigots throughout the park do not have threads. The 300 loop has pull-throughs that will handle large rigs, with 312 being the best. We got 5 bars 4G. on Verizon. We put Starlink on the roof and got a decent signal. There was a nice shower house/restrooms where the park also sold firewood. Formal trail systems are throughout the CG and park, and we enjoyed walking our dogs. We really like the variety of RV sites for all sizes of RVs, but it's too bad the CG area has no water views.

We have enjoyed staying here. Minnesota does a nice job with their state parks. The campsites are varied in types, sizes and layouts. Ours works great for our 26’ travel trailer and truck, and includes electrical. Main restroom has showers. Nice canoeing lake adjacent to the campground. The Taconite State Trail is nearby. Only complaints are campsites are close to each other and only one bar of service on T-Mobile phone.

I came in late October. As are most of the campsites in upper Minnesota this time of year, the owner told me they were closed. But he was happy to let me stay overnight for a reduced off-season fee. There were no hookups at this time of the year. It's a very pleasant lake. A lot of permanent RVs parked here. It's very quiet, although there is a highway that runs right next to the property. For my very small off-season fee, I got a shower included!

6/25-6/27/20. BP5

Bear Head Lake has it all. Camping, fishing, boating, swimming and hiking. The lake itself is fully private and the only access is through the state park. There was very little boat traffic during our stay and we were able to paddle most of the lake. We really enjoyed some of the calmer bays. The temps were close to 90 during our stay and the beach was busy. There is a nice sandy area and the water shallow and warm. There are several small docks along the campground for people to tie up motorboats, it was a fun little section to walk. Sites 51-58 are closest to the lake (but they don’t have actual lake views) and have the nearest access to these docks, though anyone can use them. There is also a fishing pier and another dock by the beach.

Not only is the lake a huge draw, but so is the hiking. Norberg Lake was absolutely gorgeous and the trail that passed through. There is also a little sandy spot and people (and dogs) were swimming here. We also enjoyed the Blueberry Lake trail (around the backpack sites) and the Becky Lake trail.

The sites in the campground seems very close together and small. Even the sites near the water. We prefer more remote sites and were able to book BP5. This site was on Bear Head lake itself so we were able to paddle across the water from the beach area. Our site had its own dock and I think it was the best in the park. The site itself was very spacious, with a bear locker, fire pit, picnic table, hammock spot and sunset views. We were able to go into two other backpack sites because they were vacant and they were also very spacious and private We loved our time at Bear Head and will be returning next summer.

Scenic State Park is a one of the best State Parks I have visited so far. The area is gorgeous - the campsite is on Coon Lake, which is one of the thousands lakes in the state. Chase Point is one of the main sites of interest in the vicinity - a couple of miles long narrow peninsula that projects into the lake. The short trail that goes on its ridge provides great views and peaceful surroundings and we ended up hiking to the tip of the peninsula every day of our stay. Other places worth seeing around are the International Wolf Center where one gets face to face (literally) with the great Timber Wolf (Minnesota has the biggest population of wolfs if we don't count Alaska). Voyagers National Park is also a stone's throw away - but bring a boat if you want to see more. The staff is very nice and helpful; the campsite clean. I strongly recommend visiting this place.

Nice, remote Campground in the woods of northern Minnesota. We spent 5 days there where we enjoyed plenty of hikes and time on the water. The sites are close together and more suited to RVs than tents. Even over a busy weekend, it was quiet overnight except for the loons calling across the water. The boat in sites are just a short distance across the lake from the main Campground, making it an easy paddle for those in non-motorized boats. We were on the water with two kayaks and the highest number of boats was never more than 8 at any time with only two of those boats being motorized. There are a few hike-in sites, only 1.2 miles from the park. A few additional hiking trails around the park as well. A family friendly beach and some cleared picnic areas. The showers and flush toilets are clean and backed up by pit toilets dispersed around the campground.

Following the winding pathway you will come to the campground. It’s situated near four lakes and loads of biking/hiking. There is a lot to do in the area from fishing, hiking, biking, and nature watching. Loon lake has a nice little “park” with a beach so that is great for families.

The campground itself sits next to the lake which is nice and while no site has true waterfront claim several can see the water. I stayed in 22E which was next to a trail head but close to the water spigot and showers. Sites 62/3/4 would be great for a large family as they have loads of space. Showers and restrooms were super clean!

Yes it is buggy but it’s minnesota so you deal with it. There is lots of nature. We saw a bear while hiking the continental divide trail so nature is out there.

To date, this is the best campsite I've ever seen. No joke.

My husband and I like to canoe, and this time, we were on the Mississippi for another adventure. That said, this one is a canoe campsite, so in order to get to this one, you have to be on the Mississippi River in Minnesota. The DNR in Minnesota has river maps (kind of like hiking maps of the major trails) that mark river miles and show where the boat ramps and access points are. It also shows the campsites that are available (most of them for FREE!) to those that choose to camp along the river. This was one of those.

Most of the time, there will be a picnic table (not always), a fire ring and a place to put a tent or hammock and usually a latrine. Sometimes a nice bench around a fire ring, and sometimes not. This one, however, in addition to other lovely amenities, had a pile of firewood in a useful "shelter" with a little roof to help keep it from the rain. There was also a peg hook with a saw! A note near the saw said "please replace what you can". I have never seen that before, but what a refreshing thing at the end of a long day of paddling! They asked that you use what you need, but also put back what you can. How lovely! This site also had a bear box...incredibly rare! It had a donation sign on the front that told who had donated it. So, in addition to an immediate fire upon arrival (which was appreciated this time because it rained very quickly after we got there), you didn't have to hang your food!

The latrine wasn't anything special, but they never really are, are they? Nothing wrong with it though. It served it's purpose and that is all I have to say about that.

There were a couple of lovely hammock trees and two good areas for tents. Except for the mosquitoes (which are to be expected in the summertime), this was the perfect site.

The only thing that was a little difficult was docking your canoe/watercraft and getting on shore. The water levels on this trip were very low (about a foot lower than normal) so it was a steep climb and we had to pull the canoe to a landing, but when you are on the water, this kind of obstacle is something that you come to expect and prepare for. So no complaints...merely and observation.

Definitely would use this site again!

The Beatrice Lake Campground is a rustic campground within the George Washington State Forest. It has 30 campsites, 3 of which are hike-in sites on a pretty peninsula on Beatrice Lake. Although this campground is officially "managed" by the staff at nearby McCarthy Beach State Park, it is separate from the park and about six miles drive away from it into the state forest. You access it by a backwwods dirt road west of the state park, or via the Taconite Trail which is for hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding. So, while you are not really too far from the spectacular beach at Sturgeon Lake, and other amenities of McCarthy Beach Sate Park, you will have much much more secluded and rustic camping experience at this campground. There is room for an rv to park at many of the sites, but no hookups. The camspites are more spacious (especially the hike-in sites!) and I think the whole campground is more scenic. If you are interested in a vacation in the Sturgeon Lake area, and have older children or adults in your group, you might find this more remote campground preferable to the one right at McCarthy Beach State Park. There is a boat landing here, hiking opportunities, boating and fishing and peace and quiet.

The campsites at Beatrice Lake are not reservable, and are avaialble only on a first come first served basis. However, it seems that even in the height of summer camping season, this campground is lightly used and you wont have any trouble finding a spot. If you want to get a sense of the camspites availalble, you can go to the MN camping reservations page, https://reservemn.usedirect.com/MinnesotaWeb/Facilities/AdvanceSearch.aspx

then select McCarthy Lake State Park, then select Beatrice Lake campground. Even if the sites aren’t reservable, you can see the campground map and see which ones are currently occupied.

Additional info can be found at these links:

McCarthy Beach State Park, which administers the Beatrice Lake Campground: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00226#homepage

Boat landing on Beatrice lake: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/compass/pwa.html?map=COMPASS_MAPFILE&mode=indexquery&shapeindex=2323&qlayer=shor_waspt3_query

Fishing info for Beatrice Lake: http://www.lake-link.com/minnesota-lakes/itasca-county/beatrice-lake/7817/

DNR homepage for the George Washington State Forest: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/forest.html?id=sft00021#homepage

Info and map of George Washington State Forest:

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00021.pdf

Taconite Trail, which connects Beatrice lake and Mc Carhty Bech state park: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/taconite/index.html