Do you enjoy camping but don't want to rough it? Glamping is a great option. Find all the best glamping sites for your Duluth, Minnesota camping adventure with The Dyrt. These scenic and easy to access Minnesota glamping locations are perfect for any adventurer.
The rugged land formations of Jay Cooke State Park enhance the beauty of the hardwood forests and make for great camping near Minneapolis. The water-eroded gorge, steep valleys, and massive rock formations are seen throughout the park. In some seasons, the water of the St. Louis River thunders over slabs of ancient, exposed rock. At other times, it slows to a gentle trickle. Visitors enjoy the scenic splendor of Jay Cooke State Park during all seasons.
Drive-in Sites 79 Sites: Most are wooded sites. In winter, 12 sites are kept available for winter camping. Of these, five are electric sites.
Pull-Through Sites: One Site
Electric Sites: 21 Sites Majority of sites are 20 and 30 amps, some 50 amp.
RV Length Limit: Variable by site up to 60 Feet Length is measured from front of tow vehicle to rear of vehicle being towed.
Wheelchair Accessible Sites: 3 Sites Located near drinking water. Two sites are electric, one is non-electric.
Backpack Sites: 4 Sites Sites are located from 1 to 4 miles from parking area. Each site has picnic table, fire ring and latrine. Campers must haul water or treat water on site. Trail access to these sites has been restored after a 2012 flood, but a few nearby trails remain closed. Please register at the park office for details on how to get to these sites.
Walk-in Sites: 4 Sites Sites are located 50 to 150 feet from parking area.
Group Camp: 2 Sites - Each accommodates up to 25 people Remote, wooded camp with walk-in sites approximately 150' from parking area (limited parking). Carts are provided to carry in camping gear. Water spigot and vault toilets available. Tents only. Lodging
Camper Cabins: 5 Cabins All cabins have a screened porch. Electricity and heat are available year-round. Agate and Basalt cabins are ADA accessible and sleep 5. Slate, Gabbro, and Shale Cabins sleep 6 people. Pets not allowed in cabins. More information on camper cabins.
Nestled in a forest on the western high point of Duluth, Minnesota, Spirit Mountain Campground offers walk-in tenting as well as 73 campsites equipped with fire pits, picnic tables, and electricity. Easy access to our award-winning Mountain Bike Trails, our Adventure Park and Superior Hiking Trail.
Thirty-nine sites have water hook-ups, and two shower buildings offer 24-hour convenience.
Spirit Mountain overlooks majestic Lake Superior and the St. Louis Bay. Natural beauty abounds in the area– you can quickly and easily access water, hiking and biking trails and much more. The trailhead for the Superior Hiking Trail is within walking distance of the Campground. And near the Campground, there is an overlook area of Lake Superior, the bay, the St. Louis River, and the Aerial Lift Bridge.
Located 1 mile south of Highway 2 on Ranger Road and a favorite in the summer, the Bois Brule is a 22-unit campground with 17 pull-in sites and five walk-in sites. A canoe landing is located in the picnic area, and visitors will find the Stoney Hill Nature Trail across Ranger Road from the campground. A hand pump and vault toilets are centrally located.
$16 - $32 / night
Located on Upper St. Croix Lake in the village of Solon Springs, this park offers visitors 29 total sites: 23 with electrical and water hook-ups and, 6 non-electric campsites, containing fire rings, picnic tables, and benches. Lucius Woods amenities include showers, flush toilets, a sanitary dump station, opportunities for picnicking, swimming, hiking, the Music in the Park concert series, and excellent fishing opportunities.
The park has many hiking trails, a bateau shelter, children's playground, a beautiful swimming beach, a large log pavilion with a fieldstone fireplace, many picnic areas with grills, and an open-air performing arts amphitheater. The amphitheater is home to Music in the Park, an annual outdoor concert series on the shore of Lake St. Croix. The Giesen Concert Shell is the backdrop for the performances on Saturday evenings throughout the summer.
Legend
such a fun backpack site! The hike in was muddy and buggy as there was quite a bit of rain in the weeks prior to our camping trip. Picnic table, fire ring, and bear locker provided. Site offers great vies of a little beaver pond where you may get to see some wildlife! Site was able to fit 4 backpacking tents, most of which were 2 person size tents, so it is good for a small group. Private latrine a short walk into the woods.
Be sure to check trail conditions as one of the forks that could be taken to the campsite was flooded and closed.
Legend
I 100% agree with Legend Laura about the price of this campground. If it was simply about the location, this would get five plus stars because it's so beautiful! But if you're from out of state, the prices are even more expensive than she indicated previously, so they must have updated them.
The campsite itself is only $16 which is a bargain! But, if you are out of state like we are, there's also a $15 charge for that. And then, that doesn't include admission to the area, so you pay $11 and change for that. It ended up being about $50 total. That said, we paid it and fully enjoyed it but not sure we would do it again unless we had a Wisconsin sticker. At least to alleviate the $11 charge to get in.
All of that out of the way, the site itself is absolutely gorgeous. This park has lots of very mature trees and lots of very mature pine trees, making it very quiet. The spaces are quite distant from one another and we didn't hear our neighbors at all. We were at one of the walk-in campsites which I chose on purpose because it was literally on top of the river, we could sit by the river and wade our toes if we wanted to. It had a fire ring, a very short walk to the bathroom, and only a short distance to the car from the site. Maybe 100 ft plus about 30 stairs to get up to the parking level.
The walk-in sites also double as canoe campsites, so the river is something you can paddle if the water is sufficient to do so. There is a beautiful little picnic area near the bathrooms that sits on the river as well. Vault toilets seemed as clean as they could be, and they are a little fancier than your single vaults. They have stalls and toilet paper!
I highly recommend if you live in Wisconsin visiting this site as it wouldn't cost much at all. Out of towners, it's a bit more pricey.
Scout
Love it clean and quiet affordable and has extra entertainment and events staff is extremely helpful and nice
Guide
The camp site was big enough for our car and our 6 person tent. The office had weird opening ours. I would recommend getting ice and wood at the nearby gas station. Overall a quiet campground. Was a pleasant experience
GuideThe campsite was perfectly good: nice and spacious over looking the river. It is well off the main hiking trail and quite private. The view of the river is heavily obstructed and there really is no easy and safe way down the cliff to the river. Still it is nice to hear the river. You need to bring on drinking water, otherwise you need to go about 1/8 of a mile to a small creek to get filterable water.
The hike in is easy, but once you are off the main trail (the first mile) the trail is grass—be prepared for lots of ticks.
Traveler
Been a long time user of Sullivan lake campground. Love the rusticity of it and the quietness of it. So quit you can feel the grouse Drumming’s deep within your soul. Highly recommend.
GuideAs a tent camper, i prefer quiet and private sights. The circle this site was part of, was just that. The walk to the updated bathrooms (with showers) is pretty pretty. It was buggy (mosquitoes) but fire and bug spray kept it manageable. The pit toilet next to site 18 had an occasional waft of smell but nothing too lingering or bad.
GuideThe site was nice a secluded but still close to water and bathrooms. The downside to this specific site is that it is close to the group camp so it was pretty noisy.
LegendWe drove through this campground and liked it fine, it has a USFS campground feel to it. Very lush and green, lots of trees and nice individual spots. Sites are reservable online or by phone. No pay station at campground, no FCFS sites.
Cost for non-residents is $21 for the campsite and another $11 daily state park entrance fee. So, $32 for the same type of campground as a USFS at about $15. We just couldn’t justify paying that when we knew there were USFS campgrounds nearby. If you’re a resident and/or already have the annual Wisconsin state parks pass, then the cost here is pretty reasonable.
There’s a hand-pump water faucet here, vault toilets, and just outside of the campground is a dumpster and a mixed recycling bin. Each site has a picnic table and fire grill and a cool log bench.
Legend
Typical USFS campground in the Chequamegon NF. First come first served, self pay, no host, very green and lush and private sites.
$15/night. Some sites are pull through. A few are level, but most would be difficult for us to get level enough to be comfortable. Not sure of the length limit here but we had no problems in our 26ft class c. Roads are narrow and the low hanging branches scraped along the top and sides of our rig, but no damage.
There is a trash dumpster here, and even a recycling bin, a nice surprise. There is potable water at the campground (per note at spigot water is safe to drink but will leave rust residue). Vault toilets here as well.
The lake is nice and peaceful and small, and bugs/mosquitos weren’t too bad. There’s a little dock at the lake but you can’t drive your boat down, you have to carry it on foot.
Surprisingly decent Verizon and ATT service. Hardly anybody here. Beautiful and quiet and serene.
TravelerWe stopped here on our way to north Minnesota. Originally we planned 2 days but really needed to rest so extended it to 4 days. It was a little hairy getting to, the 2 lane winding road with the raging river on one side did slow us down a bit. The Rangers were friendly and accommodating. The park had taken quite a beating with the winter storm that had been there the previous week, a lot of sites were closed due to trees down and snow. While we were there they were actively cleaning up, but left in the afternoon so we had no disturbances from saws or equipment noise. The water was not turned on yet for the season, so the bathroom/showers and dump station were not available. There was a potable water source at the front of our loop to fill our fresh tank and our water storage cubes. The sites were shaded well, and easy to back into. We had to work a bit to get our camper level but that may have been due to the snow and water that was on the site so we figured it was par for the course. We walked to the Welcome Center and the swinging bridge, there were multiple hiking trails accessible by the camping area. It was relatively busy on the weekend but cleared out during the week. We had lots of wildlife visitors. The park is pet friendly. We found affordable propane and a dump site closer to Duluth.
TravelerThe park is a little off the beaten path so quiet on the whole. Jay Cooke has many miles of walking trails and the swinging bridge (St. Louis River) is a must see and a must cross. Campsites are fairly secluded and heavily wooded. Spend a few days at Jay Cooke, there is much to see.
Legend
Been here a few times throughout the year and it’s typically less crowded. Little bit off the beaten path but a good campground none the less.
LegendNever fails this campground is perfect. Lots to do and honestly I have grown to really enjoy coming here in the winter. Yes water is shutoff and you don’t get to us le the awesome shower house but there are hardly any people here! Always enjoy this campground and the area surrounding. Lots of good hikes!
LegendExcellent hiking and camping experiences here. Stayed for a weekend and returned after for many, many day hikes. Plenty of wildlife to see, a newly rebuilt “swing bridge” over the rusty rushing of the Saint Louis River. And the locals are pleasant, heck, it’s Minnesota! Buggy in summer due to all the water, bring excellent hiking shoes for the rocks yer gonna wanna climb around on. Excellent autumn photography options for all occasions. Camping is is a more secluded area where most day-hikers don’t come across ya.
GuideThis campground has it all: sites for families to reserve by one another, campsites with more privacy, RV specific loops. With newly updated facilities, it can feel like glamping. Good proximity to bridge and nearby hikes. I highly recommend finding the cedar forest near the CCC Trail on the north side of campground.
Guide
Pretty tight for big rigs. Bathrooms are so so..No camp store. We were here during busy mayfly hatch…but we were on a waterfront site.
LegendJay Cooke is really a must experience state park within easy driving distance to other parks in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Positives:
Negative:
ScoutJay Cooke has always been one of our favorite places to camp. It has gotten so busy it’s not even that enjoyable anymore. It’s always well maintained and clean!! We booked a walk in site ( 83 ) which was beautiful! The down side was it’s very close to the camper cabins and many families with children running around unattended. They ran into out campsite yelling and screaming with flashlights and banging bat’s against the trees while the parents did nothing even after my husband asked them nicely. We had planned to have a quiet getaway from the city and zone out peacefully. I have not been back since. Busses and busses of kids pulling up the the park and a 25 minute wait to cross the swing bridge. But it is absolutely gorgeous there despite the hoards of people.
TravelerWiFi wasn't perfect, but worked well most of the time. I wasn't expecting Verizon coverage, but I got 1-3 bars, and was able to use my hotspot most of the time. The campground was kept up. the grass was mowed. It is less than a mile to Lake Michigan. We would stay there again if we were in the area.
ScoutWe had a nice site on the corner, very close to the river to drop in our kayaks, clean bathrooms and showers.
$5 bundles of self serve fire wood
We actually never saw the host.
RangerWe had so much fun staying here overall. The downhill mountain biking is awesome (the kids still want to go back) and the Adventure Park was a lot of fun too - and a short walk from camp. First, the weird thing; our site was setup backwards so we ended up pulling in so we we had space outside our camper, but water/electric was in front of us. If we backed in the site was so narrow we were walking right into the woods. We made it work though and not the end of the world. In addition to the activities onsite, this is a great spot to be able to explore Duluth and the Canal Park area.
GuideWe had a walk in site here. There was another walk site somewhat near us but they were very quiet. It was a nice wooded spot and a nice base camp for our nearby exploring. Nearby access to the river was also nice on hot days.
Ranger
I fully recognize that my lack of enthusiasm for this campground may be due to circumstances on the particular weekend we were there. Our site was directly across from the playground and the kids playing at the playground were all pre-teens who screamed non-stop. Our neighbor also had a dog on a line that was long enough to come into our campsite. The dog was perfectly friendly, but he did his business right in the middle of our site and until we pointed it out to the dog's owner, it didn't get cleaned up. The sites were also very small and very close together. We won't be returning to this campground.
We did, however, love the area. We rode the Gitchi Gami trail up along the north shore of Lake Superior, hiked around in Jay Cooke State Park and explored Duluth a bit. We liked the Streetcare Cafe in Carlton (great food), The Cedar Coffee Co and Castle Danger Brewery.
LegendStayed for 2 nights mid-week in October 2021. Wooded sites. New restroom/showerhouse. Clean. WiFi. 3 bars T-Mobile. Popular state park, busy campground. Fantastic hiking trails throughout state park. Helpful staff in park office. Water. Trash. Would stay here again.
ScoutWas perfect for our family with two toddlers and a dog in a scamp.
Quiet, peaceful, and spacious. All around great location to explore the north shore.
We came on a Thursday night at the end of September and it was not full the entire weekend.
Would try to get site 3 next time.
ScoutSites are small and crowded with some road noise but has everything you need. Close to hiking trails and not far from towns to get things you forgot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Duluth, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Duluth, MN is Jay Cooke State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 65 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Duluth, MN?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 glamping camping locations near Duluth, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
