Jay Cooke State Park Campground accommodates pets across its tent sites, RV spots, and cabin accommodations with full pet amenities including drinking water, picnic tables, and fire rings. Indian Point City Campground and Spirit Mountain Campground also welcome pets, with Indian Point offering waterfront sites where dogs can enjoy easy access to the St. Louis River bay. Campground bathrooms are generally clean and well-maintained, though some visitors note that Indian Point's facilities occasionally run out of supplies. Most campgrounds maintain standard leash policies, requiring pets to be kept on a maximum 6-foot leash when outside the RV or tent. Buffalo Valley Camping and Red Pine Campground (formerly Ogston RV Park) provide pet-friendly options year-round, while others like Lakehead Boat Basin operate seasonally from May to September.
Lakehead Boat Basin offers an urban camping experience with pets, positioning campers within a 15-minute walk to Canal Park's pet-friendly lakewalk trail system. Sites range from basic electric-only options to full hookups, with pets allowed throughout the property. The nearby DECC/Amsoil Arena RV Parking serves as a convenient downtown alternative for RVers with pets, though it provides minimal amenities beyond electrical hookups at premium sites. Pattison State Park Campground, located just across the Wisconsin border, offers more natural surroundings for dogs to explore with access to hiking trails and water features. During summer months, mosquitoes can be prevalent at many of the more wooded campgrounds, so bringing pet-safe insect repellent is advisable. Several campgrounds including Jay Cooke and Spirit Mountain connect to the extensive regional trail system, providing miles of dog-friendly hiking opportunities.
$23 - $90 / night
"Located just a short drive from Duluth, MN, this state park has something to offer anyone: hiking, camping, cycling, and gnarly whitewater kayaking. "
"Plus, lots of great hikes nearby and only 25min from Duluth. Sites: Most sites are very private."
"Very close to Duluth. It is a mountain bikers paradise. Loved it!"
"Clean bathrooms and close to Duluth. Lots of fun things to do"
"We stayed at the campground as it was close to Duluth! We spent most of the time in Duluth in Canal Park! At the campsite they have information about renting canoes and kayaks as well!!"
"Close to a biking trail and close to Duluth. Will definitely be staying here again!"
"Well taken care of park with wonderful hiking trails, pet friendly clean park and did I mention the beautiful falls? :) I can't wait to come back. SO much to do and see."
"The hike-in sites are great, not too far to walk but you have privacy. One thing to note about the hike-in sites is that the trails aren't well marked."
"They offer year around camping, We have been here since August, on a travel contract. Great Location not far from Duluth, and right of the interstate for easy access. Quite and peaceful."
"Very Friendly owners and great campsites, pet friendly!"
$57 - $62 / night
"No privacy from neighbors and side-to-side could be tight quarters depending on the rig (and if it has slides) that is next to you."
"Called (Lakehead Boat Basin) in Duluth MN. Easy walk to Canal Park with the world famous Lift Bridge, Museum’s, Restaurants and regular tourist items."
"We were traveling with friends and the staff (owners I believe) made it work out for us to have sites next to each other. Park felt well cared for and attended too."
"It’s next to Duluth and looks like a city park. Many permanent residents. Very clean and comfortable. I’d stay again if I’m in the area. Now we’re driving north to find a moose."
"Duluth has great outdoor spaces, craft breweries, and an excellent marathon to run."
"Great place.Plenty to do.People that work there are freindly and helpful.Great mountain bike trails across the road,and hiking trails only right down the road about 6 blocks.Lots of Canoe and kayak rentals.Bath"
$80 / night
"You’re basically paying to be close to town, or if you’re seeing a show at one of the nearby venues, to be able to just walk back to your bed after the show. "
"The campground has an island you can take a wooden bridge over too that offers some fishing spots and a nice little walking trail. Fire ring and picnic table provided. "
"Kayaking trips are great but sometimes finding a wilderness place to stay and keep yourself submerged, away from civilization can be tricky when traveling."
ScoutThey offer year around camping, We have been here since August, on a travel contract. Great Location not far from Duluth, and right of the interstate for easy access. Quite and peaceful. Great neighbors. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Cost is obnoxious. But being the only thing open year around, they can charge whatever basically.
LegendThis is a small, well kept but basic private campground mostly for RVs but it does have some tent sites. The website advertises its location as “minutes from Duluth” but that would be a hood 15 minutes to the outer limits, a good half hour to the harbor. It isnt on a lake or in the woods, doesnt have a view of Lake Superior, isnt near a state park, and is right on a major intersection of two highways. I dont think it is meant as a northwoods vacation destination per se, but it is located adjacent to a rodeo and horse center so I would guess it is best for lodging close to whatever horsey events are happening next door. Since it isnt far from the Duluth airport and the airport has no hotels by it, perhaps this would be a decent place to stay overnight before an early morning departure, if needed. In sum, a well maintained but basic place to camp that might be a good location for select purposes. Daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal rates.
GuideFirst, don't miss visiting this park, just a short drive from Duluth and the start of the jewels of the North Shore. The hikes are busy at the falls but if you go a little past that, they open up and the fauna is spectacular.
For the camping, I think this would be a great spot for families and car camping pros. For me it wasn't the right fit. I prefer a little more solitude and privacy. The sites are nice but close to one another. However, if the north shore is booked up (which does happen) I would be more than happy to camp here.
GuideWe have camped here multiple times in a tent and also in our RV. Grounds have a nice mix of RV spots out in the open as well as some RV and tent spots back in the trees with water and electric only sites. Full hookup sites are only out in the in the open spaces.
Sites are mostly level and are some are a bit tight and close to your neighbors. They have recently added some additional RV spots and some other upgrades as well. Staff is friendly and bathrooms, store, activity room, pool are all seemed to be well maintained.
Make reservations early in the session because things fill up quickly. Great family campground with a lot of young kids running around, riding bikes, and playing and dogs in most campsites. Pool is also available but we haven’t used.
Easy access to Jay Cook State Park. Jay Cook has a lot to offer; a suspended cable walking bridge, great moderate hikes, waterfalls, climbing on rocks, and amazing river views. Great place to stop in for a couple hours or spend the whole day hiking.
Not to far from Duluth and other amazing North Shore locations.
Dump station is conveniently located on your way out of the grounds but can get backed up at the end of a busy weekend and can make it difficult to exit the campground.
Like so many RV / campgrounds this one is also located near to railroad tracks that has several trains that come through day and night.
LegendGooseberry Falls State Park might be the most visited and recognizable of the parks on the North Shore, except for maybe Split Rock. The bathrooms and showers are clean and all of the campsites have enough room for your car and your tent. The Waterfalls are the main attraction but there are great hiking trails throughout the park and it is easy to get to the Lake for a picnic.
Don't forget to stop at Two Harbors as you are traveling north from Duluth. In Two Harbors you will find the Superior Hiking Trail Association at 731 Seventh Avenue, P.O. Box 4, Two Harbors, Minnesota 55616. At the Association headquarters you can get all of the Superior Hiking Trail maps (A set of 6) for under $10.00.
Two Harbors is a nice little town and is built to support campers and visitors to the North Shore State Parks if you are looking for extra amenities or just an ice cream cone.
Gooseberry Falls is a must see if you are in the North Shore.
LegendThis was right off the highway and it was really simple to get in and out of here. Really a nice area and has a lot to offer outside of the campground. Great for a family who doesn't want to travel too far from Duluth. The sites are pretty spacious and well taken care of. They are very private which as nice and they were actually very deep so you really felt like you were in the forest.
There isn't a shower house and the toilets are vault toilets but that does not bother us. Very very nice rangers and super helpful and full of good knowledge. You do need a sticker to get into the park since it is Wisconsin so make sure you get one ahead of it. They do have a kiosk but it was not working when we went in.
The falls....can't say enough at how relaxing they were. I could have stayed for days here. There is also a nice covered bridge and some history in the area! We had some great relaxing hikes.
LegendLocated just a short drive from Duluth, MN, this state park has something to offer anyone: hiking, camping, cycling, and gnarly whitewater kayaking. The campground is nestled tightly into the woods, a little crowded, but the sites feel spacious and nearly private. The campsites offer the usual amenities, picnic table, campfire ring, but they really excel in their full-scale recycling program and self-service bike tune up stations.
The bathrooms and showers were very clean -- I even found a park ranger cleaning and working on the toilet at 10 pm! After a week-long paddle in Voyageurs National Park, we pulled into this campground late in the evening simply in search of a hot shower and place to stay for the night...and found a whole lot more when we awoke in the morning!
The visitors center, just a short walk away, offers interpretive programs, miles of hiking trails, and a swinging bridge over the beautiful St. Louis River gorge.
Reservations are required year round, and the website is easy to use https://reservations1.usedirect.com/MinnesotaWebHome/. Campground was amazingly busy in early May, so I would recommend reservations for the high season.
GuideThe campground at Jay Cooke State Park is really nice. The sites are well maintained and private (for the most part. More on that later), and the shower and bathroom facilities are really top notch. Plus, lots of great hikes nearby and only 25min from Duluth.
Sites: Most sites are very private. There are lots of trees and foliage in between, so you really can't see your neighbor - at least this was true of the loop I was in (site 18). We didn't walk around all the loops, but the one we noticed had less privacy is the loop with sites 24-37. The center sites (27, 29, 34, 36) are all pretty open and didn't seem like there was much definition between spots. So, good as a group, but maybe less desirable if you're looking for some privacy.
My site, 18, was nice. They're all a little tight, so multiple large tents isn't advisable. The only downside to 18 is it is right next to a pit toilet. They're well maintained, but if the wind blows a certain way, you may have a faint scent. I'd probably opt for site 19 or 21 next time.
Pros:
> Really nice facilities. The separate shower rooms are fantastic. Water is hot!
> Easy access to lots of great hikes
> Sites are well maintained. There are tent pads at every site that I saw. They're flat and level.
Cons:
> There are active trains in the nearby town. I was having trouble sleeping one night and heard the horns well into the night (1 and 3am). They're not super loud so I'm not sure if they would have woken me if I was already asleep, but if you're a light sleeper I'd bring earplugs just in case.
All in all, I really enjoyed Jay Cooke and would be happy to stay here again!
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.
Duluth camping offers a mix of urban and wilderness experiences along the western shore of Lake Superior at 700 feet above sea level. The region experiences significant seasonal temperature variations with summer highs around 75°F and winter lows often below freezing. Fall camping provides colorful foliage viewing but requires extra layers as overnight temperatures can drop substantially even in September.
Hiking at Jay Cooke State Park: Multiple trail options ranging from easy to moderate difficulty connect to the park's signature swinging bridge. "I spent a day trip with friends at Jay Cook. The water levels were low, so we clambered around on the sculpted granite rocks that line the river and falls, dipping on and out of pools and up slick rock faces," reports Jared S. in his Jay Cooke State Park Campground review.
Mountain biking at Spirit Mountain: Access dedicated mountain biking trails directly from your campsite at Spirit Mountain Campground. "We stayed at Spirit Mountain in September of 2016. We went up there to do the Heck of the North Gravel ride on a Saturday and then ride Spirit on Sunday. The best part was being able to bike down the trails right from the campground!" shares Beth W.
Urban exploring from downtown sites: Stay at the DECC/Amsoil Arena RV parking lot for easy access to Duluth attractions without towing a vehicle. Laura M. explains: "These types of places are always a treat for me, since we don't tow a car. It's nice to be walking distance to some of these city activities."
Fishing at Knife Island: Short wooden bridge access to fishing spots along the St. Louis River. "The campground has an island you can take a wooden bridge over too that offers some fishing spots and a nice little walking trail," notes reviewer Tori K.
Waterfront camping sites: Indian Point City Campground offers direct water access with fishing docks. "They put us at a site that backs up to the river. There is canoe access via a dock and also a fishing dock. Site was gravel leveled out with a table and fire ring," writes Shane T.
Secluded wooded sites: Tree cover provides privacy at many campgrounds. "Every campsite seems to be well-treed and relatively private, providing a perfect atmosphere to just enjoy nature from your campsite," explains Krista T. about Jay Cooke State Park.
Urban camping convenience: Lakehead Boat Basin provides city access with marina views. "The main selling point of this campground is the close proximity to the Canal Park area, which has restaurants and shops, as well as the Lakewalk which is a wide, well kept trail that runs along the lake. It's about a 15 minute walk to the Canal Park area," Ryan S. points out.
Dog-friendly wilderness exploration: Pattison State Park welcomes pets on hiking trails. "The falls are so beautiful. Well taken care of park with wonderful hiking trails, pet friendly clean park and did I mention the beautiful falls?" shares Robin M.
Seasonal bathroom access: Some campgrounds have limited facilities in shoulder seasons. "Our site would have had enough space for all of them had we chosen to move our picnic table into the car area, but we weren't planning on a fire so we just left the picnic table by the fire pit and put our bug house over it," notes a Jay Cooke camper regarding site configurations.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Duluth, MN is Jay Cooke State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 68 reviews.
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