Best Campgrounds near Ely, MN

It's been a few years since I camped at Little Isabella, and they've been kind to the campground. The trees are taller, the river is wider, and visitation is back to pre-pandemic levels. (Light) My pastor-wife had church duties for Trinity Sunday, so she let me take a solo trip to LIRCG. Pouring rain everywhere south of Duluth, clear and sunny at Isabella, which made for unseasonably cold (mid-30°s) nights for mid-June. That made the bugs almost non-existent. Aurora Borealis lit up the night sky, which made it a little more tolerable. Campground was immaculate despite Forest Service staffing cuts, vault latrines were clean and odor free. Only one other site of 11 occupied all weekend. Little Isabella River itself is much wider than some other reviews have posted. All in all, it was a great weekend and I plan on coming back later this summer.

Camped in site 14 as part of our visit to all MN state parks. Very familiar with the area due to the BWCA but not this state park. Our site had a great combination of open area for wind flow and sun and shade to put our tent in. Again faced with great bathrooms a short walk and showers/larger rest room a short distance away. The site itself offered some of the more sheltered/remote camping locations of our trip (found those on the North Shore to be stacked on top one another) which is becoming nicer and nicer with the increase in RVs and generators in state parks. Lovely park, friendly staff, would love to visit again!

We stayed in site L for one night and had a great time! We could see lake superior and part of Palisade head from our campsite, which was awesome. Sites were fully hidden from each other, spacious, and comfortable. We were able to hike to the high falls and shovel point directly from our campsite.

I gave it a 4 not a 5 because we could hear traffic from highway 61 all night. Ground was rocky, and the walk to these cart in campsites was wayyyy longer than other cart in sites we had stayed at! There was also no water easily accessible from the site without a filter.

Still, the views were beautiful, the privacy from other sites was fantastic, and being able to hike out to some of the best hikes in the park was a huge perk. We will definitely be going back! Sites G and I seem to be the best views

I loved being able to scramble down to the rocks (definitely have to be pretty able bodied) and watch the sun come up over the lake. Definitely worth staying multiple days if you book a cart in site!

Great primitive campsite to hit on the way to Voyaguers National Park. Everyone says stay at Woodenfrog or Ash because it’s close to the park but those parks are very primitive. If you do not have a portable shower or don’t mind using a “hole-on-the-ground” toilet then Pine Acres is a great primitive campsite. There are portable potty’s around the campsite, out houses but they also have full functioning bathrooms and showers. There is a train that goes through across the lake but it stops around 10pm so horns aren’t going off while you’re sleeping. Wonderful staff very friendly. My go-to-place when I come back up here.

**NOTE:  To the best of what I can find, this appears to be a free site.  I can't, at this time, find any indication that's it's paid or reserve-able**

This is a great little free campsite right on Crane Lake before you go into the Boundary Waters Canoe area.

The site has a fire ring with grate, picnic table, plenty of trees for hammocks, and a small tent pad that would be good for a three or four person tent. There's also a primitive toilet so you don't have to dig a cat hole!

This is a motorized lake so there is boat noise, but the water lapping on the rocks at the island makes it very tolerable. Fairly easy access to grab drinking water for filtering, and some decent pine branches for hanging a bear bag. (even on an island - it's advisable to hang a bear bag. Also helps with other critters like squirrels and mice)

The campsite faces the West so if the weather is good, you're in for a great sunset!

Our first time camping in this park. We made base camp and did day hikes from there. Site 7 was near the river, the rushing water was a convenient water source, but was quite loud - this was no calming, babbling brook, lol! We didn’t see any other humans for 2 whole days, which was a plus. The site was large for 2 tents and 2 couples, the latrine was adequate and marked with a sign. We were able to find enough deadfall for firewood. Mosquitoes were horrendous, as expected. The hikes to many of the campsites are strenuous with hilly terrain, some have been washed out and it was unclear how to access some sites. We had a great time with friends. The cascade was gorgeous, and we had it all to ourselves. Unfortunately, we didn’t pack in any fishing gear. This camping trip was a great middle ground between state park camping loops and true back country.