Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Ely, MN is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Ely is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Ely, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$45 - $60 / night
"The one thing we appreciated the most is how close they are to Crane Lake, Namakan Lake, Voyageurs National Park, and the Superior National Forest."
"We only stayed here two nights for a quick trip into Voyageurs National Park. If I would have known AT&T would have been so fast and reliable, we would have easily stayed here a week to work."
$32 - $51 / night
"Close to the off road vehicle park. Definitely camping here again next summer!"
"Great place to camp quiet and plenty of camp sights"
$16 - $22 / night
"The drive off the main highway is a few miles, so you really end up out in the wilderness! We also appreciated that this park doesn’t allow hunting so you know you are safe during that season. "
"There are a variety of camping opportunities, from camper cabins to guesthouse to tent campsites with lake access to RV sites."
"Quiet and full of trees, it's a great place to drop for the night. We didn't have a camper, but there was room for one."
"Beautiful sites withe plenty of room of a few to back in a small camper. Lake access with all sites. Picnic tables and fire pits. This is a remote and quiet place to be."
$28 - $120 / night
"Nice national forest campground that seems well run, has sites with decent privacy and nice bathrooms."
"When you enter the park where the office/small store is that's where you fill with water. Our site was big with a picnic table, fire pit & a path to the lake."
$20 - $60 / night
"Fenske Lake Campground, MN: Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4 - Great place for a canoe trip, I am told."
"This is a small campground with a few pull in and walk up sites. We had a walk up site that was on the side with the lake which was really nice."
$40 / night
"This area has great access to many lakes including the BWCA along with being close to Ely for anything you may have forgotten."
TravelerGrew 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.
LegendThere 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.
LegendNice national forest campground that seems well run, has sites with decent privacy and nice bathrooms.
Sites vary a lot in size and some are quite unlevel so luck of the draw on whether your rig can fit, but worth trying.
I'd you have a Class B, B+, or small C, try to snag Site 42. It's around the curve from other sites on the loop and has great privacy. Parking spot is down a small hill from your picnic table and fire ring but the parking is quite level.
Bathrooms only have one shower per gender but work well and have good hot water.
You can get water here but note there is no RV dump station.
Lake is on the smaller side and seemed peaceful the one day we were here. Decent boat ramp for access Swimming beach isn't much but works if you want it to.
Overall a nice tucked away campground in the forest with a lake, a short paved biking/hiking trial, decent amenities and friendly staff.
Plus it's only about 8 miles from Ely if you need provisions.
GuideToward the last minute in July of 2024, I needed RV spaces near water (that I could kayak) for two travel trailers. I found this campground and booked two of the last three spaces available. Three hours from my house, as the crow flies, I found myself visiting Minnesota's iron range. This campground is next to a reservoir with many islands and no current (unless the mining company is pushing or pulling water from the lake. The sites are of varying sizes and some are pull through. Leveling took me a bit, but I found just the right angle to jack up the front of my RV for leveling. My site was smaller, but still large enough for my 20 trailer, a screen house, the picnic table and fire pit, my Grand Cherokee, and plenty of extra room onto which I could probably have put at least three more screen tents, with room to walk. Electricity is provided on each site. There are no water hookups per site, but there are a few water spigots around the grounds to fill fresh water tanks. Because the grounds are small (45 camping sites) a short walk gets you anywhere on the site; like to the showers, beach, and other recreational facilities. Frisbee golf is on site. There is no tank dump available. The campground is surrounded by forest, so wild animals can and do appear. The lake is large enough for some long and interesting kayaking, and there are multiple kinds of fish (from bullheads to northern pike). The woman in charge works very hard to keep these grounds as perfect as possible. The place is clean and mostly dead quiet after hours. Two free showers per gender, but they have minimal privacy. The free showers have sufficient pressure to do the job, although you cannot control the temperature; which I found to be fine, even if it was not the burning hot showers I like to have. The sites have pretty good privacy, although during the day I had to listen to the typical chatting from my neighboring campers. I very much love this campground and will be back as my time permits.There is no wifi. We had strong service on T-mobile and Verizon, so we used our hotspots for media connectivity.
LegendWhiteface Reservoir Campground, MN:
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) We are only here for 1 night. So, we this is not as thorough campground examination as I’d do if we were here longer. However, the campground is near excellent, with water access near by and at some sites.
Overall Rating: 4.7
Price 2023: $13 and &14 per site with the Lifetime Senior Pass. From the entry kiosk information, it appears that some sites have electricity available at an extra charge.
Usage during visit: 75% full during midweek.
Site Privacy: Many sites have a picnic table in a nice, private nook.
Site Spacing: SUPERB
Site surface: Gravel and pretty level.
Reservations: Yes. On Rec.gov, any sites which are available for the 4 days out are listed as first come first serve. We had a few to choose from upon arrival. Looks like first come first serve sites with reservation dates falling within the 4 day first come first serve window have a reservation card hanging. Therefore, we knew how many days the first come first serve sites were available, as we drove by the sites and read their card.
Campground Noise: Quiet
Road Noise: Absolutely none.
Through Traffic in campground: No problem
Electric Hookup: Some sites
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Yes, there is a spigot in each loop.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Pit toilets, clean to perfection
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: I only saw back in sites.
Cell Service (AT&T): Spotty internet , 1 bar.
Setting: In a wooded deciduous forest.
Weather: Very nice.
Bugs: Hungry mosquitoes.
Solar: Minimal to none.
Host: EXCELLENT. This host provides exceptionally clean sites and bathrooms, expresses kindness and helpfulness, and drove by our site after we arrived at sunset, to make sure we were fine. Super guy.
Rig size: Large rigs are fine. Carefully check rec.gov info for each site. But, no worries.
Sites: Lots of great sites. Ours, 17, does not have direct access to the water. Some sites do, which would be handy for canoes. (Sorry, I’m not here long enough to investigate more thoroughly.)
LegendOn the outskirts of Finland, along the Baptism River, in the Finland National Forest. Just a few miles north of Eckbeck Campground, off of MN 1 & County Rd 6. Really nice wooded sites, some can accommodate big rigs. Level sites. Vault toilets. Trash bins. Some privacy between sites. I would recommend staying here overnight if the nearby state parks are full. I do not recommend staying here for peace & quiet. Noise from ATVs, a few with modified mufflers. Since there are no electric hookups, there is some noise from generators for the big RVs. What was really annoying was the noise from a bunch of drunk middle aged folks down at the group site on the night of Oct 8, 2021. I had my own drunken moments at parties, but their behavior was pathetic. Their loud voices carried throughout the campground, including some loud f-bombs. Vault toilets were just okay; not particularly clean but usable. IMO, $17 fee is too high for this particular campground. 4 bars T-Mobile.
RangerStayed at a camper cabin- had the park to ourselves! Absolutely gorgeous. The drive off the main highway is a few miles, so you really end up out in the wilderness! We also appreciated that this park doesn’t allow hunting so you know you are safe during that season.
The campground is along a series of winding lakes, with multiple access points to the water. Very spaced out and easy access to vaulted toilets and water. A couple of different fishing piers and docks right near the campground itself. Has electric and non-electric sites. Definitely impressed with the campground itself. Very pretty no matter where you camp.
Park has:
- fishing pier
- hiking trails
- fish cleaning building
- stocked backcountry fishing lakes
- canoe rental
- a trail center with a community fire ring and comfy chairs
- dump station
- RV sanitation station
- camper cabins
- group camp
- swimming beach
- trailer access
- watercraft and backpack sites
We enjoyed night walks and star gazing- we decided it was the best stars we had ever seen! Even saw shooting stars. Cooked some great meals, and enjoyed the hiking club walk through the woods to some super-secret small lakes.
Checked out the group site- so cool. Right on the water with a personal dock and toilets.
This park is truly in the wilderness, felt like actually being in the Boundary Waters! Crystal clear water, thick gorgeous forests, and an amazing sky.
Head into Ely, maybe 20 mins, if you need supplies or a break from the woods. Also can access the BWCAW there too.
We appreciated that this park is open year-round, but can’t wait to go back in the summer!
LegendBear Head Lake is an established, full service state park that has something for everyone. There are a variety of camping opportunities, from camper cabins to guesthouse to tent campsites with lake access to RV sites. Though you have to hike to the beach, the beach is really lovely and has boat rental. There is an extensive network of trails for both hiking and cross country skiing, with a really great indoor Trail Center that serves as winter warming house, indoor meeting place for rainy days, and classroom for park naturalist events. The lake is great for boating, fishing and paddling. though part of the lake shore is privately owned, the lake is quiet and peaceful overall, nestled in tall pines with easy access to the town of Ely if desired. The vicinity is known for bears and is part of a long term bear research study; visit the American Bear Center nearby if interested! https://www.bear.org/website/
LegendWe always look for rec.gov sites with the national Park Pass for seniors it's inexpensive & usually they are nice. We stayed in Site #63 with electric hook up. When you enter the park where the office/small store is that's where you fill with water. Our site was big with a picnic table, fire pit & a path to the lake. Our friends camped in site # 62 it was big yet had a weird tree stump in a bad place. They marked it with a night light and a flag.
The boat ramp was near the loop we were in so very easy access to the water. You can keep you boat or kayak next to the boat ramp. We kayaked out to the Boundry Waters Canoe Area and fished. We stopped & looked at several boat in campsites that are booked through Fall lake CG they are really nice and private. There are lots of lakes to pick & choose from for kayaking and boating. Clean restrooms, nice hot showers. The sites are cleaned and raked the campground is well maintained. They sell Ice & wood and a few small items in the store/office.
The best sites are #63, 62, (10 is a pull through) for Campers or tents and nice walk in sites #26 has a private beach, 59, 6029,35 are waterfront walk in sites.
There is no dump station you drive into Ely it's at the Ely Chamber of Commerce (6 miles away) for a donation. There are free brochures here too and coupon books. Only other downfall was the camphost is across from site 63 and they start early. It's quiet till they come back about 7:30 am (were still sleeping) & back in their golf cart. Beep, Beep you know what I mean. I wanted to say something but they left for a week so it was quiet early mornings. They should make them a little pull through path for the cart.
This campground was so quiet, great sites, most have a path to the lake and they have great hike in sites too. There's lots of parking at the parking lot for boaters & hikers. The swim beach is at the end of the park and it has a playground in front of it.
It was so interesting to watch boats portage going from one lake to another. People canoe & boat to the Canadian border from there. We didn't catch many fish it was warmer than normal the bite was off. Got a few small Northern Pikes and a small bass. We did see a big Eagles nest with several Eagles, saw loons, deer and other birds.
We walked the path behind our site to the water & would swim & float on floats in the lake. Great way to relax & cool off. We took cocktails & just floated & enjoyed.
The town of Ely is about 6 miles away it's a small town with a lot of canoe outfitters, fishing shops, liquor stores, some eats & by far the best Ice cream I ever had from Northern Expressions. The line can be out the door & down the street it's that good. There was a few places to eat we didn't like the Chinese place at all Oriental Orchid it was the worst we ever had. It took a 1/2 hour to get our food we called it in got there in 30 min. and it was at least 30 more once we arrived. We went to the International Wolf center spent a few hours there it was just ok. We did see a few wolves and learned a little.
The Northern Market makes their own sausage it's good we stocked up on different ones. Nice little grocery store there is a Zups grocery store too.
We did eat at the Grand Lodge it was good. It's probably 8 miles from the campground.
Ely, Minnesota, offers a fantastic escape for RV enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to different needs and preferences.
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