Camping cabins near Grand Portage are the charming alternative to a tent or a yurt. It's easy to find cabins in Grand Portage with The Dyrt. When you're looking for a quiet location in nature, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect cabin rental.
$20 / night
East Bearskin Lake Campground is located on its namesake lake, at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. It is a perfect spot for visitors who want the experience found in Boundary Waters and the convenience of car camping. Visitors can reserve standard or walk-in tent sites, or rent small cabins that accommodate up to five or seven people. Canoeing, kayaking and motorized boating is available on East Bearskin Lake. The facility can be conveniently accessed by vehicle. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
Over a million acres in size, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness extends nearly 150 miles along the borders of the United States and Canada, containing over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites. The two eastern bays of the lake are within the boundaries of Boundary Waters, thus the campground attracts canoe enthusiasts. Portages link to Flour Lake. Entering the wilderness area requires a special permit. Day permits for non-motorized use are available at the campground, but overnight and motor use permits must be obtained in advance. More information on the Boundary Waters region can be found here. East Bearskin Lake features several shallow bays, making the campground and shoreline good places for wildlife watching. Moose, beavers, eagles, ducks, loons, songbirds and bears are the most common visitors. See recreation guides and maps of hiking trails and canoe routes in the national forest. Fishing is also a huge draw for the area, with East Bearskin Lake offering great fishing for bass, walleye and lake trout. A boat ramp at the campground allows motorboats and canoes access to the lake. Back on shore, a variety of hiking, mountain biking and cross-country ski trails are nearby.
The campground and surrounding area is shaded with majestic red and white pines, balsam fir, spruce, birch and aspen trees. A thick understory offers plenty of shade and excellent privacy between campsites. The campground lies on the shore of the 643-acre East Bearskin Lake, a typical loon nesting site. The surrounding Superior National Forest is located in northeastern Minnesota's arrowhead region and is comprised of 3 million acres. The forest spans 150 miles along the border of the United States and Canada. Visitors can find recreation opportunities year-round, including travel in the famous Boundary Waters area.
Boats, canoes and kayaks are available for rent at the neighboring Bearskin Lodge. The store also offers fishing licenses, day use permits, groceries, ice, firewood, maps and fishing guide services for sale.
$76 / night
$29 - $59 / night
Washington Creek Campground is located along Washington Creek near Windigo on the southwest end of Isle Royale, off of the Feldtmann Lake, Minong, and Greenstone Ridge Trails. The Windigo Visitor Center, Windigo Store, and Windigo Comfort Station are all accessible from the campground. Boats can stay at Windigo Dock (average depth at dock 4'-20') or stay and walk .3 miles to campground. Stay Limit: 3 nights from June 1 ___ September 17 annually Shelters: 10 Access: Foot/canoe/kayak/private boat
Bearskin Lodge operates the East Bearskin Lake Campground on behalf of the US Forest Service. Bearskin Lodge is responsible for all its operations from May 1st through November 1st. The Campground is located on the shores of East Bearskin Lake, with many camping sites right on the water. East Bearskin Lake offers excellent fishing, swimming, boating/canoeing, waterfalls, BWCAW entry points, and world-class scenery.
East Bearskin Lake Campground has 32 campsites offering privacy and comfort. Tent camping and RV camping are permitted. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Like most Forest Service campgrounds, this is highly forested. There are no electrical hookups, nor is there an RV dump station at the campground or the resort. There are new vault toilet buildings and access to a solar-driven water pump. Showers are not available, although a refreshing swim in East Bearskin Lake will frequently do the trick.
Many people find this campground to be a good alternative to actual BWCAW camping, especially for people with younger kids or who need to have a vehicle nearby. The campground offers easy daily access to the Boundary Waters, without having to portage everything in.
The staff at nearby Bearskin Lodge will be happy to answer questions for you. Basic groceries, firewood, bait/tackle, ice, gifts, postcards, and boat/canoe rentals are available at Bearskin Lodge. However, the other amenities at Bearskin Lodge are for resort guests only and are not part of the National Forest Service campground facilities.
All campsites at the East Bearskin Lake Campground are $18.00 per night. One vehicle is included; an additional vehicle is $8.00. There is a limit of 8 people and 2 vehicles per site. If you registered online, you have paid your fees; if you are a drive-in camper, register and pay immediately after arrival. Campers who have not paid within 1 hour of arrival, or by 1 PM each day, forfeit their campsites.
Pets are allowed in the campground and the camper cabins, as long as they are quiet, well-behaved, and do not run free. The few campground complaints we get each summer almost always involve dogs in the campground. Be a good neighbor if you camp with your pets.
$34 - $750 / night
Legend
Recently I stayed in the upper level bunkhouse suite, which means that I have stayed in all of the accommodation types that HH offers. I loved having our own dedicated lounge space upstairs. The upper level used to be a traditional hostel format, but sometime during the pandemic they switched it to a single booking for the entire space. You get a large bed (full or Queen I can’t recall) and then 4 bunks.
This was the most affordable option to take my nephew up to the north shore while still having a roof over our heads and running water. The only things that are still communal with this space are the showers on the first floor (only a toilet and sink upstairs) and the fire pit. Love love love hungry hippie!
Guide
What a great place. Clean bathrooms if needed with showers. Many of the RV sites have lake access if not you just use the launch ramp. RV spots can be a little tight getting in and out for hook, but doable. Great supply store open during day. The “sisters” and crew are super hostesses! Mosquitos were horrible, but hey it’s MN in June. You never know.
Guide
The facilities are nice and well maintained. Not many bugs but I did go later in the year. Medium sized open sites
Legend
Stayed at the new ski/snowshoe in cabin. Cute little cabin with everything you need plus whatever you can carry on your back/sled. Cabin is equipped with firewood and a wood burning stove. There is a little outhouse right outside of the cabin. The main lodge is where you park your car, and there is a hot tub available to reserve if you are staying in one of the main cabins or the showshoe in cabin. The snowshoe in trail is a little hilly, so be prepared to do some work getting in, especially if you are pulling a gear sled like we did! Required a little teamwork to avoid being run downhill by the sled. We slept three people in the cabin, one on each bunk and one on the floor. Recommend putting the person who gets hot easily on the floor and the one who gets cold easily up on the top bunk. I get hot easily and was up top and had to cuddle with my water bladder to keep cool overnight.
Legend
Watched a YouTube video of someone reviewing this campground before heading up...thank you good sir. This campground is clean, simple, and amazingly located. If you are looking to get away from everything and just enjoy nature and go for a paddle or a hike this is the best place to do it. You can't go wrong really with any of the sites here but some are better than others. The campground has a couple loops that offer a variety of sites and some go quicker than other because of their proximity to the water and the views, but you should be able to get a site. You would probably be better served fitting a smaller camper in here or even just tent camping which seemed to be the popular way to go while I was there. I would highly recommend spending a couple nights here and recharging and connecting with nature!
They do have a couple cabins that looked pretty basic and during the buggier months might be better suited for some. All of the sites located in the front or near the water were my favorites, but even some of the sites away from the water were perfect as well.
GuideLoved stopping here for a night in Grand Marais this summer. Ranger was friendly and said hello while I enjoyed a morning hike to Devils' Kettle. Downside was sites are very close together, not much privacy from your neighbors. Sites was crawling with tons of bugs that look like ticks, but aren't (you could squish them).
Legend
There are two of these little beauties in the Windigo area so reserve early! The cost is pretty reasonable (was in 2021 at least) and the amenities are pretty extensive, I mean a full sized grill is provided! There is a small and very limited camp store in the area so plan on arriving with most of what you need. There is a small outhouse outside of the camper cabin but there are also really nice restrooms down the hill that have flush toilets, coin operated showers and coin operated laundry facilities. There are also a number of trails in the Windigo area, including the Miniong Ridge and Greenstone Ridge. We stayed here our first night on the island before heading across the island on the Greenstone.
There are two separate bedrooms, each with a set of bunk beds and a common area with a futon and small table. There is a picnic table outside and a nice Adirondack chair on the porch. The windows and doors have screens so you can get good airflow inside. The electricity is also nice and allowed us to charge headlamps and things prior to our backcountry adventure.
LegendSmall (27 site) campground north of Grand Marais, MN on MN61. Although there is easy access from the highway, the campground is very quiet and there are several hiking trails accessible directly from the campground, including the very popular Devil’s Kettle trail (just over two miles roundtrip but including over 200 steps). The bathhouse was very clean and centrally located. Attention to maintenance detail was very apparent throughout the park on the trails and restoration in the campground. In addition to the camping fees, you also have to pay a state park fee ($7 daily or$35 annual). Wish we would have stayed here but the campground was full.
LegendConcessionaire is Bearskin Lodge. Clean sites, several level. Wooded. Unpaved road to access campground is good. Some sites are first come, first serve. Clean vault toilets. Good water supply near campsite #3. Privacy between most sites. No T-Mobile cell service. Pretty lake.
LegendNice, clean campground. Big trees throughout. Clean restroom/shower house. Also has vault toilets. Firewood available. Good water supply. Trash dumpsters. No hookups. At least half of the sites are level. Hiking trail. Helpful friendly staff. Can hear some traffic on nearby MN 61, but not bad. Can also hear the roar of surf on Lake Superior. Campsites are separated, but not much growth in between for privacy.
TravelerNice cozy campgrounds, the restrooms/showers were nice and clean! The hike up to Devil’s Kettle was rough but oh so worth it! The park staff member we ran into was able to help direct us to the perfect store for us to pick up some supplies we forgot! Grand Marais is only a 15 minute drive away. We’re only here for two nights but we love it and will definitely be coming back! 
GuideWe visited this campground in June 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. Services were pared back quite a bit, regardless we had a great time. Our 33' motorhome was able to fit nicely in a pull-through site and we rented a boat during our stay. The campground is in a very secluded part of the world, and it was very relaxing. It was worth the trip up the gunflint trail.
Legend
This is a private campground adjacent to a Lodge off the Gunflint Trail. If you are wanting something less rustic than one of the nearby Forest Service campgrounds, and you don't mind paying a little more, then this may be for you. Current rates are $39 a night per campsite, plus an additional $5 a night if you have a dog, which adds up to a bit of a steep price if you are tent camping. However, the sites do have electrical hooups and other amenities preferred by RV campers which arent found in the basic Forest Service campgrounds nearby, so that may be a plus. If tent camping by yourself, or wanting close proximity to food, lodge amenities, boat rental, etc, then you might find it is worth it. The campsites are very nice, and there is good fishing in the lake plus nice hiking trails nearby!
TravelerCampsites have space between them, nice bathhouse and showers and great hiking!
LegendThis is a rustic state park with no electric sites, dump station or water source for RV tanks, as well as nearly non-existent cell service, but it's a pleasant getaway spot. It felt like a rustic forest campground but had amenities like a bathroom/shower house. Regarding water, there is drinking water available to fill containers, just no hookup to fill RV tanks. They also have trash and recycling dumpsters available.
The sites are decent size; privacy depends on the site but most aren't crammed on top of each other. All sites are dirt/gravel and the roads are dirt so be prepared for some dust in dry conditions.
We saw mostly tents and smaller rigs but that's probably due to no electricity and no water source for RVs to fill from. Still, some sites were large enough for the Class As that were there.
Bathrooms were decent but be ready for push-button showers for water conservation. They run long enough to essentially do Navy showers, which works fine. Water never really hot but plenty warm enough to not be considered cold.
Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, plus firewood is available at the front office or at the camp host site (via self-service). Front office rarely staffed but there is a work garage and the DNR staff came through the campground regularly. Little to no cell service on T-Mobile and Verizon, but there is a WiFi spot available near the DNR work garage.
It's nice that you can hike from the campground to Devil's Kettle and another waterfall (same trail), both of which were great.
Access is from Highway 61 down a relatively short dirt road We would stay here again.
Guide
One of the other reviewers listed out everything you need to know about this site, go read Matt's review. This is a great place to see moose
Traveler
In all honesty i wasn’t super happy with my camp site. It was unfortunate because I think there were much better sites available. The lodge is great and has very friendly staff and a really great bar. I can’t speak to the cabins, but I wouldn’t choose to camp here again. I’d suggest it for a guys fishing trip or something like that. Really gorgeous lake though. I wish they had campsites on the lake.
TravelerI love having a lakefront site so this place was perfect. The lake is beautiful!
GuideThere is not a lot of info out there on this camp site so I thought I'd fill in some of the gaps. It is not shown on many maps. It is on Isle Royale and is about 1/3 of a mile walk from the Windogo area where the Ferry boat lands. The easiest access to the island is via Ferry which is about $150 round trip from Grand Portage MN. A sea plane is also available for around $320 RT. There are no motorized vehicles or bicycles at Windigo and the surrounding area.
Washington Creek is a popular overnight stay for backpackers who are on their way on/way off the island via the ferry as well as a great camp for people who aren't up to the strenuous activity of backpacking. Everyone is super-friendly.
There are 15 individual wooded campsites. 5 are tent/hammock sites and 10 have a shelter that is a wood structure about 10' x 16' with a wood floor, 3 wood walls and a forth wall made of screen with a screen door. Each campsite has a picnic table, but no fire ring as fires are not allowed, only cook stoves. There are a few pit toilet "privies" (out houses) which all campers are asked to use. There is one potable water faucet for the campground and another at the Windigo flag pole. At the time we were there there was some concern about filtering water from inland water sources, but this might have been just a CYA on the part of the park service.
There are 4 group campsites each of which consist of a picnic table and more open space than the individual sites - which might supply enough room for a half dozed tents plus or minus. There are 2 privies in that area.
In the nearby Windigo area there is a small store with the basics; Dry and canned food, beer, wine, soda, ice and some souvenirs. All the basics you would need to survive if you showed up with no food as long as you are not picky. Looking around there, I actually didn't know there was that many flavors of Romman Noodles. :-). No fresh meat or produce though. The availability of only 1 kind of potato chips kinda sums it up for me… They do sell a bit of camping gear most notably the iso-butane canisters for cook stoves. They have a bit of fishing gear too. The store has an open porch that is a nice place to relax and drink a beer or read a book and mingle with other campers.
There was a nice new but un-opened store building(6/2021) which should boost the appeal, and perhaps the available merchandise. I heard tell there was to be a few beer taps too (Woo-Hoo!!!) with indoor seating area. Lots of outside covered and uncovered seating too.
In addition to the store there is a Ranger/visitor center with some interesting displays and is staffed with park personnel who are anxious to provide whatever info you may need.
There at Windigo (again 1/3 mile from the Washington Creek Campground) there is a "bath house". This has flush toilets and hot/cold sinks, and pay showers and pay laundry facilities.
I heard there were a few rustic cabins there at Windigo for rent however I did not see them myself.
I'll post some pics to provide further info.
GuideWe stayed in 2 different cabins. Fox and Beaver. Very nice. Clean. Private. It was quiet. Peaceful. Beautiful views of the lake. The staff was very friendly. The “lodge dog” was friendly too 😊 they have canoe rentals. All the gear. Was a great stay!
Note. There is very limited cell reception here (yay!)
There is WiFi but only near or in the lodge.
The cabins have kitchens and cooking stuff. Some have outdoor grills but not the easiest to use.
The entrances in most of them are not ADA friendly. We didn’t need it. Just note they are on uneven ground.
We visited during COVID. So we brought a lot of our own gear. So not sure what it’s like normally.
We rented a canoe and ventured out onto hungry Jack lake. Sooooo beautiful.
GuideThe beauty and serenity here is exponentially greater than anything I've ever experienced before. I encourage you to go and explore nature. Become reconnected to our planet.
TravelerI stayed here for two nights prior to the launch of a solo SUP trip on what can be called the East Bearskin Loop of 9 lakes and 9 portages back to the launch just outside this campground. I pulled up in late morning on a Thursday and had no trouble snagging a decent first-come spot. I think it was #9. Anyway, the spots are in the trees and very private. The whole campground has that way up north feel and you can launch your canoe, paddle board, or kayak from either the boat launch or the other end of the campground. Just a wonderful experience. But remember—you’ll be way out there a fair pace up the Gunflint, so don’t expect to have any amenities close by to purchase. Bring everything you need and just have fun!
GuideIt’s a ways out, but very nice. Off of the Gunflint Trail, down a gravel road you’ll find this peaceful campground. Very pleasant.
ScoutThey're replanting/restoring right now so most sites are only separated by chicken wire as opposed to plants/trees, etc. This is a small park and the sites are really close to each other already so with no growth between sites there's really no privacy. Showers are closed because of COVID so I can't weigh in on those. Vault toilets could have been worse. The hike to devil's kettle is awesome and shouldn't be missed. Definitely go with a higher number campsite (in the 20's).
ScoutThe second year in a row we've stayed here. A very peaceful, quiet and clean resort. Very impressed with the two owners/workers we dealt with. If you want total relaxation and quiet, this is the resort to go to.
Bob Inver Grove Heights.
GuideI would HIGHLY recommend this hostle either for the private rooms, shared rooms, glamping or tent sites. It is INCREDIBLY clean, with such nice people. It is a perfect stop off for a break on the SHT. It has a big shared kitchen with a fridge that you can store food in over night. My wife and I got one of the private rooms for the weekend, and we will definitely be doing it again soon
TravelerGreat place to stay. They can accommodate RV’s and Tents. Offer water and 50A/30A/20A at all 9 sites. Dump station on site. Highly recommend this place!
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Grand Portage, MN is Judge C. R. Magney State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 27 reviews.
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