Best RV Parks & Resorts near Grand Portage, MN

This is an interesting campground and marina. Right on Lake Superior with gorgeous views. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the sites are non reservable and the rest are difficult to reserve. Campers are an interesting mix of long-term “guests”, those who are passing through on their way up to or off of the Gunflint, and folks who are working at or taking classes from the Folk School. We were lucky to get a non-reservable site on the water with full hookups. Cold and windy, but we had a great time!

The aspect of this campground we liked the best was that we could walk to town. The campground itself is o.k. It was full when we were and definitely felt crowded. There are some tent sites up in a wooded secluded area but most of the park is geared to RVs. Or you can pitch pitching your tent amongst RVs. Tucked up in the woods is a small tent area that is nice and quiet but a little far from the bathrooms so be prepared to walk.

There are 300 campsites of with full hookups, some with electric and water hookups and others no hookups. Some site have great views of Lake Superior, some are sunny and open and others have some large trees. Our site (#104) was very close to our neighbors and the RV right behind us and we had a big tree right in our “patio” which was not conducive to sitting outside. We had a 50 amp full hook-up site which all worked well and well-placed in the site. The campground is county-run and a mix of seasonal people (lots of whom appeared to be there for the fishing) and transients like ourselves. One aspect of seasonal campers that I don’t like is how they junk up their site and this certainly had that. 

There are four bathhouses on the property some of which are pretty old and tired whereas others are larger and more updated. The bathroom near us was large but was heavily used (which is an understatement) as four tour-size busloads of college students exiting the boundary waters spent the night in tents near it. It was pretty trashed with that volume of people. Since the park is pretty large they have amenities like baseball fields, playground, group camping sections, a beach with picnic area, fish cleaning station, and nearby boat launch. 

A short walk to downtown and you have restaurants, shopping, grocery, fuel, pretty harbor, art galleries, bait shops, and more. One of the most highly touted places in Grand Marais is World’s Best Donuts. Even before we got to Grand Marais, people in other parts of Minnesota told us about it. The donuts were really good but beware their closing hour is when they sell out which is why we went really early. We also ate at The Crooked Spoon Cafe and had an amazing meal. Nearby Grand Marais are a scattering of state parks known for their waterfalls which are worth seeing. Many people come here because it is close to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness but since we just came from the town of Ely we did not go back to the boundary waters. We liked this area and kept busy for the three days we were there but couldn’t see staying long-term.

Grand Portage Lodge and Casino is not what I imagine as a place to pitch a tent, but right next to the marina is an RV park and a bunch of spots for tents. I'm not a gambler so this is not normally a destination for me, but it is the best place to camp to make it to the Ferry by 6:30 a.m. the next morning to be transported to a paradise in Isle Royale National Park.

The nice thing about the campground is that you sit on a hill and look out at lake superior. There is a large gas station next to the marina where you can make phone calls at a pay phone (There is no cell service) and get some last minute treats before you head out on the boat.

This is the place to stay if you are going to Isle Royale National Park from Minnesota.

Most sites have a view of the water, but this campground has a very specific purpose to this area, and it's not for long term camping. I mean, you can, but there isn't much glamour here.

The good part... They have electric, the bathroom is close, you can take a shower and even do laundry! In the summer, my husband says it's fun to people watch here (he's stayed before), but this time of year, it's quieter. The slips and dock are right in front as well as the camp office. The casino is an easy walk, and since you are so close to the border, you can exchange your money as well (Canadian to USD and vice versa).

We didn't know in advance, but paying for the campground allows you free use of the pool inside the casino!

Now, the ugly party.. The price. It was about $45 for an electric site. I think tents were about $20. While it did come with the amenities mentioned above, there is no privacy at any of the sites. The back row sits against the trees, but that's as good as it gets.

Bottom line, it's a good stopping spot near the border where you can plug in and swim, but not great if you want privacy or upscale.

I'd stay here again, but probably opt for a tent site to save some money if I could make do off the grid.

The RV park, lodge and casino, and a gas station/store are on a reservation with convenient access to the ferry that takes you to Isle Royale. It is conveniently located three miles away. There are standard and premium sites. The premium sites have a better view of the marina and the lake. 

When it is not foggy you can see Isle Royale. The sites and bathrooms are just average. The hookups all work well, but the fire pits and tables are fairly old and the maintenance of the park is just ok.

Beautiful location but not a lot of trees or privacy. Very nice Rv park

After an hour of back roads north of Grand Marais you'll come upon Esther Lake Campground. It's a primitive campsite located on Esther Lake (obvi) and maintained by the Judge C.R. Magney State Park in Grand Portage State Forest. There are 3 sites and all are first come first serve. Only one site is on the lake and it's really the only worth working to stay at as the other two are nothing special. They are spacious though and you can tent or rv camp in all the sites. There is a boat launch and dock as well as a vault toilet which is a bit of a bonus considering the remoteness. The lake is most definitely worth the drive. It's beautiful, pristine and your typical iconic northwoods lake with giant eastern white pine, rock outcrops and islands. In the campground there is a very short trail to a lovely rock outcrop that slides into the lake. Mealtimes here are a must if you don't get that lakefront site. The lake is clear and swimmable.

Simple campground with full hookups. Pretty close together. Older campers accepted which is not the greatest (the one next was really run down and leaking some sort of stinky liquid). Close to the water which was great!

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.

Cute romantic spot with bridge and little creek and very clean amenities. Nice park very convenient to downtown area!!! We will be back!!! While there we made a trip up to grand portage to check it out and beautiful views and overlooks.

Due to COVID, the RR and Showers were not open which was not a problem for the multitude of permanently placed RVers.

We called for a reservation but they did not return our calls.  the camp host said not to worry, find a place and settle up in the morning.  We found a spot within walking distance to the porta-potty at the marina and set up the popup only to discover that there was no 30 amp plug, only 50 amp.

We understood all this, we needed a place for the night.  But in the morning the office insisted we pay $45, "the LEAST we could charge"  Again, we had what amounted to primitive camping and for a little more we could have gotten a motel.

The town is nice, touristy without being too much so.  Close to Canada and the falls at the Pigeon River (the boundary between US and Canada).  Great Hiking on the Historic Grand Portage Trail.

Very nice town, great location on the harbor, RVs packed in like sardines, dirty, old and overpriced, even if the showers were working.

Stopped here for the night while hitting up the northern most north shore state parks (Grand Portage is 45 minutes north) in mid-August. I was in site 1, which had a nice elevated tent pad but I was able to set up my hammock with trees near the parking spot. Site 1 is nice and private but all entering vehicles pass this spot. Due to covid, running water facilities were closed but pit toilets were available.

Cascade River State Park is a nice (but busy) place, and since I like more secluded spots, this campground cannot come among my favorite places to put a tent. A plus is the park's proximity to Lake Superior; seeing the sunrise on the lake is a must-do! Other than that, the park has nice trails, a small waterfall and decent amenities. Some of the nice things to see in the area are Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Marais, Pigeon Falls right on the border with Canada.. or a trail to Eagle Mountain - the highest peak in the state. :) The Superior Hiking Trail also pass through the area.

The Cascade River is a great river to hike from its upper falls area to the mouth at Lake Superior. 5 falls or cascades are all visible from the trails along the river. The campsites are close and most are not level and have only electric hookup. The road in is not big rig friendly with low branches and washboard gravel roads. The hiking trails are well worn so easy to hike safely.  This is a perfect camp for small trailer or tent camping as the sites are shaded. Bath houses are fine and water sources are good. There is a free dump and fill station for campers..a bonus!

A fire in 2007 hasn’t stopped this lake on the Gunflint Trail from its beauty, and it's thriving. The saplings are dense, but consider this when needing tie-outs for things.

Site 3 is reservable and on water. It is a steep climb down, but the ”lake access” launch is right next door for canoes. Carry down only. Dense saplings divide 3 and 4 as well as 3 from the launch. You cannot see through, but you can hear your neighbors.

Close and convenient drinking water, double pit toilets, and dumpster. The site has a fire pit with a grate and a picnic table. Site 3 has a long driveway for drive-up camping. Site 4 is a short driveway. Site 3 has a fair amount of room of even class 5 for RVs and trucks. It has wood bumpers before the picnic area. There is room on the class 5 for a tent pad, but there is another smaller space for an additional tent. The class 5 is excellent for staking down and draining water for rain. Bring something to hammer in stakes.

Lots of turtles laying eggs, foxes, dragonflies, fireflies, and beavers at work. It is still really full of pest bugs too.

The Trail Center is right down the road if you need anything. Groceries, fuel (double price), bar food, camp gear, and dehydrated meals.

Do you love camping and Grand Marais a whole lot? If so, then this is the campground for you. You are within easy strolling distance of downtown Grand Marais, and all of the glorious offerings. This is probably the only campground close to Hwy 61 that you do not get highway noise from, thanks to the reduced speed limit through Grand Marais.

There is a wide variety of sites available, and not all of them offer the same amenities. Their campground map does a good job reflecting which sites have electric/water, electric/water/sewer, or nothing beyond the site itself. The campground is overwhelmingly dominated by rvs and trailers(some of which look pretty permanently settled there).

There are a lot of amenities on the propert. You have a picnic shelter, ball field, play ground, clothes lines, a bathhouse AND a community garden. Oh, and you also have Lake Superior RIGHT THERE. This campground is a little more cramped than I would like, but you can’t argue against the premium location for both lake-viewing and access to town.

This was our last trip in the fall of 2020. It was a bit chilly and perfect hiking weather. We spent most of our time hiking and made it up to the peak of lookout mountain. It was worth the view. The campground itself is well maintained, has a dump station, and was easy enough to get in and out of. I do recall we struggled a bit leveling our motorhome. We did leave a day early due to snow in the forecast. It was the right decision as it did end up snowing 4 inches overnight.

If you’re looking for a good campsite last minute or are you really really really like the North Shore I want to be right on Lake superior this is a good campground for you. This campground is located in Grand Marais Minnesota right inside the city on the harbor. The RV sites with electric are pretty dang close together which is not my style camping but for most people at RVs they don’t mind that. The tent sites were sent away from the RV sites and we’re pretty secluded from each other which I really really really like.

A lot of people choose this park to park their RV for the summer and pay the summer fee for it. You can also get a daily rate which is not that bad. Check out the picture for info on the rates.

There’s a boat launch into Lake superior in the Grand Marais harbor right inside the city park which is amazing if you’re on a boat and want to go fish or just swim.

All in all this is a great park for families. They also have group camps if you’re interested in that but they were pretty centralized in the the park and were not secluded to anybody.

Inside the city limits you can grab yourself a worlds best donut And for an amazing cup of coffee check out Java Moose For dinner you could do a sit down at The Angry Trout right on the harbor and follow it up with a Voyager Brewing Company beer with amazing views of the sunset.

We called a few hours ahead on a Monday and were able to stay for a week at a site with electrical and water hookups. While the sites are close together, we felt like we still had plenty of privacy with how many trees are in the campground, and all of our neighbors were so nice and also quiet. Very kid and dog friendly place. There's a sink for washing dishes by the bathrooms/showers which came in handy and there are multiple bath houses. A quick walk to town too, so we didn't have to ever leave the site with our rig.

We 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.

We were tent camping and although most of the campground is geared towards RVs, they do have sites for tents only. We chose to stay in a tent site in the RV area since it was close to Lake Superior. There was also a nice secluded tent only area on a wooded hill which would be a good choice if you prefer less hustle bustle. The big attraction for this place is that it is easy walking distance from town where there are many interesting shops, restaurants and sites to see!

The campsite wasn't huge, but it did what we needed it to do...it allowed us to set up a tent, have a campfire and sleep!  That's all you need, right?

The tent pads were very level and without any lumps or holes.  The were, however, gravel type sand pads that made it very hard to pound in stakes, but fortunately, it wasn't windy so we didn't have an issue.  The fire grate was clean and provided a nice campfire in the evening.  Each site had a picnic table that was nice and solid.  Our site, number 21, had a small path that led down to the lake.  You couldn't see the lake from where we were, but it was only about 20 yards and BAM...BINGO!  The lake! The bathroom (pit style enclosure with a door) was just down the path from us and we were on a loop, so it was easy for the kids to walk around a bit and stretch their legs after the long car ride. Everyone was quite and respectful after dark and remarkably, we didn't have any critters that night!  Not even a mouse :)

Easy to get to from Grand Marais, and the sites were fairly private from one another.  A good choice, even when it's busy season.  But make sure to bring bug spray...the mosquitoes were brutal!

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!

This is a huge community campground within the village of Grand Marais, right on the harbor. Most folks are here with RVs, but there are three separate sections for tent camping only: one right on the lakeshore, one right on the bike path, and one tucked into the woods up the hill to the south. We always do tent camping, and had intended to go to Magney State Park nearby but they were filled for the weekend, so we reluctantly decided to try the town campground and were pleasantly surprised. Although the RV sites are jam-packed close together in the open throughout most of the campground, the forest tent sites are private, quiet, spacious, well wooded, and I would say comparable to the sites at Magney. We were at one of the smaller tent sites, but most are pretty big, the one called Honeymoon Hill is really great, ask for that if you can! The tent area does have drinking water but the toilets are just porta potties, though they are very clean and well kept. There is a full bath house down the hill about 1/4 mile walk, good facilities but heavily used and it got a bit muddy very quickly after the rain Sunday morning. The main advantage of this campground is great location on Lake Superior and Grand Marais Harbor, easy biking and walking distance into the village with all its amenities, and easy driving distance to numerous trailheads and other outdoor opportunities, so overall a pleasant surprise and an excellent alternate if area state parks are filled.

Me & hubbs had a weeklong stay here at the marina campground for our anniversary. Upon arrival, we noticed how crammed together the sites were. Yikes! One of our pet peeves . We have 3 dogs, no kids & enjoy a little space & at least the slightest privacy. No such luck. We had a back in site - hook ups on the wrong side!! First annoyance. Kids galore. Everywhere. And Uber noisy & running amok! Second annoyance. Don’t get me wrong- I love kids enjoying the outdoors & just being kids! But holy cow- could’ve done without the non stop wailing & firecrackers day & night. If we had to have stayed at our site any longer I’d never relax. But I digress. We weren’t there to stay at our site. We were the for the surroundings & they did not disappoint!! It is absolutely gorgeous! Adventures abound! Tons of beaches ( water was un-swimmable though , super freezing still!) Clear beautiful water, the scenery was breathtaking! An abundance of dog friendly restaurants & businesses. You could walk nearly everywhere you needed to see & be in town . Incredibly friendly people ! We never felt like silly tourists. Made new friends from Canada, took many hikes to waterfalls, found lots of secret beaches along 61 where the dogs ran leash free & took in allllll the sights ! The weather at the end of August was incredible! 65 degrees , no humidity, no wind or rain & very minimal bugs.

We spent every early morning drinking fresh local coffee , eating World’s Best Donuts & watching the sun rise on a nearly deserted shoreline in town. It was heaven.

There is tons to do if you just go exploring. Even with people everywhere, it never felt crowded & anxiety inducing. Somehow it all went perfectly! Reminded me of Tahoe or Bodega. Can’t wait to get back!

FYI- rv sites are hard to get ! Get a jump on a rez in January. Clarify if it has sewer- ours didn’t . We had site 77 . Not right on the water but a literal 2 min walk. I preferred this site to many others. More privacy for the pups.

Very large campground. Sites are a little tight for what I like. Can be noisy and crowded. Has water and electric.