Best Tent Camping near Grand Portage, MN

After getting off the ferry at McCargoe Cove, I hiked a short distance to W Chickenbone Lake. The views along the lake were incredible and you have an awesome view along the lake front campsites. There aren't shelters at this campsite but there is a privy, and the tent sites are really nice with lots of space to set up away from your neighbors. This wasn't my favorite campsite of the ones I stayed at on Isle Royale. The group sites were a little overgrown and there were only a few sites closer to the lake. However, it was a great place to stay, very quiet despite the large crowd, and a short hike away from McCargoe Cove if you're wanting a slow start to your day after the ferry ride over from Grand Portage.

A small group of family and friends left the luxuries of home to backpack thirty miles in Isle Royale National Park. It was an amazing experience and I look forward to taking the rest of my children here as they grow up.

The first leg of our journey was a boat ride from Grand Portage, Minnesota to McCargoe Cove. We did not do much backpacking the first day. We did hike around the area and set up camp to take it easy our first night. We elected to stay in our own tents, but those who wanted more amenities could take advantage of several small shelters built in each camp.

Other than Windigo and Rock Harbor, there are no amenities other than some shelters and latrines.

McCargoe Cove is set in a cove right off Lake superior, so this spot is especially popular with the fishermen since there is a nice dock and ease of access for their boats. This was a nice place to stay but it wasn't my favorite.

I tried some new food at McCargoe Cove that I highly recommend: NOKA - Mango/Coconut was fantastic.

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!

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.

There 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.

I stayed here one night of a four day trip through Isle Royale NP. There are many tent sites, including a few group sites, and a couple of privys. Not all of the sites are on the lake but all have plenty of tree cover. My partner and I each found a nice spot on either side of our tent site which was pretty close to the water and up a short slope, nestled right in the trees.

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!

LARGE campground! Right on Lake Superior. Sites are close together. Some nicely located TENT sites by the lake, can hear the waves. Very easy walk on paved trail into town. Men’s bathroom was very clean. Showers are in great shape.

We've stayed here everytime we go up to the BWCA.  Typically we arrive on a Sunday night and then leave early Sunday AM for Gunflint outfitters down the road.  The campsites are great and the staff is absolutely AMAZING!  FYI, we tent camp.  Haven't stayed in any of their lodges so I can't speak to that

This campground was very nice -- lots of trees for protection and privacy from the neighbors, plus a shelter for rainy nights (or lazy nights when you don't want to set up your tent!). Tent sites have picnic tables. The water source is just a short walk away to Lake Superior, where there is a long L-shaped pier, a great place to watch the ducks, look for moose, and watch the sun rise and set.

This campground is our go-to place to stay on our summer visits to Grand Marais. We usually stay in the wooded tent sites on the hill which provides nice shade, protection from the frequent winds off of Lake Superior, and a little bit of privacy. When we stayed in site W213R in June 2018, I could still see glimmers of the lake through the trees. They have portapotties and potable water on the hill, and it’s only a short walk down the hill to the bathhouse.

When you first come up the hill to the tent sites, the first path to the right of the split leads to a little creek where the kids love to go and explore.

The tent sItes in the lower campground are open, have few trees, and you are likely to be next to an RV, but it could be worth it to wake up to the sound of the waves and a vIew of the bay. The sites closest to open water (not the bay) have bushes that block the view of the lake, but are necessary for the frequent wind.

The staff in the office have always been friendly and helpful to me. They also sell wood, have some camping supplies for sale, firewood, and they used to have a take-a-book/leave-a-book inside, but I haven’t looked for that for a couple years. There is online booking and pictures of many of the sites on their website.

It’s a nice walk around the bay into town. Some of our favorite places are Voyager Brewing Company, World’s Best Donuts, Gunflint Tavern on the Lake, Angry Trout Restaurant, North House Folk School (feel free to walk through, check out their available classes onlIne, and book a ride to sail on their 50 foot steel schooner, the Hjordis), Drury Lane Bookstore, My Sister’s Place Restaurant, walking out to Artist’s Point and the lighthouse, and visiting the multiple state parks within a short drive. Many have waterfalls.

High falls at grand portage were AMAZING right on boarder of Minnesota and Canada! Easy hike and so worth it!!!

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!

We visited in August so the bugs weren't bad, almost non-existent really. These spots were well spaced and while impacted, had a nice pine duff layer on the ground which was nice for sleeping. The view of Todd Harbor was beautiful and we enjoyed sitting on the rocky beach in the evening. The area is well shaded and there was a large group fire pit in the middle of the campground area. Super quiet spot with several tent sites and a cabin type tent, but it was occupied when we arrived. Sites are first come, first serve but permits are issued to insure that there are sites available. I would definitely recommend this spot.

Given that there is a relatively large dock here and a concessionaire ferry comes through here several times a week, there can be a lot of traffic. That being said, there are nice tent sites and some really cool tent/cabin structures. It wasn't super buggy while we were here so being in a tent was just fine. There are some nice open, rocky, sunny spots that are nice for sitting and enjoying the view. Be advised, there are quite a number of waterfowl that frequent the area so treat your water well, in fact the Park Service recommends treating your drinking water in two ways (ie. filter AND boil, chemically treat AND filter, some combination of two). The water is refreshing but there are leaches in addition to abundant bird poop. All part of the experience I suppose!

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.

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.

Love the North Shore! When you're staying at this campground make sure you head over to the Grand Portage High Falls! They also have the medium falls which is quite nice too.

One of my favorite things about Cascade River is that it has a more modern shower/bathroom facility, so during non-COVID times you basically get your own little shower room with a lockable door instead of a flimsy shower curtain. Another nice thing is that the trails here are great- the waterfalls are easy enough to get to and then you can just keep going if you want to get away from the crowds. So in case you couldn’t tell, I really like this park. The sites are heavily wooded and private. However, a lot of them are on the smaller side, so make sure you do your research on sites if you are coming with an RV or an enormous tent. 

Sites that I like: 5, 6(close to vault toilet), 13, 16, 29, 30, 31, 32(close to bathroom building), 34, 35

This is a great campground in a beautiful state park adjacent to lake Superior on the North Shore. It is a smaller state park, but worth staying at for the beautiful hiking trails along waterfalls, the access to the Superior Hiking Trail and Gitchigamee Bike Trail, Lake Superior, and nearby tons like scenic Grand Marais.  It also may appeal to fly fishermen along the river. There is plenty to do in the park, and it is well situated as a base camp for myriad day trips up and down the shore and into the Superio National Forest. It is more tent friendly than RV oriented, and for those of us who prefer tent camping that is a plus. You must really reserve far ahead in the summer, and fall weekends fill up quickly too, so you may need to look at weekday camping if you have planned much in advance. The Cascade Lodge is tucked into the edge of the state park with hiking trails that connect to it, and there are nice homecooked meals there if you need a break from camp cookery!

Camp Creek skirts the northern edge of Cascade River State Park. Your water access comes from the creek and is accessible either via a 60 second walk to the bridge or if you are lucky enough to get the secluded camp spot down by the creek then you can access it from there. The tent spaces were spread out nicely with a couple larger ones and a couple smaller. The big if about this site is the latrine is very hard to find. It's past a large fallen tree and then back on a trail that is hard to find because it is so overgrown. It appears many have given up trying to find it and just go out in the woods, aka tp was a bit of a mess. The tent sites are on dirt so for us a huge storm rolled thru and our tents were covered in mud for the next mornings pack up. Most of the sites on the SHT are dirt but sometimes we luck out with a nice bed of needles or grass. Some good trees for hammock camping at this site as well.

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.

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.