Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Grand Portage? Find the best information on tent camping near Grand Portage, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Grand Portage campsites are perfect for tent campers.
$20 / 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
Kimball Lake Campground is a small campground that is excellent for people who want to camp and fish. Kimball Lake is a small state-managed trout lake stocked with rainbow trout. Because of this special designation, anglers are required to have a fishing license with a trout stamp. A non-maintained trail circles the lake for shore casting. Adjacent Mink Lake has a sand swimming beach and barrier free fishing pier. Downloadable information and map.
The campsites are considered "primitive," designed to furnish only the camper's basic needs. The campsites consist of a cleared area, fire ring, table, a vault toilet. Garbage facilities are not provided. Please pack out all trash.
All sites are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Huginnin Cove Campground is located at Huginnin Cove, on the north shore of Isle Royale National Park, off of the West and East Huginnin Cove Trails. Stay Limit: 3 consecutive nights from June 1 Labor Day annually. Access: Foot/canoe/kayak access. No dock available for boats.
Feldtmann Lake Campground is located on the shoreline of Feldtmann Lake, off the Feldtmann Lake and Feldtmann Ridge Trails, on the southwest end of Isle Royale National Park. This is an inland campground. Stay Limit: 2 nights from June 1 Labor Day annually. Access: Foot
Legend
most of the sites were large enough for at least 3 backpacking tents. Water source is a nearby stream that may be dried up depending on the time of year. Water was high enough for us to filter but not able to avoid scooping up some sand in the process. Outhouse in the campground, no picnic tables but fire ring provided.
Legend
I remember the hike in from the greenstone ridge trail being quite steep, meaning you will start the next day’s hike with about a half mile uphill. Primitive sites with no fires allowed. Outhouse in campground. We were able to put our hammocks up for a bit by the lake to relax and enjoy the views.
Legend
Primitive site. Most sites have room for a couple of backpacking tents if you are hiking in a small group. No fire rings or picnic table. I believe there was an outhouse in the campground. I believe this is one of the lakes that periodically has algal blooms. When you get to the island off the boat, the ranger goes through everybody’s route and itinerary with them and will let you know what water sources may be dried up and what water sources are going through an algal bloom so you can plan your water sourcing appropriately.
Guide
I stayed here in late October. The campground was officially closed at this point in time, but they were still allowing you to stay here at the remarkably low rate of $10 per night. The bathrooms were closed and locked, but there was a single porta potty by the marina. The water was supposed to have been turned off but it wasn't. They're still closing up for the winter. But, the place was essentially empty. I saw one or two other campers in this huge area. So I had lots of space and privacy. It's within walking distance to downtown, which was wonderful. And, on the other side, away from town, there are some hiking trails for your morning stretch. I was able to take my dog off leash in the sledding area for a bit. I'm not sure if that's within the rules, but it didn't bother anybody because there was nobody to bother. The trails take you up to an overlook that allows you to look out over the town and watch the sun come up. You're within a very short driving distance of several ski/hiking areas in the national Forest. Also. I can't speak to how the place would be in the summer when it's busy, but it certainly was a good value for me in October.
RangerLARGE 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.
GuideWe walked into town for a donut and didn’t make it back to the site until 3 o’clock. Lots to see and places to shop. Everyone very friendly. Lots of art. The campground is very crowded. But right on the Lake. No matter where you are it is just a few steps to a beautiful view.
TravelerWe 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.
Scout
Как большой поклонник азартных игр, я всегда в поиске новых увлечений, и недавно открыл для себя классный ресурс. Если вам интересен спорт и ставки, рекомендую заглянуть сюда: www.gorodpavlodar.kz/News_105640_3.html. Этот сайт предлагает много полезной информации, включая аналитику и прогнозы на матчи. Я сам часто использую их рекомендации, чтобы повысить свои шансы на победу. Отличная платформа для тех, кто хочет быть в курсе всех последних новостей в мире спорта. Особенно советую тем, кто увлекается ставками на футбол. Проверьте сами, уверен, не пожалеете!
Traveler
When everything along the north shore was full up, this campground had 25 open sites! They were beautiful and spread out over several big loops. Clean toilettes, accessible boat launch on lake, potable water, trash and recycling area… a total gem!
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!
GuideWe had a good Campspot and the neighbors were nice. The beach is 2 minutes and the city 20 minutes. Great pleasant experience
Guide
Great location. Well kept facilities. ONE THING TO KNOW… you must fill your fresh tanks for RV near the dump station. There is no water at the sites. The primitive toilets are just that, but the showers are awesome. Enclosed are some cliff and cave shots taken from Kayak on Superior
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.
Legend
This is a lovely campground on Isle Royale - none of them are terrible (let's face it - you are on a gorgeous island that's basically untouched!), but this one is a little larger than some with more shelters than others.
Shelters - they are first come first served. If the campground is uber full, the policy and expectation is that you consider sharing with others, especially if you are a party of one or two. Not a bad policy and courteous, for sure. But this didn't happen when we were here. Each shelter is four sided with the front side "screened in" for bugs. This is lovely in buggy weather! There are also boards all over the inside (parallel to the floor around the walls) that are great for hanging and airing out wet items. Each one had a picnic table and trees and was a very short walk to water and a toilet.
Tent pads - there are separate tent areas that are away from shelters, for the most part. Nothing is "close" here so there is quite a bit of room.
Group - there are three group areas. If using group areas on a normal basis, you must have a group reservation and groups of more than 6 require this in advance. Three group areas all near to each other but with nice green buffers in between and a toilet to share between them.
Toilets - not fancy but offer privacy. Small wooden shelters with a metal toilet and a pit. **NOTE: they do not provide TP - you must take your own** They don't smell like roses (what pit toilet does?) but they allow privacy and no need to dig a cat hole. Bonus win win.
This is one of only a handful of camps on the island that has a fire pit! It's a shared fire (not one for each site) with picnic tables nearby and a lovely view of the water. Only collect downed wood (no bigger than your wrist) to burn.
As others have mentioned - there is a very nice dock here since a boat comes a few times a week with passengers. This is a "stop" for drop offs from the mainland (you must book this boat in advance to get here). So it's a great place to chill in the breeze, do a bit of yoga stretching, dry your socks, enjoy an evening coffee or fall over after hiking - lol.
***Be aware - there are leeches in the lake. We attempted to splash off a bit and noticed them.***
Oh yes - the camp fox. He/she is a regular here. We saw the fox many times. Not afraid of people, will steal your stuff (including shoes) so be careful, tie your drying shoes to the picnic table, and do not feed the wildlife. But it it a beautiful specimen of an animal!
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.
TravelerLoved the two nights spent at backpacking site #2. It was very secluded, couldn’t hear/see anyone at any point during our time at the campsite. It has a covered wooden structure, good sized bear box, picnic table, and fire ring. There is also a pit toilet ~50 feet from the campsite, though was in pretty rough shape so did not use that but didn’t really mind since most backpacking sites don’t have this luxury anyway and was not expecting to have a toilet in the first place. The campsite sits atop Moose “Mountain,” which is about a mile hike in from the group site parking lot. Don’t underestimate this hike in!! We are two people in our 20s and in pretty good shape, but with ~35lbs of gear on your back with a very steady incline up, definitely had to take a couple breaks. It was pretty rainy so there were some muddy spots that were relatively easy to avoid. With that being said, it was definitely worth it given the seclusion and privacy of this campsite. If able and willing to put in the extra effort, I would recommend the backpacking sites over the drive-in sites as I have heard they can be pretty cramped. Overall, very happy with BP#2 will definitely be back!
GuideStayed here on my way to Isle Royale and had a wonderful night. I booked an electric site (#233) to charge and camp in my Tesla, which worked out great. It was crowded on a Thursday night (August 17th) but it got really quiet after dark. I had plenty of space at my site and didn’t mind that the other sites were close by. Bugs weren’t bad, but I used spray, a citronella candle, and a Thermacell for protection. The women’s bathrooms were clean, and firewood was available at the office (I think a bundle was $6). Very pet friendly- my dog was relaxed here. Loved the location next to town, which was a beautiful walk during sunset (and I highly recommend getting coffee at Java Moose in the morning). Night skies are beautiful, especially on the water. A little pricey with all the fees (a $43 site turned into $60). I booked my site over a month in advance and there were only a few spots available, so don’t delay!
RangerLarge campground with many many sites, both RV and tent that are crammed close together. The best part about it is how close it is to the lake and how easy it is to access the rock beaches. The bathrooms are clean and modern. However, if your site happens to be next to a loud, obnoxious group, it can be a pretty miserable experience. Also, watch out for the hoards of kids on bikes, both when walking and driving! :)
GuideI will start out by saying this was partly my fault but I think the situation was handled poorly.
I was not planning on staying in the area another day but was enjoying the north shore so I stopped in and asked if there were any cancellations. I was told yes so I paid for the site. Ran up the road grabbed some ice and came back and there was someone setting up on the site I paid for. The camp host said I was not in system even though I could show the credit card receipt. So they said they could move me to an overflow site. Ok fine. But that site was so far away from a bathroom and even further from the shower space.
I took it made the most of my night. But the frustration is with these booking on line issues every campsite I have been to they have sites that sit open with no one ever using them. I’m assuming this is because it does not update fast enough. I’m driving through the camp at 5am the next morning there were 5-10 empty sites. They were empty at 10pm the night before and still empty at 5:30 am. I think it costs the state $$ and for sure causes folks who are on road trips to miss out on nice places to stay.
This campground was clean and the shower/bath station was very clean.
Close to some neat hiking.
Scout
The campsite was fine. #7. We had really close neighbors, though. Our tents were pretty well back to back, and the guy snored loudly. Vault toilets that got pretty ripe. Mosquitoes as thick as fog. The gravel road has sinkholes you can break an axle in. Wifi available at the lodge, but be gone by 6pm, because they will come up to your car slapping their flashlight in their palm and kick you out. Beautiful lake with some nice smallmouth.
Legend
After a long first day of hiking it was a wonderful surprise to have water just paces from the campsite. Not up or down a hill, just a handful of steps from the tent. Great for weary feet!
The campsite sits just off the trail - literally. But this loop of the island isn't hiked a lot, so it's very quiet with little traffic (at least in May when we went). The site we had was #2 and it was perfect for a tent (very flat pad) had some hammock trees, had a stone to set your cook stove on out of the wind (thank you for whoever put it there!), a bench that faced the water for watching the sun or just enjoying your coffee. An outhouse (three sided with a full front door for privacy) was just about 20 yards away - again on flat ground. **note - bring your own TP**
There isn't anything about this site that we didn't like. It was flat, it was close to water, it was near the outhouse but not too close and even in the early spring, there was plenty of space between sites for privacy, even without foliage on the bushes yet. The proximity to water made it easy to grab a bag to filter or use it to gently wash up without soap (a good cold foot soak was great!)
Love everything about this location.
Scout
It was such a lovely time to be up north! There is no cell service so it is time to put the phone down and enjoy the nature. Mosquitos were horrid right when we got here but we packed a couple thermocells that helped a ton! Nicest bathroom I have seen but not hand sanitizer so make sure to pack some. There is river access and only 4 sites total on this campground so coming early is your best bet. Will definitely be coming back here this summer. Make sure to pack out what you pack in and watch for the burn bans I. The area before fires.
RangerI was here a while back and decided to give it another whirl during a fall trip to Grand Marais/Gunflint. However a bit of difference this time:
-Online booking showed that it was first come first serve, so we decided to go ahead and try our luck.
-I came with my buddies during mid-late October and we were NOT expecting snowfall [light]
-We arrived and the campground was actually CLOSED for the season!! (Arrived October 19th)
-To our luck though, the owners of the campground (Golden Eagle Lodge) allow you to camp on campgrounds for free but no utilities (water or trash).
-We were still able to use the covered outhouse near our site.
-Virtually no other campers when we got there, but by Fri/Sat/Sun, RV campers started rolling in.
Of course, this experience was way different from my July visit (3 star rating), but considering the fact that the campground was still open when other campgrounds on Gunflint were not (no outhouse/water/trash), it was great because it was free.
-40ish minute drive from Grand Marais.
-Right by Gunflint Scenic Byway. Try to find some Moose!
Site #26 was huge and that’s where we stayed for the trip. Very secluded and near the trail to the lake. No Loons.
LegendSimple campground that did not have a ton of people when we stayed so it was pretty quiet at night. Had a great view of the stars and really enjoyed the peace. Fishing was good the one day we paddles, but there were a couple of boats out on the water. Had some great variety in the sites. I would stay in 32/33/34 first then look at 8/10/22/23.
Good clean campground.
LegendCampground did not have that many people in it when I stayed a night here. The grounds were well kept with the fall leaves in full color. I only stayed a night as I was hoping between campgrounds, but I really did like the night here. The sites are fairly secluded which made it nice at night to see the stars and enjoy the fire. This is a rustic campground so no running water but the vaults were well kept. I did not make it to the lodge but it is close by and you can get showered up there and get a meal, which the people I met said they had done and it was worth it. I would say 36 and 37 were really good sites, but there are a lot to choose from depending on what you want and when you go. I would imagine the bugs are bad in the summer months but in the fall they were perfectly at bay. Site 26 is for sure the best site out of the group as it is the most secluded and you can get lost in there with the longer drive into the actual site.
Legend
Only a few sites in this campground, but the sites are spacious and its a good location for exploring the area. If other campgrounds are full this is a good one to go back to if you want to get some quiet. Its a very rustic campground so don't expect any frills. The finishing here was great the weekend I stopped here. I used this as a temporary spot while I continued to go north so this was an easy stop for me. I would say the people who stay here are either just stopping by or are regulars who come for the fishing. There are better campgrounds around the gunflint train but this one does have its positive location. Couple of the sites are nice as you can close off a little bit because of the drive into the site is shielded with trees while a couple of the sites are a bit more public. Everything was clean so nothing to really complain about but there are bigger and better campgrounds in the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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