Best Dispersed Camping near Park Rapids, MN

Within the Paul Bunyan State Forest, there are several official state forest campgrounds, individual hike-in primitive campsites (such as along the North Country Scenic Trail) and also various official dispersed campsites for those who want a back country experience not too far off the beaten path.

Just north and west of the official Group campsite at Lake 21 is a lovely chain of lakes called the Little Gulch Lakes that are perfect for paddling. See this link for a state forest map of the area: the campsite is located by the canoe landing symbol off West Gulch Road:

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00038.pdf

The lakes are clear and pristine, and far from crowds although within an easy drive of Akely, Bemidji, Itasca and Park Rapids. This is a great destination for canoeing or kayaking from ale to lake, all along a unique glacial moraine with deep quiet forests, plenty of wildlife, and crystal clear water in narrow but very deep glacial lakes. The canoe landing at Second Little Gulch has not only a nice access for non motorized craft, but also has a little known but really lovely primitive campsite that could accomodate several small groups. Best for camping, it would have room for a small trailer or two to drive in, but of course there are no hook ups of any kind as this is a backcountry location. There is a pit toilet, many good tent sites, and a picnic area, all on a lovely peninsula on the north side of the lake. You can easily drive to this location on back forest roads, though note that these roads are closed in winter and spring.

There is no well or pump or other water source at this campsite, and though the water is basically clear and clean you should either bring your own water jus or plan to boil or filter the nearby lake water as there is a lot of beaver activity in the area.

You can do some hiking along the quiet forest service roads nearby, paddle the chain of lakes, or go fishing. The lakes are not heavily fished, but they are not regularly stocked by the DNR either. It may be of interest for those fishing that the substrate of these lakes favors small mouth bass, which are fun to angle for but are fairly uncommon for this neck of the woods!

This super hidden little gem is fairly new in the last several years. While it's not the fanciest campsite, it's lovely for a quick overnight. It's on a loop around Waboose Lake in Nevis MN, but it's actually a spur off of the North Country Trail. If you care to use it while hiking on the NCT, it's not far off the main NCT trail. Or, if you just want a short overnight experience, there is a parking lot next to the lake. Head out on the white-blazed trail to the LEFT of the parking area and this will get you to the camp the quickest. You can still get there from the right (since the Waboose Trail is a loop), but it will take a little longer to get there. If you head to the right, it's down by the boat landing on the other side of the parking lot.

The campsite is on a little spur off the main trail. Maybe a hundred yards. The trail is well marked if you watch for the camp sign. There is a lovely little bench (as is typical in this area of campsites on the NCT) with an attached table that sits next to the first fire grate. Then, a bit further up the trail, there is the main fire ring, bench and tent pad. Not even 30 feet down a short slope is super easy access to the water. The tent pad isn't huge, but could easily accommodate a 2 or 3 person tent. Maybe larger if you wanted to try. And there are some great hammock trees too!

Just down a short trail to the right (before you get to the actual campsite and bench) is a sign that shows you where the pit toilet is. This one is a bit more modest, with a 2 sided fence to shelter you from the trail and anyone passing by.

As for the trail, since Waboose Lake Loop and the NCT cross over each other, you want to follow the WHITE blazes to stay on the Waboose Loop. Occasionally you will see blue and white blazes on the same tree. That's because the NCT is marked in blue, and again, the two trails join together for a bit before the NCT heads in another direction again. Just keep your eyes open.

This is a beautiful deeply wooded double campsite along the scenic Pine River. It is accessible only by foot, bike or paddle, for trekkers on the Paul Bunyan Bike Trail or the Pine River Water Trail. For paddlers, the campsite is right on the river between River Mile 35 and 36, just south of the town of Pine River. For bikers or hikers, it is about a half mile south  down the trail from the Bites Bar and Grill  to the turn off west on a dirt trail about a half mile down to the river. There are two campsites avaialble, for separate campers or for a group to encompas the whole camping area. Fire ring, picnic table, tent clearings available. There is no cost to camp here, but also no way to reserve either of the sites, and in accordance to trail etiquette if you show up on your bike or in your canoe ready to camp but someone else is there, they should share the camping space with you. 

Map of the water trail is here: 

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/canoe\_routes/pine.pdf

General info on the water trail is here: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/pineriver/index.html

Map of the Paul Bunyan Bike Trail is here: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state\_trails/paulbunyan\_heartland.pdf

General info on the bike trail is here: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state\_trails/paul\_bunyan/index.html

This camp site is a few miles away from the rest of the campgrounds and the picnic area as well as a forrest trail. It is extremely buggy and there’s a large wasp nest/ tunnel system on the ground near the fire pit. The fire pit is a classic rock ring. There is also a vault toilet and a picnic table. There’s only room for one group to camp here so if you get there early it’s pretty secluded except for a few drivers who come by to see if the spot is open. The entrance to the lake may be nice for a kayak or canoe but definitely not something you would walk into or swim in. I have verizon and there is no cell service at this sight. There were some bars closer to where you drive in but still nothing great. It was okay for the night but not the best dispersed campsite i’ve been too!

It was a spur of the moment decision to stay at Woodtick Trail Dispersed Camp 1 on the North Country Trail for my first solo hiking experience! I wanted someplace not too far from home (in case I needed my husband to rescue me from the night sounds of an owl), but also easily accessible. I didn't want terribly rough terrain since the weather was going to be a little steamy, but somewhere that would challenge me a bit. I had a new pack that I needed to test out, and I wanted to see how my new OOFOS Women's OOriginal Sandals felt on my feet after hiking. I loved wearing them around the house, so I hoped to test them out in a different setting. What better place than nature!

Campground Review:

Campgrounds along the North Country Trail are all awesome, because they are free! But no matter what I have to pay for them, they are still hit or miss. A site can still be a pretty stinky experience, even if it's free (note: you always pay for sites in State Parks, even if they are along the trail). In the past, I've stayed at others along the trail, and been pleasantly surprised by how lovely they were, and this was no exception! I loved the fact that, for my first solo hike and camp, I didn't have to hike too far into nature to find a place to hang my hammock and eat my dinner (or in otherwords, my car was pretty close if a skunk looking for a midnight snack passed under my hammock and scared me during the night). It was insanely easy to find, just a hop, skip and a jump off of the trail. And this one had a very obvious sign at the bottom of the hill where the trail led to the tentpad. It was only about 50 feet up that small hill to the campsite. Beautifully located on a small ridge between 3 little ponds (or, perhaps, they were 3 of the 10,000 lakes that Minnesota boasts on their license plates). It had a small tent pad and a nice little metal fire ring with a cooking grate that folded up and over if you didn't want to use it to cook on. The latrine (and yes, it was in good shape except for a few resident spiders) was just down an opposing hill.

I brought my hammock this time, and I have to note, a hammock isn't an ideal way to use this site. The good trees have quite a bit of underbrush between them. The two trees that were ideal...next to the firepit...were too close together to create a good hang. I used them anyhow, but I think my 1 person tent would have been the better choice here. I must also mention that because the site is so close to a main road, I did hear quite a bit of road "chatter" from the cars all through the night. It wasn't bad if you are used to city sounds, but if you live deep in the heart of nature, it could be a bit of a bother.

I suppose I could say there is a place to bathe, but you'd be sharing the lake with the locals if you did (meaning: beavers). I must also note that if you enjoy watching the sunrise, there is a superb little spot about 20 yards down the main trail, just off the campsite, that has a cute little boardwalk that would be ideal to sit on with a cup of coffee and watch the colors of the sky change as the sun comes up.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Woodtick Trail Dispersed Camp 1, I was able to review the OOFOS Women's OOriginal Sandals that I won from a contest. Although the camp received 4 stars from me, the shoes would receive 10 stars, if they would let me rate them that high! Here is a link to their site (specifically, the shoe I am reviewing) https://www.oofos.com/collections/womens-ooriginal-sandal

What I loved about the OOFOS sandals:

1. First, they are insanely lightweight! When the box arrived, I wasn't certain they had remembered to put the shoes inside. It's a super lightweight type of "foam" that is molded into this perfect shape of a shoe.
2. The color...I love the color! I know that's a small thing, but have your ever ordered something online, because you liked the color, and received it only to be saddened by the fact that it was truly ugly in person? Ya, not these. Bright and pretty!
3. The comfort of these flipflop sandals is something that you can only truly appreciate once you put them on your feet. They call them "recovery" shoes. Used by many athletes and those that beat their feet up daily. The arch support is high and cushy. It's perfect to "cradle" the parts of your foot that pound the pavement while you work hard or play hard. I'm a pastry chef and wear high end clogs on hard tile floors all day long. The clogs are awesome, but when I come home, I truly love stepping out of them and stepping into my OOFOS. It's like walking on a little cloud! Really...they are cushy, yet supportive. They hug your feet and don't want to fall off. Almost like a little foot massage when you walk.
4. I know they don't advertise this as an attribute of the shoe, but I found that if you have to get into the lake with them (I have dogs, they need to play in the lake to be happy), they almost get "sticky" and "grippy". While I absolutely would not consider them classic water shoes, they do not want to slip off your feet like generic flipflops do. You won't lose them if you have to go retrieve a frisbee or ball from the shallows.
5. They are very easy to clean off. The footbed (so far) doesn't really hold dirt. It seems very easy to rinse and clean.

I'm ecstatic that I was the winner of a contest on The Dyrt, and so excited that the "shoe I'd never heard of before" is now a permanent part of my summer wardrobe! I'll definitely purchase others in the future.

This is a unique little site that's really a canoe camp, but accessible by foot as well. It's not well advertised...almost a secret! But if you are in a canoe, it's easy to find off the river. If you are on foot or bicycle, it's marked on the paved Paul Bunyan Trail.

From the trail, it's about a 1/2 mile walk/hike to the site. Not super easy if you have a bike, but do-able. Easy if on foot, and super easy if in a canoe! There are actually 2 sites, about a 1/4 mile apart, and both are equally nice. Newer picnic tables, fire rings, lots of trees for hammocks, right on the river with super easy in/out for canoes. Very pretty view on the river! Both have bathroom/latrine/toilet access as well.