Best Tent Camping near Ranier, MN

A very unique park. All sites are boat in. Many houseboat sites for private and rented houseboats and many many family sites for tent camping. Sites are a mix of dock, beach, and rock access and are labeled on the Voyageur National Park Camping map. Sites are located on all lakes in the park: and a few back country too. Houseboat sites have tie off rings and are quiet large- they offer a fire ring and many have a picnic table. Tent sites have one or two tent pads and a fire ring and picnic table and a vault toilet usually. No electric. No water. Remember you can in fact camp anywhere you wish as long as you are 200 meters (I think) from another established site.

Nice, paeceful campground along Rainy River. Small Rvs can navigate also several nice walk in tent sites on river. 2 sites with electric. All sites first come.

Overall, we had a very good trip to this camp. Our experience was different than the other review, as the address took us to an area that only had tent sites. 9 spots available and we were the only ones there. It had one clean pit/ vault toilet. There was a water hydrant but we couldn’t figure it out. Pretty view of the lake from our site. We paid $17 for the night, which I found to be kind of pricey for a primitive spot, but I don’t mind supporting these campgrounds. Would go back if visiting Voyageurs again!

A really nice place with lots of fun stuff do to right in the campground including a beach and boat ramp on Pelican Lake. There is a nice playground area for kids. The place caters mostly to seasonal folks more than overnight roadies. I stumbled on it by accident when I was heading to Voyageurs NP but just wanted to get off the road for the night.

 Some of the seasonal sites have extensive decking and screened porches. The sites for the temp folks had full hookups but were gravel that was not well maintained and not level. The bathrooms were ok, maybe a C+. There was no soap at the men’s bathroom sink. There are only six daily/weekly RV/tent sites.  The rest are seasonal rentals.  It got 4 stars instead of 3 because it is so pretty and peaceful.

This is a great little gem on the Canadian border. Minnesota’s smallest state park- but it’s very gorgeous and feels kinda awesome looking out at Canada!

A very cool feature at most sites, is that they have a rustic log overhanging/shelter of sorts. Doesn’t have sides, but some campers strung a tarp on one side to get some actual shelter.

Clean vaulted toilets, running water, garbages throughout the camp and an electric post at the boat launch (doesn’t really seem like it’s an actual camp site, I saw multiple cars pulling up to it to utilize the power, and it’s right in the middle of the boat launch).

Tent pads dry, big, and soft ground. Sites spread out decently, plenty of buffer between most of them. Feels pretty rugged and backwoodsy.

Saw quite a few eagles, the clearest stars ever, and enjoyed a peaceful hike along the river and then through the woods. My site was #4, a walk in site, and for sure the best one in the park! Just about 50 meters from the parking spot, up a little trail to the top of a small hill with great view and bench overlooking the rapids.

Clearly a place for fisher people. The camp boasts Lake Sturgeon fishing and in the evening, I saw multiple boats at the rapids, so something must have been biting!

Ralph, the park caretaker was absolutely amazing, and helped me out with some car trouble. That was a godsend! Nice to know that even in the middle of nowhere, you still got some backup if needed.

Just a fun little kinda secret spot, very basic but still with the necessities and with a backwoods feel, which I definitely appreciate!

This was our first time staying at Echo Lake Campground. We pulled in on a Friday night and a number of sites were already full or reserved. We ended up picking site #10.  It was a good site.  A slight incline down from the road but a nice tent pad and a very roomy site.  The campground was very quiet even though there were a number of people staying there.   A number of the sites would be good for either tents or campers.  We would happily stay here again!

We stayed at site K29, Round Bear, in Voyageurs National Park. It was incredible. The views were stunning and it was easy to get our boat in and out of a small cove behind our site. There are two tent pads but we found a couple of other spots on nearby trails where you could set up a tent if you had a bigger group. My favorite feature of our site was a rock ledge that looked out over the water. We set up our chairs there and just hung out for awhile. The other nice part about this site is that it is very close to the Ash River Visitor Center (5 minute boat ride tops). This made it super easy to go back to our car for anything we might have forgotten. Highly recommend this site, especially for a group of 4-6 people!

Northern Minnesota camping is known for being one of the few remaining places in the US where you can enjoy the wilderness with absolutely no sounds of man-made machines and cities. Camping at Voyageurs National Park is one of those experiences. It's great BECAUSE all the camping is via boat.

There is a little fire ring at each campsite with a metal stove to put wood underneath. There is ample ground space for tents, as well as the whole lake network at your fingertips. Highly recommend

Our campsite was beautiful! Boated out 17 mile out very own island with a dock provided. The camping pads made setting up the tents 10x easier and more organized. The lake water was refreshing and there were so many places to boat to for hiking, clift jumping, and especially fishing. Had an absolute blast!

This is a boat in site out of Ash River Visitor Center. North shore of the lake is Canada and the South shore of the lake is the US. Beautiful campsite with 4 huge tent pads, 4 bear lockers and a beautiful sandy beach. Plenty of room for 8-12 campers. Half of us were in hammocks which increased our livable space. Very secluded with ample views.

This is my favorite campground in all of Minnesota. Located outside of Orr close to 20 miles, there are no people or towns to make noise or light. The stars are incredibly bright at night. Plenty of hiking trails and great for fishing walleye.

**NOTE:  To the best of what I can find, this appears to be a free site.  I can't, at this time, find any indication that's it's paid or reserve-able**

This is a great little free campsite right on Crane Lake before you go into the Boundary Waters Canoe area.

The site has a fire ring with grate, picnic table, plenty of trees for hammocks, and a small tent pad that would be good for a three or four person tent. There's also a primitive toilet so you don't have to dig a cat hole!

This is a motorized lake so there is boat noise, but the water lapping on the rocks at the island makes it very tolerable. Fairly easy access to grab drinking water for filtering, and some decent pine branches for hanging a bear bag. (even on an island - it's advisable to hang a bear bag. Also helps with other critters like squirrels and mice)

The campsite faces the West so if the weather is good, you're in for a great sunset!

Camped here on Oct 17, 2023. Small wooded state park campground along the Rainy River and the Canadian border. Sites were back-in and had tent pads. I don't recommend anything larger than a truck camper. Some sites were small and not level. Campground host was friendly and helpful. Some hiking trails. Fished on the Rainy River and caught a northern pike. Hand water pump. Clean vault toilet with tp. Our site had a covered picnic table, lattern pole and metal fire ring. The site was wedged inside the gravel campground loop road. I really liked this campground.

Cannot say enough wonderful things about this campsite. Besides being excellently maintained, the site itself felt luxurious with stake-able tent pads, easy rock-based water access, and an incredibly easy and nice fire pit with a grate. The vault toilets were well lit, well maintained, and barely stinky. There is also a fresh water well so no iodine needed here. We saw bald eagles and otters, and found many blueberries along the nice hiking loop. Would come here again, it was unexpectedly quite friendly to someone new to canoe camping and i would recommend it to other new campers, or anyone starting/ending their voyageurs trip. Get here through the king williams narrows from crane lake, the sign for voyageurs was down when we came through.

This is a small county park and campground off the beaten path. It is located adjacent to the Little American Falls, and alongside the Big Fork River water trail. There are several campsites you can drive into, and if it is not the muddy season you could drive with a trailer or small RV into some of the the camping sites. Although the sites themselves are pretty well kept, campers are advised to pack out their own garbage but it seems some folks don't feel they have to--so there is some litter around, and evidence of campers burning garbage in the firepits. There is little to no cell phone service here, no on site ranger or camp host, but sites have basic picnic tables and fire rings, and there is an outhouse available. You should bring your own water; any RV's should know there are no hookups of any kind, but you are allowed to use a generator here. 

The main appeal of this campground is access to the river, which involves going down a steep bank (there are stairs) but worth it for fishing or kayaking or canoeing. The falls are beautiful, and worth a visit. There arent official biking or hiking trails but you could easily walk or bike on the back roads adjacent to the campground. If you want more privacy, there is a canoe campsite on the bank opposite of the county campground, just downstream of the falls, that is maintained by the Minnesota DNR and is water-access only.

There is no cost to camp here, but also no reservations so first come first served. For maps, you can refer to the Koochiching County recreation maps to see location, which are here: 

https://www.co.koochiching.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/135/Outdoor-Recreation-Map-PDF?bidId=

https://www.co.koochiching.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/994/Koochiching-Recreation-Map-2018-PDF

The Big Fork Water Trail map is here: https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/canoe\_routes/bigfork1.pdf

And for more info you can contact the Koochiching County Lands and Forests office here: https://www.co.koochiching.mn.us/178/Land-Forestry

Note: the cost for the campsite is $20.00 per night, and there is also a $10.0 fee for reserving online, which you have to do before arriving. There are discounts if you have a national park senior or military pass, or free for veterans. 

Mukooda Lake is an ecologically unique inland lake within Voyageurs Natioanl Park. Access is best via the crane Lake entrance on the southeast part of the park. Getting to the campground involves a bit of an expedition! You need use a small motorboat or  paddle a canoe or kayak from Crane Lake to SandPoint Lake, then turn  west into a small bay and dock at the Mukooda Access (no houseboats allowed!). If you don't have a boat, you can hire a water taxi from Crane Lake, they can drive you to the Mukooda access and arrange to pick you up again some days hence. Then you need to hike west across the Sand Point Narrows into Mukooda Lake, where you will find a day use area with beach and picnic area, trailhead for several hiking trails, and 5 separate small campgrounds spread like a string of pearls along a trail north of the day use area.  Each campsite has a tent pad, fire ring, picnic table, and bear box, and there is a central solar outhouse in the day use area. The campsites are beautiful, and secluded, the hiking is great, and the fishing is exceptional. There is a unique subspecies of lake trout found here that is found nowhere else in the world; also, the lake has a unique substrate and hydrology and is very pristine. For those reasons, to protect the ake ecosystem ad the fishery, no outside boats may be portaged into Mukooda, even if you paddled your own canoe or kayak into the access. If you want to get out onto Mukooda Lake itself, there are boats already located there which you can reserve and rent for day use.  That is a great idea for fishing, or for exploring the lake and its several islands! Some of the vendors for that option include:

https://scottspeacefulvalley.com/mukooda-lake/

https://www.voyagaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-Optional-Equipment-Rentals.pdf

Boat rentals to get up to SandPoint before you hike into Mukooda can be arranged at one of these outfitters: https://www.visitcranelake.com/outdoor-activities/boat-rentals/

Hiking trail at Mukooda: https://www.voyageurs.org/mukoodatrail

General info about Voyageurs National Park: https://www.nps.gov/voya/index.htm

Latest news about Mukooda lake: https://www.nps.gov/search/?affiliate=nps&query=mukooda&sitelimit=www.nps.gov%2Fvoya

Located about 7 miles from the Ash River Visitor Center put-in, this beautiful little “front country” boat in site is a gem within Namakan Lake. Note: Get a detailed chart before attempting to navigate the lake, as the twists and turns and hundreds of islands can be quite confusing without one.

Beautiful view of the sunset and surrounding islands, two camping pads tucked into the trees, firepit, picnic table, 2 bear boxes, and your own private toilet (bring your own TP!). Kayak/canoe landing area is protected from the main channel/wind, can accommodate multiple boats with ease, and is just a short “schlep” up the stairs to the campsite. We stayed here 2 nights in early May and saw 3 boats the entire time. We fell asleep to loons and owls calling in the night.

Before many of the boat tours and rentals are running for the summer season, having your own watercraft is clutch in Voyageurs. But if you do, the park is practically all yours.

We did not have reservations ahead of time, but we’d highly recommend it during the summer season, because we were told they usually fill up. We visited in early summer, before many park events and tours had begun, so we beat most of the crowds.

The site we had in the Rainy Lake area, site #R67, was amazing. It wasn’t too tough to get out there in our inflatable kayak from the mainland (maybe an hour or so?) and we were able to navigate the islands just fine.

Our site had incredible views of both the sunset and sunrise, and since we were on our own small island, it felt truly special.

The site came with a picnic table, a sandy area to dock our kayak, and an in-ground pit toilet. Don’t forget bug spray! And if it’s a nice night, we’d suggest keeping off your rain fly. :)

We only stayed here for one night before returning to the mainland to drive south to access Lake Kabetogama and kayak out to our next campsite in Locator Lake.

The whole park is beautiful, but we’d recommend not visiting in the off-season if you don’t have your own kayak or boat. The heart of the park is on the water!

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Voyageurs)