Best Tent Camping near Silver Bay, MN

We came here after a day of diving in Lake Superior. The trees are just starting to turn. Beautiful drive from Silver Bay. Small campground with a narrow road in. It’s fine for our tiny camper but bigger rigs would have trouble getting in and out.

We loved our stay here, just a bit colder than I was expecting and after coming across the US in June I was not dressed for the cold. We had warm stuff and were totally fine just something to think about. We camped at tent site #3 because we could park right next to our camp site. There are camping spots back in the woods a bit that you can park right next to but we wanted to be on the lake. The sunset was breathtaking, and we had fun picking stones. Be sure to bring your UV light for finding yooper lights.

We lost cell service on the way there and got a bit nervous, taking screen shots of the map but there is service there.

We camped in a tent without 2 dogs and young toddler and had a great time.

Loved the view. We had a lakeside tent site. Campsites aren’t that spread out. We had a good amount of space but we could easily hear the neighbors and was annoying late at night. There are some outhouses and ADA restrooms/showers. We were 15 minutes from Meyer’s Beach, which was great. Lakeside tent sites are right by the beach. Beach was rocky - bring a pair of crocs or similar shoe if you’re sensitive to the rocks and branches in the sand. Water was cool and felt great!

Have stayed here many times, love it!
Great tent sites right on Lake Superior.

Hardly any bears :)

Very beautiful place right on Lake Superior. The tent sites are right along the beach. Small and remote. Beautiful hiking locations close by.

Great campground with tent sites next to the beach. RV sites are small and close together. Both 30 & 50 amp service for RV's. First come first serve for all sites. Can be very crowded in July and August. I recommend this campground if you like great views of Lake Superior.

The tent sites or sites not on the water were EXTREMELY lacking. Site 25 specifically was awful. Brush is over grown making very limited space to set up a tent and the path up to the small clearing up the hill is being taken over by growth BUT the sites on the water are breath taking. Knowing this we will be back. Bathrooms are clean, water access is great, and water is available for drinking and cleaning that’s really a great set up. -Mosquitoes are BAD (as to be expected) so bring a screen tent. -Fire pits have a GREAT cooking set up that swivels over the fire, downside is some of them are broken or need upkeep as dirt has settled under it and it won’t move anymore (needs to be dug out). -camp host is SUPER nice and has the cutest relationship with the chipmunks, if you need wood stop by and say hi and meet the cute and bossy chipmunks.

Dog loved it there, it’s quiet, beautiful, campsites are generally well maintained, tent sites are just VERY small and getting smaller.

Camped here July 5th on our way South from Lake Superior and it was empty. Camped right along Lake Superior, practically the entire sandy beach to ourselves. Though close to the road and open, secluded, wooded tent sites and open. Even spots are also available. Cute place in an even cuter town. Excellent spot and would stay again if timing were right.

Not much privacy with these campsites (or shade if you have one right on the lake) but the view is worth it to us! Boat landing is about a 10 minute drive down a gravel road, but it’s a nice area! There are tent sites on the side road that provide shad and some privacy as well. All sites and first-come (no reservations)

Big Bay State Park is a perfect place for your summer vacation. You can camp with a tent or RV at Big Bay State Park. Don’t forget to look at the cost of the ferry over if you’re bringing your RV. It can get expensive depending on length, but still a better deal than renting an air bnb. Easy walking trails and cliffs to jump off. There are a lot of fun places to visit on the island. Definitely recommend bringing a car if you’re planning to tent camp, the park is far from town.

Nice clean bathroom and great showers that have an extra DRY SPACE and a chair to change into fresh dry clothes.

Campground is well maintained, sites in the woods are spaced apart. Sites closer to Lake Superior are tight, some are VERY SHORT and tent sites only.

Good electric power and water at the site we were at.

Two nice beaches and a river at the campground. Very beautiful sunrise’s over the lake!

Fall camping will be cool beside the lake so bring warm clothes.

Close to MANY Minnesota State Parks and super good hiking trails.

Site 8 with no electricity or water and is great site with super views of the lake.

My husband and I camped here over the 4th of July weekend with our entire family. We loved the campsites as the sites where spacious and seemed more secluded with all the trees. We loved how wooded the sites where as it felt more like camping and provided more privacy. The campground was pretty and very well kept. The sites vary in size so I would recommend driving around the loops to check them out to see which one would fit your best camping needs for your RV/Tents. We always do this as we like to know which sites to get the next time we camp here. We got the last two first come first serve non electric sites as it was over the 4th of July so we actually got lucky to get a site at all. We used generators as it was almost 100 out the entire week we camped. The campground asks for generators to be turned off I believe between 10-10:30pm.

We spent most of our time at the beach and in the lake as swimming was a must this week due to it being so hot out. We brought our lily pad to use out on the water which was a big hit for everyone in our group.

The tent sites where amazing they were full of trees for more of feel of actual roughing it camping. The best part of this campground is the tent site area has their own beach area which was amazing for all the kids in our group. The hosts were very informational and even delivered ice and firewood if you needed more! This was a huge perk as this campground has so many loops and our group camped in RV sites and Tent Sites.

The beach area was very clean and boat launch was nice. Very friendly hosts as each loop has hosts assigned which was convenient.  The lake is huge just had to be careful as this was our first time at this lake and since the water levels where down the sand bars were more noticeable then usual as locals stated.  We plan on coming back to this campground it was very clean and well kept.

We tried it on the way to the UP of Michigan and came back the same route for two more nights. If you are a water lover, you’ll love the easy access to the water and walkable beach. 12 Reservable campsites online. Tent camping and electrical camping on water, and dry camping in the back woods first come first serve. Camp hosts are nice. Picnic table and fire ring included. Wood bundles $5 for a lot of wood. Laundry, separate bathrooms from shower trailer. Faucets in shower were odd. Definitely would stay again.

This is one of my favorite campgrounds. If your looking for a place to camp on the shore of Lake Superior, then this is your place. Nothing beats the sunsets!

They recently have gotten showers and a place to wash dishes.

From my experience if you want a tent site on the lake and not in the woods, you need to get there early Friday or go during the week.

Bring food with you, the nearest store is 7 miles away in Cornucopia.

My sister and I spent two nights tent camping here at a site right on the water. We arrived around noon on Friday of memorial day weekend when about half of the sites were filled. Plenty of options depending on the size of your party and rigs. Lots of other lakes to explore in this area. Our favorite parts were the ample space between each site and that it was free. Plenty of room for dogs and kiddos to run around. We only wish we brought a canoe to take out on the lake for more exploring. It’s about 30 minutes from Finland off hwy 1.

for short stay RV campers or seasonal campers, this might be a campground of interest due to its proximity to the Bay as well as into the town of Washburn. However, I am reviewing this from the perspective of a tent camper, and this campground proides bathrooms and menities etc, but this is not a reall desireable location for tent camping. Few trees, small campsites, close together, no privacy. The waterfront area needs a bit of work and maintanence too, in rough shape due to shoreline flooding. It would be more than adequate to stay here if nothing lse in the area is avaialble, or would be a decent place to stay overnight before launching out into the Apostle Islands, but not the best place as a destination camping area for tent campers.

We stayed here last June with our large family. My bf and I stayed 2 nights in a cabin and tent camped 2 nights on a camp site. This area has great access to many lakes including the BWCA along with being close to Ely for anything you may have forgotten. Silver Rapids Lodge itself has a bar/restaurant right by campground along with many other amenities. Many cabins to choose from from 4-6 ppl all the way up to a 24 person cabin!! Good fishing and lots of areas to do so without a boat, if you don’t have a boat and would like to rent one SRL offers boat rentals. Small swimming area and play place for kids. Pet friendly, clean, and nice hosts.