Join the fun near Superior National Forest. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Superior National Forest is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Minnesota camping adventure.
Trail's End Campground is located next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in a remote area of Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. It is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy life, or get out on the water to canoe and fish. Berry picking and wildlife viewing are also great fun.
Trail's End includes four entry points (54, 55, J and K) into the BWCAW, offering plenty of boating, canoeing and fishing opportunities. Overnight, day use and boat motor permits are required for entry, and horsepower limits are in effect. Day use and overnight permits are available at the campground. Wildlife viewing is exceptional for bald eagles, osprey, loons and moose, and fishing is good for walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and lake trout. View recreation guides and maps of hiking trails and canoe routes in the national forest.
Trail's End includes four entry points (54, 55, J and K) into the BWCAW, offering plenty of boating, canoeing and fishing opportunities. Overnight, day use and boat motor permits are required for entry, and horsepower limits are in effect. Day use and overnight permits are available at the campground. Wildlife viewing is exceptional for bald eagles, osprey, loons and moose, and fishing is good for walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and lake trout. View recreation guides and maps of hiking trails and canoe routes in the national forest.
Trail's End sits along the Seagull River and provides access to Seagull, Gull and Saganaga Lakes. Numerous species of wildlife live in and around the campground, and blueberries grow abundantly on the forest floor. White and red pine, aspen and birch trees grow in the forested parts of the facility, providing shade. The fire burned a mosaic pattern, reducing some areas to ash while leaving others untouched. Many trees survived and burned areas have begun to grow again. This is a great opportunity to see a young forest rejuvenate after a fire. Post-fire soils and young trees are delicate, so caution should be taken while walking in the forest.
The nearby Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center is a great way to spend an afternoon with the family. Many nature trails crisscross the center's 50-acre grounds. The BWCAW is by far the most popular nearby attraction. Over 1 million acres in size, the Boundary Waters extend nearly 150 miles along the United States-Canada border and contain over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Additional sites of interest
For facility specific information, please call (218) 387-1750.
$22 / night
Eighteen Lake Rustic Campground provides three campsites and a picnic area under red pines on the shore of Eighteen Lake. A trail around the lake and a carry down boat access make this a wonderful spot to spend a weekend in the woods.
We offer a chance to discover the North Country. Explore the area on an ATV, a snowmobile, snowshoes or on foot and return to the warmth of a cozy fire in our lodge. Wildhurst is a private lodge and campground tucked into 40 acres of wilderness located in the Sawtooth Mountains. Bears, moose and grouse are common sightings along the many trails and creeks that surround Wildhurst. With direct access to the ATV/snowmobile trails, the adventure is endless.
Each campsite is located in a private, rustic setting with fire rings and picnic tables. Four RV sites with 40 amp and water, dry lodge rooms and soon to be added Yurts! Our log cabins are rustic with electric, propane heat, mini fridge, microwave and screened porches with a log swing overlooking Wildhurst Creek. All sites and rooms come with 24/7 access to the shower rooms.
Harriet Lake Rustic Campground is located at the site of an abandoned farm. The open land now hosts a variety of coneflowers and other plants not common in a boreal forest. It also provides opportunities for group picnicking. The lake itself is accessed by a boat ramp and dock and supports walleye, northern pike, and crappies.
The Divide Lake Campground provides a northwoods camping experience in a small (only 3 sites) secluded campground located near many recreational opportunities. A walk-down canoe launch provides access to Divide Lake and its stocked trout population while Divide Lake Trail provides a 2 mile hike with benches and scenic overlooks. Other nearby lakes, a boat ramp, and a fishing pier give the camper even more chances to enjoy the outdoors. Of particular interest is the fact that FR 172 in this area is on the Laurentian Divide with waters on the Divide Lake side flowing to Lake Superior and those on the Tanner Lake side flowing north to Hudson’s Bay. Downloadable information and map.
$34 - $750 / night
Been a long time user of Sullivan lake campground. Love the rusticity of it and the quietness of it. So quit you can feel the grouse Drumming’s deep within your soul. Highly recommend.
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.
We stayed at Wildhurst about 20 years ago and had a great time, even got to see an mini-air show overhead with USAF F-16s out of Duluth doing maneuvers overhead. So, when the State Forest campgrounds were closed last spring for storm cleanup, we decided to take a cabin there. Not going back. The new owners are trying; I'll give them that. They're friendly, the little restaurant isn't bad, but the latrines (outhouses) really need to be rebuilt. I mean REALLY. Lime on the toilet seat. Early in the season and the biffys by our cabin were horrible smelling, (And I DO understand that they are open toilets. I was the ranger in a state forest campground for 26 years and had to clean weekly and pump out every year 12 of them.) and if the wind was wrong, we could smell it in our cabin. Cabins were smallish, but comparable to a state park camper cabin, they need updates, paint, roofing, and leveling the floors.
Wildhurst has potential. I wish it was as good as it used to be,
Camped here on Oct 22, 2023. Free primitive national forest campground with 5 sites. Wooded. Campground is suitable for truck campers and smaller. There was a crappy looking RV parked next to the vault toilet; sketchy, looked like long term residents. I did not get a good vibe here but stayed anyway since it was getting late. No drinking water. Fire ring at site. Sites spaced apart okay. Beautiful lake. Nice hiking trail around lake. Fishing is good. Road coming to the campground can be rough in places, but doable with passenger car. The campground itself was nothing special, but camping in the woods along a beautiful lake was appealing.
Been coming here for years. It's absolutely amazing. It had gotten busy over thr years though.
Two small sites here right next to each other with a fire ring for each. Canoe launch with a small beach. Nice breeze off the lake. New clean pit toilet. No onsite trash. Overall pretty quiet, some fishing traffic, and the nearby cabin owners walk through a couple times a day. We used both sites for the six of us, two cars, a tent, and a teardrop camper.
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.
The boundary waters is one of my favorite places on earth. But the mosquito hatch at the end of the summer was truly awful. See video for running around trying to keep them off.
Got there after sunset met the host and easily found our campsite. The next morning we awoke to a wonderful view of the lake. Friendly people all around and would highly recommend this campground.
We’ve been going to Lambs for about 8 years now, wonderful place for the kids. Great place for bikers to camp, mountain biking trails and paved trails within 10 minutes!
The atmosphere here is great. Secluded campgrounds but some sites are close together. Feels like you’re at the edge of the world. Enjoyed exploring and chilling by the lakeside. Went for a day during late October when the campground was closed for the season—open to the public still but no utilities available. Very dead!
This is one of the best campsites anyone could get too! It is a jumping off point for people to explore the Boundary waters, but it is also one of the best locations to just get away from everything. The campground has several loops and different amenities and locations to choose from. Some of the sites have water hook ups, but all the sites are rustic. They do have a variety of privacy as some are out in the open and some are private. Depending on what you want I would recommend taking a look at the sites. It does have a good size boat ramp that is well used by explorers. This is campground is in an ideal location to explore the area around northern Minnesota. It's about an hour north of Grand Marias on one of the best drives in the state. If you can get here in the fall that is the ideal time!
Campsite was beautiful, would recommend going to a site further from the sawmill, it can be quite loud in the AM. But honestly? Excellent alarm for a summer sunrise.
We stayed in campsite 10. It was fantastic! We had a great view of Gull Lake, with a trail to lake access and also had a spigot with potable water. There were nice, clean vault toilets up the hill too.
The staff at the concessionaire were friendly, knowledgeable, and helped us with renting a canoe and kayak to access the BWCAW.
For anyone wanting to TRULY experience the BWCA and BWCAW, but not accessing a backcountry site, I highly recommend Trail’s End.
Love, love, love this campground! It not only has full hook-ups and overlooks a lake, but is right on the Mesabi Bike Trail. The managers were friendly and helpful. The sites were spacious. It was so peaceful!
We love it here. We return year after year for the sites and solitude. Water at every site. Campsites spaced far apart. Outhouses well-cleaned and maintained.
Stayed at campsite #1. Like some other sites in this campground, it had its own well water faucet. The nearby vault toilet was oksy, but no toilet paper. The view from the campsite was fantastic. There's an un-maintained trail near the boat ramp. It was a little difficult for my old legs. The campground was very quiet. No T-Mobile cell service. I would love to camp here again.
Was perfect for our family with two toddlers and a dog in a scamp.
Quiet, peaceful, and spacious. All around great location to explore the north shore.
We came on a Thursday night at the end of September and it was not full the entire weekend.
Would try to get site 3 next time.
We visited this campground in June 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. Services were pared back quite a bit, regardless we had a great time. Our 33' motorhome was able to fit nicely in a pull-through site and we rented a boat during our stay. The campground is in a very secluded part of the world, and it was very relaxing. It was worth the trip up the gunflint trail.
A little expensive but worth it for the secluded site not far from the showers. Bar/office super friendly
We stayed at this resort for 4 days and wish we had more time. The smooth pebble beach is fantastic. Our dogs loved running up and down the beach and playing on the shore. We took a day trip and walked North on the Gitchi Gami State Trail and visited Temperance River Falls and Hidden Falls.
We are the only people here in the campground, the locals make us feel welcome. Lots of hiking
I got a tent site (E5) for a one night stay. The check in process was quick and seamless and the site was nice. I was sleeping on a bit of an incline, and there wasn’t a truly flat spot, but I made due. There was one tent in the spot next to me, but was far enough away to not be noisy.
Steep but short hike in to the lake via superior hiking trail. Quiet campsite right on the lake, with great views. Sites are in the middle of a spruce forest and are quite rooted, so make sure you have a good pad.
It’s a peaceful, beautiful campground. The campsites are large and spaced out well. The outhouses are clean with minimal smell. The lake is very quiet and beautiful. Perfect place to get away and soak in the beauty.
I have stayed at the Whitefish campground several times. The campground consists of 4-5 free spots next to the lake. The sites include a picnic table and fire ring, no running water, electricity, or sewer hook ups. There is a pit toilet located at the campground. This campground has a carry-in lake access for canoes and small boats, and the lake has good walleye fishing. From this lake you can access portage trails to neighboring lakes like Elbow Lake, which also has good fishing. There are also a few boat-in camp sites located on this lake and neighboring lakes. This campground often fills up quickly. When that happens, I have done dispersed camping in the area. Some of those spots include the gravel pit and a sand pit located along the road before you reach the campground, there’s also areas past the campground, the trail splits and if you stay to the right you should be able to find a spot between Frear Lake and Lost Lake. If you stay to the left the trail will take you to Bone Lake, which is a trout lake. You may be able to find a dispersed spot there. Once you get past this point the trail narrows. These trails are also used by ATVs, but it is fairly rare to see them in the area. While camping in this area you may also spot wildlife, I’ve seen moose, deer, and bald eagles. Also be aware there are wolves and bears in the area, although I’ve never seen them. Phone service in this area is pretty limited. If needed, your best bet would be a stop at the Trestle Inn bar/restaurant located a few miles down the road near the Crooked Lake Resort. The Trestle Inn is also a popular stop for burgers/pizza and a drink.
All the perks of rustic camping (or lack of lol!) with a beautiful lake right in view of the entire camp. Pretty nice beach and it’s closer to highway 16 than most the other rustic camps we’ve come across. No campfires this year, nice wind off the lake and a fire ban.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Superior National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Superior National Forest is Trail's End Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 22 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Superior National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 glamping camping locations near Superior National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
