Best RV Parks & Resorts near Superior National Forest, MN

A rare find - clean, level, large RV sites with full hook ups on the North Shore not filled with residents in all the good sites. Strict rules such as no early check in and no late check out. Tents and rvs also allowed in a section next to the highway with electric only. NOTE: no onsite dump station - if you do not stay in a full hookups site you must drive into the town of Silver Bay to use the city dump facility, which may be too awful to use, depending on how many used it first. ATV trails connect to this campground, so it is very popular with them. No one starts before the 8am quiet time end, so we enjoyed watching the different types pass by. A new security code locked bathhouse is clean and nice. We stayed during the Memorial Day weekend, and were pleasantly surprised at the well behaved and polite people here. I recommend this campground as a nice place to explore the North Shore from.

When traveling long term with the destination of peace and serenity, places like this are necessary. Freedom, silence and a feeling of oneness with nature heighten your intuition and joy for life. Simplicity is key and the mind is free to relax towards thought of beauty and love. Stay here if you appreciate nature and all it’s sustainable power, it’s magic.

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!

Our Family stayed at Headquarters RV Park in Buyck (just outside of Orr, MN) for 4 days over the Memorial Day weekend, and we were so impressed!! This is a new, family owned and operated park situated on 30 acres of beautiful pines. The hosts Brad and Koreen are so welcoming, and have put their hearts into making this Park a refuge from the hustle and busle of our hetic work week.

The one thing we appreciated the most is how close they are to Crane Lake, Namakan Lake, Voyageurs National Park, and the Superior National Forest. We spent our time fishing and checking out visitor destinations like the I. W. Stevens Resort (a historical jem!!) After a long day of fun it was so nice to sit out in the screen tent listening to the ruffled grouse drum and the peace and quiet of nature. There are only 13 spacious sites in this park with plenty of room to fit your RV, boat or 4 wheelers and trailer, screen tent with plenty of room to spare, and beautiful pines between you and your neighbor for privacy.

When you arrive you will find your site ready with a picnic table and fire pit. The full service hook ups are easy to access, and make set up a breeze!! They offer 20, 30, and 50 amp service, and make note that they also offer a potable water station too. Firewood is available for purchase, but don’t be surprised if the Sokoloski’s invite you to their host site for a campfire:) The walking paths are beautiful too!! We brought our dog Max, and he loved it too!! We’ll be back for sure!!

Bear Head Lake is an established, full service state park that has something for everyone. There are a variety of camping opportunities, from camper cabins to guesthouse to tent campsites with lake access to RV sites. Though you have to hike to the beach, the beach is really lovely and has boat rental. There is an extensive network of trails for both hiking and cross country skiing, with a really great indoor Trail Center that serves as winter warming house, indoor meeting place for rainy days, and classroom for park naturalist events. The lake is great for boating, fishing and paddling. though part of the lake shore is privately owned, the lake is quiet and peaceful overall, nestled in tall pines with easy access to the town of Ely if desired. The vicinity is known for bears and is part of a long term bear research study; visit the American Bear Center nearby if interested! https://www.bear.org/website/

This is a small lot for RV parking on the way to the scenic overlook. There’s a dump station and hose for fresh water down the hill. We stayed the night and ended up meeting another van couple and ate dinner together. If you stay, definitely recommend doing the City/Lake view trail at the top of the hill to learn a little bit about Silver Bay! The video I added is of the trail at the top.

On the outskirts of Finland, along the Baptism River, in the Finland National Forest. Just a few miles north of Eckbeck Campground, off of MN 1 & County Rd 6. Really nice wooded sites, some can accommodate big rigs. Level sites. Vault toilets. Trash bins. Some privacy between sites. I would recommend staying here overnight if the nearby state parks are full. I do not recommend staying here for peace & quiet. Noise from ATVs, a few with modified mufflers. Since there are no electric hookups, there is some noise from generators for the big RVs. What was really annoying was the noise from a bunch of drunk middle aged folks down at the group site on the night of Oct 8, 2021. I had my own drunken moments at parties, but their behavior was pathetic. Their loud voices carried throughout the campground, including some loud f-bombs. Vault toilets were just okay; not particularly clean but usable. IMO, $17 fee is too high for this particular campground. 4 bars T-Mobile.

Superior National Forest is one of my favorite places. There is something for everyone!

Nice little campground that isn’t overly luxurious. Mostly built for RVs with hookups as there isn’t much shade and it would be very hot come July/August. So why stay...the fishing. Campers all had boats to get out on The lake. There is some great walleye fishing here, which is why I stopped. Nothing too fancy but they have almost 60 sites that range. Some are able to be near water and others are just in the sun. Everyone I saw had air conditioners are going.

It’s all about the fishing here tho.

This will now be one of our new favorite campgrounds. It’s the perfect mix of modern (lots of nicely spaced electric sites, well maintained shower/bathrooms, on-site store, canoe rentals and more) and rustic. (Wildlife, birds, a stones throw from the BWCA, and gorgeous sunsets.) Be mindful of your camping equipment and the size of the sites - it varies widely. There’s no dump station (closest is in Ely), but there’s a spigot to fill your RV’s water tank. AT&T service was good (2 bars, fast internet and streaming), T-Mobile not so good. (1 bar, slow internet and no streaming) Thanks to the great campground hosts for tips and info too!

Exceptionally maintained campsites with well wooded sites. Raised cement fire pits, level tent pads, and large sites for campers and RVs. Many of the lake-side sites are nestled into the hillside with stairs going down to the water. The Fall Lake campground is very well managed and has clean shower/toilet buildings, and a store with firewood, canoe rentals, and other miscellaneous items. If there is one drawback, it is that this campground is a popular place for RVs and large campers. For those tent campers wishing to get away and have some solace, it can be busy and noisy at times - depending on who your closest neighbors are. Overall, I give it four stars because we had an RV near us with screaming children that dampened our experience. I would give it five stars due to the beautiful location, the access to the north woods/BWCA, and the care that is taken to keep it maintained.

Welcome to Superior National Forest. First come, first serve is not a joke on Labor Day weekend. I didn’t get to camp here, but I grabbed a couple of pics that provide info I didn’t find elsewhere about the campsite. I definitely will be back to stay here. Super secluded. Campsites aren’t on top of each other.

By far this was our favorite campground of the summer. The campground is fairly small, has plenty of towering trees for shade and privacy, and sits right on Fall Lake. Fall Lake is a popular place for anglers and those looking to adventure into the boundary waters. The park will accommodate anything from tents to large RVs and is well worth a visit in our opinions. In fact, plan on staying the maximum two weeks … pretty sure you will like it as much as we did.

About half of the sites are reservable with the others being walk-ups. We booked three nights because we didn’t want to drive the RV all the way up into the northwoods of Minnesota and not get a campsite. Especially, since we were there in August during the busy summer season. While we liked our first site (which was a pull-thru), it was booked after our stay so we started scouting other sites. Walk-up site #39 caught our eyes and as luck was on our side it was going to be vacant the morning we were due to check out. That morning we headed to the office fifteen minutes before they opened to get in line hoping to book the sites. We scored the site and booked it for the maximum two weeks.

In our opinions, the walk-up sites are the most desirable because they have direct access to the water. Our site had steps that led down to the lake where we kept our kayaks on the bank so we didn’t have to rack them on the car every time we used them. Even if you don’t have one of these sites there are other public pathways leading to the lake for easy access. Our site was pretty close to the boat ramp which is a busy place so it was a big noisy – especially in the early morning hours but we didn’t mind.

The bathrooms and showers (which are free) are some of the cleanest we have found. They were cleaned daily and the camp hosts returned many times during the day to check for cleanliness and make sure they were stocked with paper products. You have to use a keypad to enter the bathroom which ensures only campers are allowed in. Water pressure in the shower was great and the water was hot. There was no dial to adjust how hot you wanted the water and our shower was almost too hot to use but that was better than being cold. There was a potable water spigot outside which made it easy to fill up our water jugs.

The park has two group camp areas that are ideal for multiple campers and are very private. They have their own bathhouse, pavilion, large grassy common area, grills, and water access. We would definitely rent one of these sites if we came back with three or four friends.

One day, I walked the Stub Lake Trail that left from the campground but was really disappointed. It is in an area with lots of blow down so there was not much shade or interesting scenery. More interesting trails are located about 15 minutes away at Bass Lake which are longer and more scenic with water access. We loved the town of Ely especially the Tuesday Farmers Market and the restaurant Insula. If you are interested in renting outdoor gear there are many outfitters in town ready to assist or you can also rent canoes for $20/day at the campground office. Don't miss the International Wolf Center, the North American Bear Center and the Dorthy Molter Museum. All are really interesting and definitely worth the price of admission.

We camped here in an RV and the only thing that could have made our experience better is if there were full hook-ups. But, since the bathrooms were clean we didn't mind. There is a water fill-up station by the camp office and a dump station in town at the Chamber of Commerce.

Lake Vermilion is a large multi-purpose recreational lake at the edge of the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness. It is a very popular lake for fishermen, but until now there was no State Park campground available on its shores. This is a new state park campground, which just had its Grand Opening in June 2018. It is located on land adjacent to the historic Soudan Mine state park, which was a park for history tours and day use only until the park expanded and developed this campground for campers interested in lake recreation, especially a fishing-oriented vacation. With the exception of a handful or remote hike-in and boat-in dispersed campsites which are currently free of charge, the majority of campsites are drive-in and have electric hook-ups. There are also three group campsites, one hike-in with simpler facilities perfect for scout troups etc, and two others with both tent and RV sites and picnic shelters and their own bath houses.

For tent campers, the sites are large but newly cleared so still a bit rough. For RV campers or fishermen with boats and trailers, there is ample room for your vehicle and trailer. All of the sites are carved out of the woods and, though near the lake, are not within viewing distance of it. You do have to drive a bit to get to the boat landing, but it isnt far and has a great brand new ramp and docks. If you want a place to camp that is conveniently located for fishing Lake Vermilion, this is it. It is also a good place to camp if you want to bike on the Mesabi Bike trail, which goes through the park and runs from Ely to Grand Rapids. BWCA trippers will also find this to be a convenient stopove the night before or after a BWCA trip, and no doubt the brand new bathrooms and showers will be very welcome. There are a sporadic park naturalist programs here, but fewer than a lot of other state parks. There are a lot of activities and things to do in the nearby town of Ely though, https://www.ely.org/ and basic supplies located next door to the park in the village of Soudan. A visit to the historic Soudan Mine in the west of the park is quite an experience too.

Note: I visited in mid June, just as summer campers were coming to try out the park. Apparently a big wind storm camp through at the end of June causing some treefall and damage to some areas of the park. check here for updates:

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00285#homepage

This is a campground that, unless you know it is there, you might just pass it by. It has been around since the late 1960s. While it has its populated moments, there are many days where one practically has the campground to her/himself. It is suitable for RVs and tenters. It has a boat access landing. The beach at the campground, in the last couple of years that we had visited was not very active. The water level at the beach is shallow.

One might say it is an upscale rustic. It has pit toilets and water spigots available. But the campsites are nicely laid out.

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.

This campground has well spaced, well foliaged camping spaces. Great for both tent and RV Camping. The bathrooms are immaculately clean as well. Plenty of options for hiking or getting on the lake and it is close to more attractions in Ely!

This campground is tucked into the Superior National Forest but off of a main road. Access is easy enough for most rigs other than maybe very large ones.

There are a little over a dozen campsites here with 4 on their own loop in an ATV camping area.

The sites vary in size and access due to trees and foliage so not every rig will fit in every site. And, depending on your rig size, some sites will require a bit more work to level. A handful of sites are reserveable but most are first come, first served.

Site 11 is a prime spot if you can grab it due to size, layout and location.

There are vault toilets and a well available.

Each site also has a fire pit and picnic table.

If you need it, the cell service was very good for T-Mobile and great for Verizon.

Be prepared for mosquitoes and deer flies (in mid-July anyway) but overall, we had a peaceful stay and got a great night's rest.