Looking for the best Superior National Forest tent camping? Finding a place to camp in Minnesota with your tent has never been easier. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
$20 / night
Ojibway Lake offers a small picnic area, a back down ramp, and 2 island back country campsites. The lake contains crystal clear waters and a variety of fish, including lake trout, walleye, bass and northern pike. Access to Triangle Lake is a short roller portage between Ojibway Lake and Triangle Lake. Triangle Lake also has 2 island back country campsites and fish including walleye, bass, and northern pike.
This is one of our Backcountry sites which is a near- wilderness single party site and is accessible only by foot or boat. These sites are first come, first served. There are 2 sites on this lake, each have a fire grate, a latrine and may have a picnic table. A few reminders: Hang food packs, put your fire out each time you leave your campsite, treat or boil all water, wash yourself and dishes at least 150ft from any body of water, pack out all garbage and Leave No Trace. Use a Forest Map to locate campsites and accesses. (You can purchase a map on line at http://www.nationalforeststore.com/ or at any of the District offices or by mail.) This lake may be a part of or has portage or waterway access into the BWCAW. When portaging or paddling out of this lake and into another you’ll want to check to see if you’ll be entering into the BWCAW. Permits are always required while traveling in the BWCAW. If traveling for the day by paddle or foot you can use a self issued permit found at any Ranger District office or at the kiosk at the official entry point. Motor powered watercraft is permitted only on designated lakes. When traveling over night or using a motor please look at the BWCAW portion of this web site or take a look at the reservation site at www.recreation.gov for more information. Remember to Leave No Trace.
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.
The farthest site is six-tenths of a mile from the parking area. Bear-proof storage lockers available.
Guide
This spot was easy to get to with our truck camper. Road is alittle bumpy and rocky on the way up. The spot is near Carlton peak trail head and not to far from superior hiking trail. At this spot you can see views of superior lake and the lusten mountains. We went in October and it was quiet and secluded.
Guide
This was my first time backpacking and I did it solo. I camped in site 3 and it was gorgeous. Looks like they recently planted some trees. There was plenty of fallen wood nearby for firewood. The river is right there and so beautiful. I slept great to the sound of the rushing water. The latrine was hard to find at first.
Scout
Quiet Campground with plenty of wooded area between campsites for privacy. Mix of RV/Travel Trailers and Tent campers. Vault toilets and drinking water available. Our site did not have direct clear access to the water, but we walked past other sites that did. Boat launch available right at the entrance to the campground. Our site fit our 30’ travel trailer with left slide just fine and plenty of room for the truck. Overflow parking available near the campground entrance for a small fee. Clean and well kept! Would definitely recommend
Guide
Really nice campground, our site was pretty small & very close to others so that was kind of annoying. But the bathrooms were nice & showers were really nice, overall enjoyable!
Legend
**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!
ScoutOur first time camping in this park. We made base camp and did day hikes from there. Site 7 was near the river, the rushing water was a convenient water source, but was quite loud - this was no calming, babbling brook, lol! We didn’t see any other humans for 2 whole days, which was a plus. The site was large for 2 tents and 2 couples, the latrine was adequate and marked with a sign. We were able to find enough deadfall for firewood. Mosquitoes were horrendous, as expected. The hikes to many of the campsites are strenuous with hilly terrain, some have been washed out and it was unclear how to access some sites. We had a great time with friends. The cascade was gorgeous, and we had it all to ourselves. Unfortunately, we didn’t pack in any fishing gear. This camping trip was a great middle ground between state park camping loops and true back country.
Guide
We were at the part close to the high way. Very noisy. Facilities are clean and well maintained. Sites are note usable by tent. I barely got the tent Ankers in the ground. Mostly RV or trailers. Not that close to the beach.
Guide
Friendly staff. Mostly empty campground. One neighbor was loud all night. ATV noises super loud partying. Not nice. Lake side Campspots have amazing view. The staff was friendly. We Ware a family of 4
TravelerVery nice campground for the family. Sort of has a mix of rustic and not rustic camping. Has a lovely beach just a few steps away from campsites. The fishing peer is more like a look out as it’s not in the water and even 20’ out from it it’s pretty shallow yet. Other than that it’s a nice camp ground.
Traveler
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.
Guide
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.
Traveler
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,
Traveler
We arrived late and set up in the dark, but were pleasantly surprised in the morning. Quiet except for the nature sounds - fronts, owls, loons at night. Hiking trails right out of the campsite.
Guide
I stayed in the lower campground, further from the bathrooms/showers but much quieter and better views of the lake. The site was very secluded from the sides, the facilities are well kept. The hiking is beautiful and not to intense.
Ranger
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!
Legend
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.
Traveler
Been coming here for years. It's absolutely amazing. It had gotten busy over thr years though.
LegendHad a spot in the lower campground right by the Lake. Showers are in the upper campground. Tent pad was great for a small tent, not sure if anything larger would fit here. Picnic table and fire ring with grate provided. The mosquitos were pretty bad when I was here in June, so be prepared with insect repellant. There is an outhouse in the lower campground. Firewood available for purcahse at the office in the upper campground; short drive or trail walk away.
TravelerWe loved how private the campsites are! The people who run the campground were also super nice!
Traveler
The hike up there always kicks my ass! The views are so gorgeous though
LegendThis campground is a forest campground so while there is a vault toilet and solar powered water, it is just that. Not fancy, not frilly. If you are used to camping this way it's perfectly fine. But if you are not, this might not be the right spot for your family.
That said - we are used to it and it's exactly what we expected and wanted.
Sites have plenty of privacy between them - this campground was established a long time ago and actually, many many years ago this are was used as a CCC camp! Little bits of evidence are around if you look for them. That said - lots of space, lots of mature trees and bushes (even this time of year post autumn)
We were in site 5 which had a parking space and then a short walk (lightly downhill) about 20 feet to our picnic table and fire ring in a large area under a giant pine tree with a gorgeous view of the lake! Nice little path to the next site over where our buddy was staying with his dogs.
We had our teardrop to sleep in, but there was no problem getting it backed in (larger RVs might have issues since space is more limited than at giant RV campgrounds). It's $20 to stay with an honor system pay box and that helps keep the sites maintained - I think it's totally worth it.
We had a fire ring with plenty of space for chairs, lots of space for dogs, a lake if we needed to filter water (easy to get to if it's not frozen) and was very quiet. There were definitely spaces that were better for "wind blocks" than others so check em out when you arrive. For this time of year ours was good. There was a HUGE boulder the size of a small house in our buddy's site that blocked the wind so it was great.
Guide
Campsite was good size and relatively private in the non electric area. Beautiful park overall and love the proximity from Ely and Lake Vermillion. I did find bear scat near our site so be sure to practice proper bear safety precautions.
Guide
This campground is great if you have smaller kids or group camping. Campgrounds are close together and a lot of the great campsitess are already taken by permanent campers. They do have nice bathrooms and showers. We do love the area and the beautiful lake the campground and some sites overlook.
RangerNice 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.
Legend
There were no problems getting to this state park. We pulled into the dump station just before entering the campground(CG) area to get fresh water. While we were there, a park ranger stopped to check us in, including processing us for a free annual MN state park pass for disabled veterans. We followed the site signage to electric(50/30/20 AMP) only site 110, which was an easy back-in. The site was long enough for our 40’ toy hauler to include putting our back patio down and parking our F-450. We especially liked how ample trees and bushes were separating the sites, and you are well away from your neighbors. The site gave us plenty of space to set up our chairs around a nice fire pit and one fine picnic table. Get water as you come into the CG, as the spigots throughout the park do not have threads. The 300 loop has pull-throughs that will handle large rigs, with 312 being the best. We got 5 bars 4G. on Verizon. We put Starlink on the roof and got a decent signal. There was a nice shower house/restrooms where the park also sold firewood. Formal trail systems are throughout the CG and park, and we enjoyed walking our dogs. We really like the variety of RV sites for all sizes of RVs, but it's too bad the CG area has no water views.
Legend
We wanted to do some climbing in Tettegouche State Park, but the state park campsites were filled weeks in advance. Fortunately, Eckbeck campground had sites available for us last minute. The sites are spaced apart, making them nice and private.
Legend
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.
Tent camping near Superior National Forest in Minnesota offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Superior National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Superior National Forest is George H. Crosby Manitou State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 22 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 38 tent camping locations near Superior National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
