Best Cabin Camping near Tofte, MN

The camper cabins at East Bearskin Lake Campground in Superior National Forest are the ideal way to take advantage of northern Minnesota's wilderness. The camper cabins include a picnic style table inside along with bunk bed sleeping areas. Foam sleeping pads are provided, but you're responsible for bringing your own linens. There is no heat or electricity in the cabins, but the structures are sturdy and provide shelter from wind, rain and snow. Each campsite has an outdoor picnic table and fire ring. There are four camper cabins and they can be reserved through the recreation.gov website. They are just under $70/night. There is plenty of space between cabins as well as other campsites to give you the feel of truly being in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by pine trees and had a trail located in our campsite that led to East Bearskin Lake. Keep in mind, it's Minnesota and there was still some snow on the ground and ice on the lakes at the end of May. Pit toilets were just a short walk down the road as was access to potable water.

We saw a moose and had a fox visit our campsite while we were there. We fell asleep to the sound of loons every night. This is also black bear country, so it's important to be bear aware; make sure you store food and water properly and bring bear spray while out hiking. We tried our hand at trout fishing with little luck, but it was still fairly cold, and so not much was biting.

We hiked the Caribou Rock Trail and hikers are required to fill out a hiking log slip before heading out. The 2 mile trail was moderate with a decent incline. Once at the top of the overlook, you can see East Bearskin Lake. There are several lodges throughout Superior National Forest where you can obtain fishing licenses and rent boats.

Grand Marais, MN is only about 45 minutes away from East Bearskin Lake. It's a cool, quaint little town located right along Lake Superior. There's a handful of good restaurants, specifically The Angry Trout, which serves up fresh lake trout out of Superior. The Java Moose has great coffee and Lake Superior Trading Post carries lots of outdoor gear and souvenirs.

We liked it so much, we went back 4 months later in September, and stayed again in the same camper cabin. For a true taste of the North Woods, East Bearskin is hard to beat.

We stayed in one of the small cabins. The programming offered here was awesome. We signed up for a educational workshop about birds and bird calls, and it was essentially a private class for just us 4. The restaurant on the grounds had great food too. We enjoyed swimming and paddling on the lake. The only downside is that the cabins were pretty close next to each other, so we could hear our neighbors throughout the night.

This is a  private campground that fills up quick.    It is 1 mile from Bayfield town center.  It is close to the ferry dock, restaurants, parks and beaches.  All sites are electric and water and some are full hook up.  There are cabins and tent sites as well.   The office/store is very clean and stocked with things you may need.  8 flavor ice creams on site!  There is a  dump station and picnic tables and fire rings at each site.   There is free wi-fi and a shower house, bathrooms and laundry.

We liked the easy drive through sites with full hookup.  The campsites were tiered into the hill.  This helped sound proof the campsites.  There was a large group a few sites down from us that we didn't hear until we walked past their site.  Some sites also had a view overlooking the pond and Lake Superior.  We could see the full moon reflecting off of Lake Superior.  Our site did not have this view but we saw it on a walk in the campground.  The unique looking cabins were on the pond and looked to be very convenient for families with children who want to be in the water most of the time.  We loved all the amenities of Water, Sewer, Electric and WiFi.   We loved the close access to Bayfield and the water excursions we took from Bayfield.  One of the highlights for our group was the excellent golf course close to the campground.  I gave my review a 4 star because the day we were leaving the campsites lost water pressure and had no water to get ready to leave.  I believe the owners will be addressing this problem.  They were working on it while we were there.

Sawbill is one of our favorite campgrounds! We've stayed here numerous times and never had a bad visit. This was our first time at site #49. It is a very nice site with plenty of room. We usually do a day canoe rental when we visit and the staff at the outfitters are wonderful. Very nice and helpful - again never a bad experience!

This is the best base camp for exploring the Apostle islands. It’s about a mile from Bayfield. There is bike rental at Howl bike shop which is walking distance. Howl also has a brewery with outside seating. The camp ground itself is quiet and clean. We didn’t go in the bathrooms or use the washers due to Covid. Owners are very accommodating.

No joke, this was our family’s first camping trip. We have five kids 10 and under. The sites were clean and large. Some are larger than others. Ours was about 15 feet from the next site but that was through trees.

Plenty of drinking water and bathrooms. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit with a grate.

The outfitters on site are amazing. Kind and helpful. They have pay showers and all the rentals you need.

We did a day trip and had a blast.

Perfect little campground (and outfitters) right in the lake. Great for those who still want a few amenities.

It’s a dry campground. Water at the outfitters. Vault toilets (clean and nice!) throughout. Water spigots in the campground. Dump station next to the outfitters. Outfitters have basic necessities and gear. Canoe rentals too. Campground is right in sawbill lake. Lord of portages nearby. Amazing place!

Sites are spaced out. Shaded. Most can accommodate trailers. Some are better for tents only. Our 34’ and 37’ fit perfect with plenty of room. Fire pits and tables in each one.

Highly recommend. It’s a wonderful place to camp!

BWCA entry point.

This is a private campground adjacent to a Lodge off the Gunflint Trail. If you are wanting something less rustic than one of the nearby Forest Service campgrounds, and you don't mind paying a little more, then this may be for you. Current rates are $39 a night per campsite, plus an additional $5 a night if you have a dog, which adds up to a bit of a  steep price if you are tent camping. However, the sites do have electrical hooups and other amenities preferred by RV campers which arent found in the basic Forest Service campgrounds nearby, so that may be a plus. If tent camping by yourself, or wanting close proximity to food, lodge amenities, boat rental, etc, then you might find it is worth it. The campsites are very nice, and there is good fishing in the lake plus nice hiking trails nearby!

This is a rustic state park with no electric sites, dump station or water source for RV tanks, as well as nearly non-existent cell service, but it's a pleasant getaway spot. It felt like a rustic forest campground but had amenities like a bathroom/shower house. Regarding water, there is drinking water available to fill containers, just no hookup to fill RV tanks. They also have trash and recycling dumpsters available.

The sites are decent size; privacy depends on the site but most aren't crammed on top of each other. All sites are dirt/gravel and the roads are dirt so be prepared for some dust in dry conditions.

We saw mostly tents and smaller rigs but that's probably due to no electricity and no water source for RVs to fill from. Still, some sites were large enough for the Class As that were there.

Bathrooms were decent but be ready for push-button showers for water conservation. They run long enough to essentially do Navy showers, which works fine. Water never really hot but plenty warm enough to not be considered cold.

Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, plus firewood is available at the front office or at the camp host site (via self-service). Front office rarely staffed but there is a work garage and the DNR staff came through the campground regularly. Little to no cell service on T-Mobile and Verizon, but there is a WiFi spot available near the DNR work garage.

It's nice that you can hike from the campground to Devil's Kettle and another waterfall (same trail), both of which were great.

Access is from Highway 61 down a relatively short dirt road We would stay here again.

We visited some people staying here in the campground we were at fall lake. The Lodge is across the street with lots of  amenities. The lodge has a shower house, bar/ Lounge, restaurant,  boat and canoe rentals, game room, free Wifi, a playground, bait & tackle, a private swim beach and laundry facility. The laundry facility is near the other campground and suites I like the campground across the street better. Good homemade Pizzas! This area is beautiful. I gave it a 3 star rating because we like privacy, a little more wooded surroundings and you can hear traffic but it's not a very busy road.

Across the street from the lodge is the campground, boat ramp & small toilet rooms a little primitive. Better to be self contained in this part of the campground. Most sites back up to the water and some have docks behind them and there is water & electric.  Some have a little  shade. There isn't much privacy and there isn't a lot of room between them but a great view. You can fish from you campsite they had caught some Walleye. There are several lakes here you choose from if you boat, canoe or kayak. I would say my camper is bigger than it is to make sure you get a little larger spot. The ones across from the toilet rooms can be tight backing in having enough room to get in take that into consideration when booking. 

I believe they use the dump station in Ely at the visitor center they have a dump you can use for #5.00.  Ely is a small town it has a lot of canoe outfitters, 2 grocery stores, a few places to eat, gas stations, hardware stores, some gift shops, so come prepared there isn't a Walmart or anything near there. 

By far the best ice cream we ever ate. It's called Northern Expressions I had the caramel collision, the malts were good too. The line can be all the way down the side of the building but the wait is worth it. 

Lots of lakes in the area, Fall lake is close by which is nice for Kayaking, canoeing or boating. It's part of the BWCA. Nice campground there too.

Kate and Jeremy run the Hungry Hippie Hostel. It has been two years since we last stayed with them, and since then they have expanded their lodging options to three Frost River canvas tents and 5 primitive campsites. These additions were accompanied by the construction of what might be my favorite toilet/shower outbuilding that I have ever come across. Oh yeah, they also bought Hughie’s Tacos in Grand Marais. I’m excited about all of this because everything is enjoyable AND affordable- this is a hard combo to come across in the North Shore of Minnesota’s private sector.

Private rooms and bunk beds in the upstairs communal room in the hostel itself are rented out through Airbnb. The nice thing about the rooms are that they are clean, climate controlled, and cozy. However, you WILL hear your neighbors even with your door shut. If you are a light sleeper like me you can forget sleeping in because someone inevitably will start grinding coffee in the common room. This is always fine by me because THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO ON THE NORTH SHORE and time slept beyond what is necessary for a day of adventure is time wasted.

This is why I’m excited about the Frost River campfire tents (Duluth Pack is the ubiquitous canvas goods producer in Minnesota- but not for long!!). They go for $59+tax a night and you have an amazing panoramic view from your little haven. The tents are located a quick walk away from the communal fire ring and the new bathroom building. Bring your own linens for a queen air mattress. I’ve attached a video of the bathroom which has three toilet stalls and two shower stalls.