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Tent campgrounds around Gordon, Wisconsin provide access to the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and nearby natural areas. Schoen Park offers primitive tent camping in a dispersed area along the river, while Howell Landing provides a larger group tent site with access to the Namekagon River. Grace Lake Road Dispersed camping in neighboring Minnesota offers free tent sites with more rustic conditions.
Most tent sites in the Gordon area are basic with limited amenities. The Namekagon Trail Bridge and Phipps Landing provide toilet facilities, but many sites like Schoen Park lack drinking water, showers, and sanitation facilities. Campers should bring water filtration systems, especially at dispersed sites. Access varies significantly between locations, with some sites reachable by car while others require boat, hike, or walk-in approaches. Schoen Park has tight turning space that may challenge larger vehicles. Sites are generally first-come, first-served with no reservation system, making weekday arrivals advisable during summer months.
Tent campers experience greater privacy at sites like Grace Lake Road Dispersed, where camping spots are set back from roads and offer peaceful settings. Sites along the Namekagon River provide water access for fishing and paddling activities, with some offering picnic tables and fire rings. Despite the primitive nature, the scenic location compensates for the lack of amenities. The Saint Croix Riverway sites offer quiet camping opportunities with river views. One camper noted that Schoen Park is "a great spot for primitive campers" with "a beautiful view of the river." Areas with ATV and dirt bike access, like Grace Lake Road, may experience higher traffic and noise levels on weekends but remain relatively quiet compared to developed campgrounds.
"This is a great spot for the primitive campers. There are no real sites more of a dispersed camping area. No reservations."
"Tucked away in the northwoods, lots of amenities to offer! Showers, food, and fires! Not far from many lakes and scenic views"
"Campfround has 6 campsites with fire pits and picnic tables. There is also a double vault toilet. The campground is very clean and accomodate many more campers, scout troops or large families."
"Tent only with access to the Namekagon River. Plenty of parking. The only downside was no separation from other parties due to the group site setup."
"You can drive in and park at this site, or canoe down the Namekagagen and pull up."
"Sweet spot, with about 10 campsites all next to each other, one by the water. There’s seasonal campground hosts(who were fabulous) and a canoe launch all right here."
"My family has stayed here many times to use the dirt bike and atv trails. There is a lot of variety for different levels of difficulty. It can get busy."
"It was hard to find a campsite because it's first-come-first-serve, but we were able to find a spot closer to the trails."
TravelerI came out of the BWCA near Grand Marais late in the day and so wanted to stop somewhere to camp as I headed south before dark. There were plenty of spots available online at this little park. It was clean and the campsites were fine—could see my neighbors without much tree cover though.
If the weather had been better when I woke up I would have hiked some trails or paddled the lake. Next time!
GuideArrived on Sunday with out reservations. Plenty of sites to choose from the first come first served. Plus you can use an unoccupied site until its reservation date. All sites have fire ring & a picnic table. Lake side sites offer lake views when sitting up due to the foliage. Vault toilets are clean & well maintained. The 4 mile trail around the lake needs work. Generators are allowed from 6am to 10 pm. There are 3- walk in sites. 24 sites for trailers, two group sites.
Legendsuch a fun backpack site! The hike in was muddy and buggy as there was quite a bit of rain in the weeks prior to our camping trip. Picnic table, fire ring, and bear locker provided. Site offers great vies of a little beaver pond where you may get to see some wildlife! Site was able to fit 4 backpacking tents, most of which were 2 person size tents, so it is good for a small group. Private latrine a short walk into the woods.
GuideAfter a long hard hike on the NCT, we hiked into camp ready for a meal and a good sleep. We had spot #7 reserved, easily the most beautiful camp spot on the lake. A wonderful strip of sandy beach, heavily treed site, nice flat tent pads, a picnic table and fire pit.
Our hearts sank as we walked to the site only to encounter a big RV parked there and it appeared someone was set up for the weekend. We were baffled! I had my print out confirm and proof it was ours but there was no camp host or any kind of ranger on site. We were on our own.
So the people who took our site shows up. They tried to explain to us that there was a mistake in the reservation system and they had the site reserved too. I have no idea if it was a fabrication or not. But we were willing to share the camp site since we were only there for one night anyway.
We pitched our tent. Enjoyed the sunset over the lake and settled in for a nice sleep.
Pros: Large treed campsites Close vault Excellent potable water Beautiful serene lake Close to the NCT trailhead Vault cleaned daily Dumpsters and bear lockers Quiet camp sites No light pollution. Clear skies Minimal bugs in late august
Cons: No camp hosts No firewood for sale Gravel back roads far from town No contact with forest service for issues NCT stretch of trail through the campsite is not that great
I would camp there again but drive and not hike in.
ScoutWe 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.
GuideA great campground! There is a beach, playground, as well as drive-in and hike-in sites. The waterfalls are very cool, and they have nice signage and pamphlets to learn more about them. I recommend taking the time to read about the geology. I haven't stayed in a car camping sites, but we thought they looked very nice.
The hike-in sites are great, not too far to walk but you have privacy. One thing to note about the hike-in sites is that the trails aren't well marked. Once you're on the trail for a while, they start having regular signage, but the start of the trails themselves aren't marked. You park in an area behind the car camping sites, next to what I assume is a storage building or old house. There are two starts to the trail, the one I found best is down the service road maybe a couple hundred yards. There's also one on the other side of the lot, but it winds a bit, forks into another trail, and all in all seems a little more confusing. I'd recommend just talking to the campground host when you get there, they can explain everything. The walk is short enough (a mile and a half) that we hiked out and back a couple times when camping, either to access the beach or to fill up water. Another important note is that while it's in an area where hanging a bear bag is recommended, the woods aren't thinned enough to where there are strong branches low enough for a bag. It took quite a lot of looking to find a suitable spot for our bag. There's a fire ring and picnic table at each site, which was nice. The bathrooms outhouses, which was a nice surprise, as I was expecting an unenclosed vault toilet.
There's a separate trail to the beach from the sites as well, but I went back the main way anyway. The beach isn't anything special, but is nice enough. There's a nice, small playground near the beach as well.
LegendFelt nice to spend a weekend without cell service about an hour away from home. Forgot to take my usual photos and video of the site all set up but had a few random to share. Nice campground. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are flush toilets and showers and the office has a store for any last minute needs.
ScoutCampfround has 6 campsites with fire pits and picnic tables. There is also a double vault toilet. The campground is very clean and accomodate many more campers, scout troops or large families. It is set up for canoe trips overnight stop. I'm here in my tear drop and just do daily trips out in my canoe. There is a 3 night stay limit and it is FREE!
LegendThis is a beautiful park with tons of great hiking trails and amazing waterfalls. The campground is also really nice, and very popular. It was sold out the day I was there. I was surprised it was sold out considering there was no water, no showers, and no toilets due to major construction to fix the plumbing of the entire campground and to build new bathrooms. The campground is set up with a series of loops in a wooded area, so most campsites have nice privacy. You need to check in at the ranger station to get your campsite and learn about the water problems/solutions, as well as pay for your site and pay for the day use permit. I was kind of glad it was sold out as I found it to be very pricy for a campground that had no water or toilets (they did have porta potties). But, the hiking trails and waterfalls were definitely worth the visit.
Dispersed camping sites near Gordon, Wisconsin offer outdoor experiences along the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway system within northern Wisconsin's mixed hardwood forests. The area sits at approximately 1,066 feet elevation with seasonal temperature variations from summer highs around 80°F to winter lows well below freezing. Most camping opportunities focus on primitive sites requiring self-sufficiency with minimal facilities.
River paddling: Tent campers access multiple water routes along the Namekagon River system. "Beautiful river! Instead of paddling down the river I'd recommend turning this into a nice float/fishing trip. They provide nice maps depicting where off shore camping sites are," notes Joseph L. about the Namekagon Trail Bridge area.
Fishing: Catch smallmouth bass, northern pike and panfish in local waterways. "Caught great fish and camping off the rice banks was great," shares a visitor to Namekagon Trail Bridge. Some sites provide direct water access for shore fishing.
ATV trail riding: The neighboring Garfvert campground offers "miles and miles of easy/intermediate OHV/ATV trails. A little sandy, but still fun," according to Casie S. The Nemadji State Forest contains extensive trail networks suitable for various skill levels.
Secluded spots: Many sites provide separation from neighboring campers. "This is a great spot for the primitive campers. There are no real sites more of a dispersed camping area. No reservations," explains a camper about Schoen Park. Primitive camping areas typically offer fewer amenities but greater privacy.
Multiple entry points: The waterway system provides various launch options. "You can drive in and park at this site, or canoe down the Namekagagen and pull up," explains Arctic D. about Phipps Landing, adding that "Sites are N74.5 and group site is N73.6. Bring your own water or filtration. No rubbish bins. Camping is free, FCFS."
Lower traffic: Many sites remain relatively undiscovered. "I'd recommend Gafvert if you want a deeper woods experience without many people. Accessible trails, good, flat sizeable spots," writes Kraig E. about camping options across the state line in Minnesota.
Limited turning space: Larger vehicles face challenges at certain sites. "Don't try to bring any thing to big into here or you will be in trouble. We have a 19' travel trailer and it wasn't a problem but turning around is tight," warns a camper about Schoen Park's limitations.
Group camping configurations: Some sites accommodate multiple parties without privacy barriers. "Clean, well kept little campground, which consisted of one large group site. Tent only with access to the Namekagon River. Plenty of parking. The only downside was no separation from other parties due to the group site setup," notes Nickole D. about Howell Landing.
Access road challenges: Some sites have tight entry points. "Very quit night. Stayed a night here on our way up to the boundary waters gate is very narrow had to fold the mirrors on my Tacoma to squeeze through but if you park at the entrance it's a short walk," mentions Michael S. about camping at Grace Lake Road Dispersed.
Multiple site options: Family groups sometimes find better accommodations in specific areas. "There's another small site cut out from the road that's somewhat separated from the main sites. There's enough room for small campers. Road is good," shares Michael U. about alternative spots at Schoen Park.
Recreation variety: Different recreation options keep children engaged. "My family has stayed here many times to use the dirt bike and atv trails. There is a lot of variety for different levels of difficulty," writes Elisha C. about trails accessible from nearby campgrounds.
Water proximity: Consider safety with small children as many sites sit close to water. "You're about 20 foot from the water and fishing is good," notes a camper about Grace Lake Road Dispersed camping.
Size restrictions: Most tent camping areas near Gordon accommodate only small trailers. "This spot was super nice and peaceful! Lots of different dispersed spots. Go down Tamarack Forest Road, which is a little further than the location on here," advises Julia D. about finding more suitable spots for small campers.
Weekend noise levels: Some areas experience higher traffic on weekends. "There is a lot of variety for different levels of difficulty. It can get busy. I don't think I would like to stay here if I wasn't using the trails due to the noise even though there are sites on a nice lake," cautions Elisha C. about campgrounds with motorized trail access.
Supply preparation: No services exist at most sites. "Lovely spot on the Namekagan River. 3 established tent sites 1 is more secluded than the others. Pit toilets. A little road noise from nearby highway," notes Paul H. about Phipps Landing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Gordon, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gordon, WI is Schoen Park — Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
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