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Tent campsites near Solon Springs, Wisconsin offer primitive camping experiences along the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and nearby forests. Schoen Park provides dispersed tent camping with no formal sites, making it suitable for primitive campers seeking privacy along the river. The Brule River State Forest offers free backpacking sites accessible by hiking trails, while several tent-only spots can be found at the Namekagon Trail Bridge and Howell Landing areas within reasonable driving distance.
Most tent camping areas feature minimal amenities with no reservations required. Schoen Park offers no drinking water, toilets, or trash services, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and pack out waste. Sites typically consist of cleared areas on forest floors with little site development. Access roads can be challenging for larger vehicles, as one camper noted, "Don't try to bring anything too big into here or you will be in trouble." Fire regulations vary by location, with some areas permitting campfires while others prohibit them. Howell Landing provides drinking water and toilets but maintains primitive tent-only sites.
Tent campers appreciate the seclusion and natural settings these areas provide. Phipps Landing features three established tent sites with varying levels of privacy, plus pit toilets and river access for both drive-in and boat-in camping. The waterfront locations offer excellent opportunities for fishing, paddling, and wildlife viewing. Most sites are first-come, first-served, which can mean uncertainty but also greater flexibility for spontaneous trips. A reviewer described Schoen Park as "a great spot for primitive campers" with "a beautiful view of the river" and noted it was "very private," highlighting the appeal for those seeking true backcountry tent camping experiences away from developed facilities.
"This is a great spot for the primitive campers. There are no real sites more of a dispersed camping area. No reservations."
"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."
"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."
"You can drive in and park at this site, or canoe down the Namekagagen and pull up."
"One staff drove a cart right to our campsite and helped us determine the best way to back in our RV for the most privacy."
"Tons of trees for shade. Everything you Need to enjoy a weekend away. Pool, hot tub, WiFi, showers, arcade, laundry, c store, and lots more. We will be back!!"
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!
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.
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.
LegendThe campground is located in a very nice small town and the water sites are amazing for sunrise. The campground has all the amenities you need; Full hookups, water, dump station, fire rings, and picnic tables. Tent sites were the most numerous, but there were several RVs. We saw everything from big RVs to motorcycles here. Things were clean but it was a super packed when we were there. You can't sit outside without getting to know your neighbors inner secrets!
The view and access to water is what would bring us back.
LegendThe main reason we wanted to come to this park was to hike the trails and experience the famous swinging bridge that takes you over the St. Louis River and the rushing rapids below and rocky gorge below. The park dates back to the early 1900’s and its historic character comes from the influence of the Civilian Conservation Corps who made improvements to the park in the 1930’s and 40’s. The park has an 82-site campground and LOTS of activities to keep adults and kids busy.
The campground is what you would expect in a state park with tall trees, shady sites, lots of activities, and popular with families. Roads and sites are gravel and each site has a picnic table and fire pit. Some campsites are long and suited for large RV’s while others are more rustic tent sites and there are 5 cabins for rent. Twenty-one sites have electric hook-ups. If you are looking for more rustic, remote tent sites there are some hike-in sites. Four sites are located 1 to 4 miles from parking area where each site has picnic table, fire ring and latrine but water must be hauled in. About half of the sites are reservable online with the others being first come, first served. What we liked was that this park was very well cared as sites and facilities were very clean. Tall trees provided nice shade and campsites were well-spaced so you didn’t feel like you were on top of your neighbor.
There is lots to do in this park and we were sorry we didn’t have more time to spend. Activities include hiking (over 50 miles of trails including a stretch of the North Country National Scenic Trail), 8 miles of biking trails, 30+ miles of cross-country ski trails, kayaking and fishing. The park offers hundreds of naturalist programs including nature walks, evening campfire talks, fishing programs, and geocaching. Just a short drive north of the state park is Gordy’s High Hat which is a famous hamburger joint that has been around for years and still draws a massive crowd. There is a big enough parking lot to pull your RV into if you need to. Food was great and cheap!
Even if you don’t camp in this park, I think it is well worth the $7/daily admission fee to spend a day enjoying all this place has to offer.
Tent campsites near Solon Springs, Wisconsin provide opportunities for anglers and paddlers to explore the region's rivers and lakes. The area sits within the Lake Superior Lowland geographical province, characterized by sandy soils and glacial features. Camping locations range from designated primitive sites to backpacking spots along hiking trails, with most situated near waterways.
Fishing opportunities: The Namekagon River offers excellent fishing experiences. According to a reviewer at Namekagon Trail Bridge, "We spent 3 days and 2 nights in the river in our canoe. Caught great fish and camping off the rice banks was great."
ATV trail access: Nemadji State Forest contains extensive motorized trail systems. A camper at Garfvert notes, "Excellent campground if you're into ATV use camping. Offers hundreds of miles of 4 wheeling and snowmobiling. Can't forget dirtbikes and UTV as well."
State park exploration: Jay Cooke State Park, located near Cloquet, features distinctive geological formations and hiking trails. One visitor staying at Cloquet-Duluth KOA shared, "We rode the Gitchi Gami trail up along the north shore of Lake Superior, hiked around in Jay Cooke State Park and explored Duluth a bit."
River access: Tent sites positioned directly on riverbanks provide convenient water entry. At Phipps Landing, "You can drive in and park at this site, or canoe down the Namekagagen and pull up. There are 2 small sites with fire pits near the parking & landing, and one large group site with fire pit to the far back."
Wooded seclusion: Forested campsites offer natural privacy screens between sites. A camper at Garfvert mentioned, "I'd recommend Gafvert if you want a deeper woods experience without many people. Accessible trails, good, flat sizeable spots."
First-come availability: Most primitive tent areas don't require advance reservations. At Phipps Landing, a reviewer noted, "Camping is free, FCFS," referring to the first-come, first-served policy that allows for spontaneous camping trips.
Limited amenities: Many sites require complete self-sufficiency. At Howell Landing, a reviewer described, "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."
Access considerations: Some camping areas have challenging approach roads. One Schoen Park visitor pointed out, "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."
Water sources: Most primitive sites lack potable water. A Phipps Landing camper advised, "Bring your own water or filtration. No rubbish bins."
Site selection: Choose campgrounds with bathroom facilities when camping with children. A visitor to Schoen Park notes, "This is a great spot for the primitive campers. There are no real sites more of a dispersed camping area. No reservations."
Activity planning: Pack water-based recreation gear for river camping locations. At Namekagon Trail Bridge, one camper suggested, "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."
Weather preparation: The area experiences temperature variations, especially near water. A visitor mentioned, "Bring your bug spray!" when describing the Dog Town campsite on the Namekagon River.
Size restrictions: Small trailers work best at primitive campgrounds. A Schoen Park camper advised, "We have a 19' travel trailer and it wasn't a problem but turning around is tight."
Alternative options: For full hookups, consider developed campgrounds further from the rivers. At Cloquet-Duluth KOA, a reviewer explained, "Grounds have a nice mix of RV spots out in the open as well as some RV and tent spots back in the trees with water and electric only sites. Full hookup sites are only out in the open spaces."
Dump station logistics: Plan for potential wait times when departing busy campgrounds. One camper noted, "Dump station is conveniently located on your way out of the grounds but can get backed up at the end of a busy weekend and can make it difficult to exit the campground."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Solon Springs, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Solon Springs, WI is Schoen Park — Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Solon Springs, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 35 tent camping locations near Solon Springs, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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