went Official camping for my first time this year and we drove 4hrs north to Ely and stayed at the…read moreFall Lake Campground. I'm giving this place a full 5 stars even though I have little basis for comparison. The bathrooms and showers were amazingly clean and new. the sites do not have electricity but our site was huge, we put 3 large tents up and could have fit a 4th. We also had private lake access. The lake access was rocky and very slippery! So it wasn't much for swimming but it meant we had a great canoe launch right at our site. We also rented a canoe @ $20 a day it was a nice deal. The campground has a full playground, center store and office where you can get forgotten necessities and a sandy boat launch. There is a swimming beach on the grounds but it may be a short walk. The site was $17 a night and they have nice elevated fire pits with a built in grill grate. The site is also on the edge of the boundary waters which means no motorized boats (to an extent) lots of quiet and plenty of wild life! We got close to lots of turtles, ground animals and lots of bald eagles!. The scenery was amazing, the sky is incredibly clear for star gazing at it's best. And for being so far north the lake was quite temperate and excellent for swimming and boating. I highly recommend this camp site for newbies like me and the other, more experienced campers, were also impressed.

We stayed here before we hit the BWCA the next day. Our group was nice and large!…read more While it was a little confusing on where to find our campground, once we found the office everything made sense. The gates were closed for us (not locked) for the Campground area we were reserved for. The campsite was very clean and plenty of space for the tents. The paths are paved to go from place to place...i.e. the bathrooms. The bathrooms themselves were very clean. One has a code to enter on it to get in because of it's close vicinity to the boat landing, which is understandable. The only thing I had a rough time finding was the dumpster. it is kind of hidden. All in all, I would definitely stay here again.

This is a very well kept campground with beautiful views and nice spacious RV sites. Randy was a…read moregreat host and even delivered firewood right to our campsite. Reasonable rates considering the location. There are a very limited number of sites with full hook ups and no WiFi, to my knowledge, but those two very small cons are far outweighed by the pros of such friendly staff and overall beauty of location. We would definitely stay here again!!

Pros: Beautiful campground on Lake Vermilion. Close water access for most sites. Nice beach and…read moreplayground for children. Most sites have eletricity and water hook-ups. A dumpstation is on premisis. Management is friendly and the campground is fun. Cons: You will regret renting any sites from #55 - #70 because they feel like a sardine can. Try for the lakeside sites 17-45 or 1-16. You will have more privacy and a beautiful view.

What an absolutely beautiful Minnesota state park. The dense woods and lakes are really amazing to…read morebe a part of. We did the norberg lake trail and I've done the blueberry lakes trail in the past as well. Definitely bring good shoes or boots for these trails. There is a fair amount of up and down throughout and lots of rocks and roots. I am excited to come back here in the future.

In our quest to visit all MN state parks, Bear Head Lake was next on our list. We stuck with the…read moreHiking Club trail or Norberg Trail. It was a three mile loop that took you past a couple of lakes. It involved walking on some uneven ground (roots and stones) but it was relatively flat and very woodsy. We visited in mid July and it was quite buggy so make sure you are covered or sprayed to minimize the bites. Minnesota parks are so beautiful. I get so worries about where I'm stepping, I sometimes forget to look up and all around to enjoy the beauty.

Five stars isn't enough for this crew. We fish with Craig at Lake Vermilion Fishing Guides just…read moreabout every year, and our Boundary Waters trips into Basswood are the ones we talk about all winter. From the first phone call he asks the right questions about what you want out of the day, then builds the whole trip around it. Getting into the BWCA on your own takes real planning, but Craig handles all of it, and once you're out there you've got world-class fishing with almost nobody around. He reads the water, adjusts constantly, and genuinely cares that everyone on board catches fish. He handles the big fish with real care too, quick photos and healthy releases. This is what a professional guide service should be. We're already planning next year's trip.

I don't have enough great things to say about Steve and Ginny and the rest of the crew at Spirit of…read morethe Wilderness. We were out on Knife Lake on Tuesday July 14 2026 (the day of the closure and evacuation of the wilderness). I had rented a one way Spot and picked up my permit from Spirit. Unfortunately with the device we had no one could communicate with us, but the crew at Spirit was tracking us and keeping everyone back home aware of our situation. After we got back into Ely, they even offered a bunkhouse for us to stay the night before heading home.

Great quiet little RV park on the edge of Ely. Close to town itself, but a short drive also to…read morefishing, hiking, and the Wolf Center and the Dorothy Molter museum. This is my third summer staying here for a week, and I look forward to Ely and my stay here. Shiela has always been a great host. I admit, I don't need a lot of kid things, nor do I need to be entertained. Nice deep wide level pads, some with newly placed gravel. Solid power station, I can get 30 or. 50 amp at the pole, the water and sewer hookups are placed appropriately for easy short hookups. Gated, with an access code provided. I have a 34 ft fifth wheel and the site is plenty deep for the rig plus the truck that pulls it. Trash service at the site. I'll keep coming back!!!

Clean, quiet and good free WiFi. Big level pads. Bathrooms and laundry are by key card, which is…read moregood because the community college is nearby and the facilities are nice and new - customers only. The place is very small...only 20 pads, although plans for expansion. Full hookups - water, sewer and electric at all pads - awesome. Gated park - glad we don't have lookie loos driving through at night. Big plus is the clubhouse. Great for the summer rainy days. Gas bbqs, a couple of propane fire pits, tons of games, big vintage pool table, ping pong, books and videos. Sadly the flat screen didn't work...but one doesn't drive all the way to Ely Minnesota to watch tv. That said, the folks in the office said a new, bigger smart tv before weeks end. Saturday they have hot state fair mini donuts coming off the machine in the clubhouse. Enclosed off leash dog area by the clubhouse also a plus. The town has several museums, and two of them are very close. Dorothy Molter, the root beer lady museum is across the street, and the International Wolf Center (live wolves) is bicycle reach from the park. Cool, quiet little place, tidy and tucked away.

I had a great time here. The sites were private, good views of the water, had standard amenities…read moresuch as vault toilets and drinking water, fireplace rings, grill inserts, and a large picnic table per site. I liked that the host didn't come bother us once. We stayed up till midnight or later each night listening to music by the fire, no one complained. No luck fishing birch lake but that doesn't mean they're not in there. Don't forget bug spray and tiki torches if you decide to camp here.

I love state parks, and this one was everything I hoped for and more…read more Visited on a Saturday in August so it was quite crowded, but we still managed to find a parking spot and once we left the parking lot it wasn't too bad. The visitors center is large and clean with lots of information, bathrooms, a gift shop, and places to sit around a fireplace. They were doing a lesson on primitive fire building when we arrived. We unfortunately had a limited amount of time, so we only did the brief hike down the beach and out to Shovel Point, but both were absolutely stunning and I wish we had more time. I'd love to come back someday and hike more and possibly camp as well.

Minnesota really does their state parks correctly - they sometimes double as rest stops for weary…read moretravelers. It's totally a win-win. The rest stop area of the state park visitor center was very nice. Picture windows let the outside sunlight in. Vending machines were well stocked, and the washrooms were spacious and clean. The visitor center was large, with an area with exhibits and displays about the history and the natural features of the park. The information desk abuts this area. There's a gift shop that sells souvenirs and last minute hiking/camping items. There's also ice cream and small snacks. If you want to spend significant time outside here during the summer and forgot mosquito repellent, I highly recommend picking up a canister of 40% DEET. You'll definitely need it! Palisade Head was absolutely gorgeous.

The name says veterans but anyone can stay here. Lovely campground, great access to fishing, beach…read moreand other recreation. Wooded sites, friendly hosts. We were headed north and needed a stop so we took a chance and were very pleasantly surprised. Room for seasonal camping too. $30/night

This was an out of the way place. But this was definitely. Worth the drive to see. The view of the…read morelake was awesome. The owner of this place went out of their way to accommodate us. Could not have asked for a nicer host. If I lived closer I would definitely be coming back to this resort. Thanks again

We love to tent up in the north shore during fall colors season. We aren't great at planning ahead…read moreso we scramble to find a campground.t he state parks are always booked months in advance, so it's the small private campgrounds in the area we enjoy. This one is sitting right on the lax lake. Every campsite will have some sort of view of the lake with some trees but it is not heavily wooded. You can see your neighbor but you're not packed in their like some campsites without any trees. Each campsite had plenty of space with a picnic table and a fire pit. I was a little disappointed in the one car rule because there was so much space to fit two cars and two tents at one campsite. It seems more of a family oriented campground that would be great for kids. We don't have any, so the kids got a little annoying for us. Especially when they are playing and yelling outside at seven in the morning. The bathrooms and quarter operated showers are well kept, clean and aren't far from any of the tent sites. The office is adorable and has a decent selection of snacks and camping things, like fire firewood, if you forget anything. You can also rent kayaks and pontoons for the lake. I felt that the tent sites were a little on the higher side for a campground but understandably so being on a lake with full bathroom, showers and laundry.