Last minute solo camping trip

[ted4887]

I am just kind of getting into camping, and have a nice long weekend coming up like most other people. I am looking at going up north for a little R&R. I'd like to find a nice primitive campground that is accessible by car. I will only be bringing bare camping essentials, plus my kayak and it's fishing setup. Somewhere that won't have much boat traffic would be ideal! If you can think of anything that might have room yet for this weekend, please chime in! Thanks in advance

[reinhard1]

man what you provide for information seems like your new at this. ok-i could lead you to primitive places but that would not be fair. you mentions a kayak. this is where i would suggest you go. bear head state park. you could have a pleasant place to camp. you would have all the things you would need as far as showers and rest rooms. and solitude. now you might ask a state park and solitude. yes and good fishing to boot. i have gone there for years and it is popular. never have i had a problem. people go there with canoes or kayaks and you see them all the time. there is a 10 mile per hour speed limit. people are very respectfull. so a car and a kayak=bearhead state park near ely for a weekend you will enjoy. bass,walley, northerns, and panfish also. good luck.

[ted4887]

This exactly the kind of location I am looking for. Sorry to be so vague, but like you said, i'm very new to this. I was born a city kid, and have never really gotten away from it. Looking to try out some new hobbies.

[ted4887]

Bummer, I called and they said they only have the first come first serve spots left, which is to be expected. Unfortunately, driving from Mankato all the way up to Ely, I'd rather know 100% that I'm getting a campsite. lol

[eyeguy 54]

try the north shore but I'd leave the kayak home the first trip. Lambs is a reat spot by Schroeder. Lottsa state parks to.

[reinhard1]

there is usualy always a spot. they have specific campsites just for first come first camp. if you cant find a spot for some reason. stay at the casino [fortune bay] and enjoy the day anyway. if you see bearhead you will come back again. good luck.

[ted4887]

You think even on a Friday morning/afternoon up there they would stillhave space on labor day weekend? It makes me nervous. It looks like a perfect place to go. I'd stay at the casino, but unfortunately, I'm not a gambler, so that wouldn't be all that fun.

[echotrail]

Try going to the West end of the Echo Trail (County Rd 116) in St. Louis County. It runs West from Ely to Buyck, MN. You drive North to Orr, MN and then East going a few miles past Buyck and turn onto the Echo Trail where the Sportsman Bar is located. There are two Federal camprounds, one at Lake Jeanette (14 miles) and the other on Echo Lake (2 miles). They are both within the Superior National Forest. The camping fee I believe is about $10 per night. Both have well groomed campsites. They both have outhouses and fresh water. Lake access at both campgrounds is easy and you can get access directly from some of the campsites, especially at Jeanette. Nice fish can be caught in both lakes and it's unlikely either one will be full, but if they are you can camp anywhere as there are many secondary logging roads with suitable camping locations. Another nearby lake to try is Picket Lake at the end of forest Rd 477 which turns off of forest Rd 200 near Lake Jeanette. There are two campsites located on the lake. You would have to portage your kayak to get to the open water or paddle a short distance through a shallow slew to get to the open water. Two other lakes with short portages near Picket are Astrid and Maude.

[Redlantern]

The High, Dry lakes near Ely, Suomi Hills north of Grand Rapids on highway 38 and the Vegetable chain off of Shoe Lake Road north of Grand Marais (quite a bit).

[MuleShack]

The state parks usually leave 20-30% of the sites open as a first come first serve availability. If you are going to get there on Friday morning, I would think that you should have not problem gettting one of those.

You can always call up there to see how many are going to be open on Thursday.

[reinhard1]

look, labor day weekend will be the last for most to go camping with the family. most places will be busy. some as some posted on your more remote camsites will have less pressure. i could suggest many great places as some have but you are a begginer and it may be a plus haveing other people around and it would be a learning process for you as you observe others. do as the other poster said and call bearhead thursday before they close and see how many sites are open and go from there. my bet is if they say there are sights open be there friday early and you will have no problem. as far as the casino that was just a suggestion in case nothing can be found and you dont have to gamble. good place to eat and still take the kayak to bearhead to enjoy the day. i'm sure you will find a site-be there early. good luck.

[ted4887]

Good point. I think I will take your advice, and call on Thursday evening. If it's not full to capacity, i'll take my chances and leave early on Friday morning for the 4-5 hour drive up there. Blah! haha

[reinhard1]

hey i've done it plenty of times with truck boat and stuff. it's about 4 hrs from andover. hey i hope you have a great time and the weather cooperates. it will be a great lake for a kayak. there is the northbay,i think you can get a map from the rangers, it is fairly shallow with many fallen trees on the shorelines. good place for bass and panfish. the western part of the lake is were i fish for walleys. the shorelines also good for bass and panfish. the eastern bay has rocky reefs for walleys and bays for bass. there is also a trout lake behind the ranger station to fish off shore from and one down the road about 2 miles with brook trout also. so there will be much to do and see and enjoy. great place to take a shower and if your lucky there is a fish cleaning house also with running water. good luck.

[kurtkwe]

Fox River Landing on the St Croix River. You can car camp here, first come first served campsites. Its on the Wisconsin side of the river. Kayak heaven here and very good fishing as well. Less than 2 hrs from anywhere in the city. I would also suggest kayaking down the Namekogan river.

[ted4887]

That sounds like a lot of fun. My problem however, would be transportation back up the river. Do they have any shuttles in that area?

[ted4887]

Thanks for all the help guys! I'd love to catch some trout. It's by far my favorite fresh water eating fish other than Salmon. I haven't fished for trout since I was about 7 years old, so it would definitely be an experience. I'll have to hit up the trout forums to get some help on bait selections.

[titelines]

If you like the idea of going to Ely, there are a few Forest Service campgrounds available very close to that area. Many of these are right on the water, and you won't run into the crowds that you would at the State Parks. I think they run about $15.00 a night, so it's pretty reasonable. If you want to run into town, Ely is within 10 miles of all of these.

Do a search for Superior Forest Campgrounds and look at Birch Lake Campground, Fenske Lake Campground, Fall Lake Campground or the South Kawishiwi Campground. You can make reservations online for any of these campgrounds.

Hope this helps.

[ted4887]

Actually, I don't even have to drive all the way up there. If I could find some lakes further south in the Brainerd area that are Kayak/Camping friendly, that would be even more ideal. I do love Ely though. Last time I was there I had an absolute blast.

On a side note, I do have most everything ready to go for the weekend, wherever I end up.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Brainerd area is overrated and busy IMO. Go to Ely and enjoy your trip.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Might check out Rock Lake CG near Pilliger.

[pushbutton]

here is a link to the state forest campgrounds....the map is interactive.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/map.html