About South Kawishiwi River
Number of accommodations: 21
Campground Amenities
-
Potable Water -
River Access
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Sites & Availability
21 Sites Available
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Site Details
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21 Sites Available
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Reviews (116)
What Guests Are Saying
South Kawishiwi River is a beautifully maintained campground with well-spaced, clean sites and friendly camp hosts who ensure excellent upkeep, including impressively clean vault toilets. Visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, great water access for canoeing, and lovely swimming spots nearby. While there are occasional issues with mosquitoes and site sizes, the overall experience is highly positive, making it a favorite destination for campers.
What Guests Are Saying
South Kawishiwi River is a beautifully maintained campground with well-spaced, clean sites and friendly camp hosts who ensure excellent upkeep, including impressively clean vault toilets. Visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, great water access for canoeing, and lovely swimming spots nearby. While there are occasional issues with mosquitoes and site sizes, the overall experience is highly positive, making it a favorite destination for campers.
Review Summary
Anonymous
{"text"=>"Our experience with the rangers thru Outdoor Afros MN Stephen Scott and Caitlyn Utley was so amazing, the welcome and the stay and accomodations was paramount and exceptional. The time they took to teach us and inform us and the enthusiasm they have about what they do radiated in us with so much understanding and knowledge. The hospitality shown and the experience we had with the rangers Makayla Aaron Maggie and of course Kes Ebbs and a few others whom were equally amazing but my mind has lost their names was enlightening informing and wonderful. First time to Ely and the superior forest and the entire experience had me on clouds so high and natural . It was winter wonderland with beautiful folks every where we went. Ill be back some day and I hope so many more venture deep north to the end of this busy life to the beginning if the wilderness where humanity shows out β€οΈβ¨οΈ Thank you for a forever memory adventure", "languageCode"=>"en"}
Timothy G
VerifiedDecember 19, 2019 β’ Stayed at: 027, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
The setting and views were idyllic. The facilities were better than expected.
Hannah B
VerifiedDecember 19, 2019 β’ Stayed at: 023, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Excellent site, very clean and had clear instructions on how to keep trash and food away from bears. The host was wonderful and extremely helpful when my car broke down. I will definitely be back!!
Charles C
VerifiedDecember 25, 2019 β’ Stayed at: 007, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Very nice campground, very welcoming, super clean toilets.
Don A
VerifiedDecember 29, 2019 β’ Stayed at: 029, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
A nice well kept location. Wish there were more area for boat docking. Otherwise we love this camp ground.
Michele H
VerifiedJanuary 9, 2020 β’ Stayed at: 008, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
This was a really great camping experience. We did alot of canoeing and fishing on the river and if we would have been there longer we would have gone into the BWCA.
Shari L
VerifiedJanuary 10, 2020 β’ Stayed at: 001, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Beware there is little potable water (one tap only) and no running water for showers, etc. You can bathe in the lake, but of course much less privacy than in BWCAW.
Susan K
VerifiedJanuary 11, 2020 β’ Stayed at: 027, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
clean sites and facilities. beautiful location. friendly camp hosts.
Sarah D
January 13, 2020
We have camped at this campground for the past almost 10 years. Many great memories were made. We watched the popularity of this campground increase over these years; more than what we liked. The hosts for all of the years were all pretty good. Bathrooms were always clean. The water shed near site 13 has never had water which is really the only complaint I have ever had.
Maciej D
VerifiedJanuary 15, 2020 β’ Stayed at: 028, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Very nice place, clean and easy access. We had such a nice labor day weekend. Good boat and canoe access. Highly recommend.
Location South Kawishiwi River
Address:
Kawishiwi Ranger District
Ely, MN, 55731
United States
From Ely, Minnesota, travel about 10.3 miles south on State Highway 1 toward Lake Superior. Turn left onto the campground road.
Latitude & Longitude: 47.8156 / -91.7314
Elevation: 449 feet
Policies & Rules
| Category | About |
|---|---|
| General |
Traveling within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness requires a permit; day use requires a self-issued permit; overnight use requires a permit from the quota system. |
| General |
Beach and picnic areas open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. |
| General |
The South Kawishiwi River Campground holds a pavilion for rent (site 33) that can accommodate up to 26 people. The site also has an outdoor cooking area with a large grill and two picnic tables. See site 33 for more information. |
| General |
Off-road and all-terrain vehicles not allowed during camping season. |
| General |
During the walk-in season please contact the Superior National Forest for information. |
| General |
Please Note: One towed vehicle per single camping unit will be allowed for no extra charge if it can be parked completely on the surfaced area and does not create a safety hazard. Examples of towed vehicles include a boat trailer or a car towed by a motor home. Two motorcycles are considered one vehicle.
|
| General |
Reserved Sites will be held until check out time (NOON) the day following your arrival date. Sites must be occupied by the checkout time of that following day to hold a reservation or the site will be forfeited and released to other guests. Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation. |
| General |
Refunds: Refund requests made through www.recreation.gov will be charged a $10 processing fee. This fee is retained by the reservation service contractor along with the non-refundable reservation fee. All requests for the return of the non-refundable reservation fee and the cancellation fee will be declined by the campground concessionaire as they did not receive these fees (these are the fees retained by the reservation contractor, a different entity). |
| General |
Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information. |
| General |
superior Click here to learn more about Superior National Forest. |
