About Birch Lake Campground
Number of accommodations: 21
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Pet friendly
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
Pets and Policies
- Pet friendly
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Rates, Sites & Availability
21 Sites Available
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Site Details
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21 Sites Available
No available sites
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Reviews (83)
What Guests Are Saying
Birch Lake Campground offers a beautiful and secluded location near Ely, Minnesota, with well-maintained sites that provide privacy and great access to the lake. Visitors appreciate the clean facilities, friendly camp hosts, and opportunities for local activities like hiking and fishing. However, some negative aspects include poor road conditions leading to the campground and occasional issues with mosquitoes and site reservations.
What Guests Are Saying
Birch Lake Campground offers a beautiful and secluded location near Ely, Minnesota, with well-maintained sites that provide privacy and great access to the lake. Visitors appreciate the clean facilities, friendly camp hosts, and opportunities for local activities like hiking and fishing. However, some negative aspects include poor road conditions leading to the campground and occasional issues with mosquitoes and site reservations.
Review Summary
Thomas B
VerifiedDecember 19, 2025 • Stayed at: Popple Cabin, Loop: South
Nice location not far from Ely, but well off the highway. We enjoyed our stay. Did some local day hikes. Visited the municipal beach in Ely. We even went to a movie at the refurbished Ely theater, highly recommend!
Canoes available for use, check with campground manager. Gravel roads for biking.
JAMES E
VerifiedOctober 14, 2025 • Stayed at: 023, Loop: South
Very quiet and secluded campground which was very close to Ely , Minnesota, not all the sites were RV compatible but they were clean , due diligence is required to reserve a site that meets your requirements so look at photos when deciding which site . Would definitely recommend either section of Birch Lake Campground.
anthony k
VerifiedSeptember 19, 2025 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: South
love the lake
fred b
VerifiedSeptember 19, 2025 • Stayed at: 020, Loop: South
campsites and grounds are well maintained
TOM P
VerifiedAugust 24, 2025 • Stayed at: 017, Loop: South
Lots of vegetation and space between sites made for a good deal of privacy.
Brandon W
VerifiedAugust 16, 2025 • Stayed at: 014, Loop: North
Very clean site with great access to the lake and a fun trail to walk to our lake access. The mosquitos were very tough and fishing was very poor but we had a great time as a family. The restroom’s are very clean and the hand pump for drinking water is a drive from this site.
Eric E
VerifiedJuly 8, 2025 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: North
Real beautiful spot!
Georgina P
VerifiedJuly 7, 2025 • Stayed at: 014, Loop: North
No campground host on site. We made reservations 6 months in advance just to arrive and find our site taken by someone else.
Dale C
VerifiedJuly 1, 2025 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: South
It was sad to see how the camp is being run this summer. I've camped here for over 20yrs. and have never seen the grass and weeds knee deep in the sites. Also the bathrooms have been left uncleaned and stocked for weeks at a time. Hope it's not a sign of things ahead.
Ashley F
VerifiedJune 3, 2025 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: South
This was our second time staying at Birch Lake Campground (South). Would highly recommend. The vault toilet rooms were as clean as they possibly could be! The lots are pretty private as well. We were able to catch fish from shore, but one highlight is the nice boat landing to launch your boat to fish and explore beautiful Birch Lake! Lasting family memories were made! <3
Location Birch Lake Campground
Address:
Kawishiwi Ranger District, 1393 Highway 169
Ely, MN, 55731
United States
From Ely, Minnesota, travel about 8 miles south on State Highway 1 toward Lake Superior, until Forest Road 429 (Little Lake Road). Turn right on Forest Road 429 and continue 4 miles to the campground entrance road. Turn left onto the campground road and continue 1 mile to the campground.
Latitude & Longitude: 47.7569 / -91.7836
Elevation: 443 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check out time
12PM
General
- Off-road and all-terrain vehicles are not allowed during camping season.
- During the walk-in season, please contact the local USFS for information.
- Please Note: One RV with tow vehicle per single site or two vehicles per tent site. Most sites can accommodate 1 extra vehicle that is not included with the reservation fee. Extra vehicle will be charged a per night fee and collected at the campground.
- Reserved Sites will be held until 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.
- 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).
- Click here to learn more about Superior National Forest Superior National Forest
- 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.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026
