RV Sites
Tent Sites
Cabins
Sarah P
VerifiedJuly 12, 2021 Stayed at: 018, Loop: South
Campsite was great. Camp host were great and very attentive. Anything you needed camp hosts were there to help. New bathrooms were very nice!
Helpful
About Birch Lake Campground
Birch Lake Campground is located in Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, about 13 mi from Ely, Minnesota. It is an ideal place to relax while enjoying fishing, boating and other recreational activities.
Available sites
21 total sitesSeasonal information
2026
(Current year)
2026 Season availability
Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently closed
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Pet friendly
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
Pets and Policies
- Pet friendly
Missing information?
Rates, Sites & Availability
Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.
21 Sites Available
🚐
001, Loop: North
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
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013, Loop: North
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
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014, Loop: North
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺
015, Loop: North
Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐
017, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
018, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
019, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
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020, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
021, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
023, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
024, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
025, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
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026, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
027, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
028, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
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029, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
030, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
031, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
032, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🏠
Popple Cabin, Loop: South
Cabin
6 guests
🏠
Tamarak Cabin, Loop: South
Cabin
6 guests
No sites found matching your criteria.
No available sites
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Site Details
Select a site to view details
21 Sites Available
Site
Price
🚐
001, Loop: North
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
013, Loop: North
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
014, Loop: North
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
⛺
015, Loop: North
Tent
Gravel · Pet Friendly · Campfire
🚐
017, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
018, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
019, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
020, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
021, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
023, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
024, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
025, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
026, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
027, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
028, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
029, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
030, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
031, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🚐
032, Loop: South
RV
Pet Friendly · Gravel · Driveway entry: Back-In
🏠
Popple Cabin, Loop: South
Cabin
6 guests
🏠
Tamarak Cabin, Loop: South
Cabin
6 guests
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews
100 reviews
Summary
Birch Lake Campground offers a spacious and well-maintained environment with clean bathrooms, good drinking water, and a peaceful atmosphere, making it ideal for family gatherings and outdoor activities. Many campers appreciate the privacy between sites and the beautiful surroundings, although access to the water for activities like swimming and fishing can be limited. Some guests expressed concerns about road conditions leading to the campground and occasional issues with site reservations, but overall, the campground is highly recommended for its cleanliness and natural beauty.
Based on guest feedback
4.4
Overall rating
Based on 100 reviews
5 stars
65.0% (65)
4 stars
22.0% (22)
3 stars
3.0% (3)
2 stars
5.0% (5)
1 star
5.0% (5)
Showing 100 reviews
Verified Only
Sort by: Oldest First
Andrea H
VerifiedJuly 17, 2021 Stayed at: 001, Loop: North
Camp hosts were absolutely amazing! Thanks for the great experience. Campsite was clean, spacious, and private. Campground was quiet and the bathrooms were clean.
Will be coming back !
Helpful
Jennifer C
VerifiedJuly 28, 2021 Stayed at: 024, Loop: South
This campground never disappoints! It was nice having water access at our campsite, however it was really dry which made tackling the steep hill a little more challenging, plus it's starting to erode a bit. The boat access is very close, has a nice dock, bathroom and lots of room to park. The hosts Thor and Cindy were very friendly and they kept the sites well maintained as well as the bathrooms, which are by far the cleanest I've seen!! Their wiener dog Lucius was super cute and my kids loved petting him!
Helpful
Arden L
VerifiedAugust 2, 2021 Stayed at: 019, Loop: South
We had an amazing time here! Great campsite and beautiful lake.
Helpful
Anthony B
VerifiedAugust 7, 2021 Stayed at: 023, Loop: South
Best camp hosts and cleanest bathrooms
Helpful
Susan B
VerifiedAugust 8, 2021 Stayed at: 019, Loop: South
Bring your kayaks and explore the islands. Wonderful place to kick back and relax. No verizon cell service, so plan accordingly. Hosts Thor and Cyndi are amazing people, full of information and exceedingly conscientious about taking care of the campground and the campers.
Helpful
Kevin J
VerifiedAugust 10, 2021 Stayed at: 023, Loop: South
An excellent FS campground that was well maintained and had just the right mix of primitive feel and conveniences. Campsites had enough separation and vegetative screening to provide privacy and relative quiet. The campground hosts were exceptionally friendly and efficient. We noticed that the bare ground portion of our site had even been raked to remove any litter and footprints.
We enjoyed bird watching, canoeing, and fishing.
Helpful
Holly S
VerifiedAugust 11, 2021 Stayed at: 025, Loop: South
Make sure you have a flashlight for the outhouses!
Helpful
David N
VerifiedAugust 13, 2021 Stayed at: 020, Loop: South
Birch Lake Campground is the Best in the Ely, MN. area and on the most beautiful lake in MN. The campground hosts are Super Nice and Friendly. They keep the campsites nice and clean. The outhouse bathrooms are kept spotless clean and sanitary. The hosts will try and answer all questions you may have. The campground is nice and quiet after 10PM until 7AM.
Helpful
Jane T
VerifiedAugust 13, 2021 Stayed at: 032, Loop: South
What a beautiful rustic campground! I hadn't been in the park 10 minutes before I was greeted by Thor and Cyndi, the campground hosts. I had read other reviews that mentioned how wonderful these two are and it was no exaggeration. The sites are nicely spaced and private. Many have direct access to the lake. The vault toilets are unbelievably clean. The north loop has a very convenient, solar powered well with a spigot allowing one to easily fill water buckets and canisters. I love the Ely area and this campground provided a great home base. Oh, and the sound of the loons was awesome!
Helpful
Location & Directions for Birch Lake Campground
Kawishiwi Ranger District, 1393 Highway 169, Ely, MN 55731 United States
Elevation: 443 ft
Getting There
From Ely, Minnesota, travel about 8 mi south on State Highway 1 toward Lake Superior, until Forest Road 429 (Little Lake Road). Turn right on Forest Road 429 and continue 4 mi to the campground entrance road. Turn left onto the campground road and...
From Ely, Minnesota, travel about 8 mi south on State Highway 1 toward Lake Superior, until Forest Road 429 (Little Lake Road). Turn right on Forest Road 429 and continue 4 mi to the campground entrance road. Turn left onto the campground road and continue 1 mi to the campground.
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: October 22, 2026
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Explore Ely, MN
Population: 3,240
Nearby city: Duluth, MN
Approx. 69 mi away (straight-line distance)
Elevation: 1,470 ft
Ely, MN
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Managed by the USDA Forest Service