Birch Lake Campground

Kawishiwi Ranger District, 1393 Highway 169, Ely, Minnesota, United States
Check Availability
Picture of table with lake in the background.
Picture of picnic table and fire ring.
Picture of camping spur.
Picture of Birch Lake from boatlanding.
Picture of open grassy area.

Featured amenities

Pet Friendly Pet Friendly
View all amenities

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 sites
RV Sites 18 sites Check Availability Tent Sites 1 site Check Availability Cabins 2 sites Check Availability

Seasonal 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 Pet friendly
Water and Hygiene

Water and Hygiene

  • Potable Water
Pets and Policies

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

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

Reviews

100 reviews

Summary

AI generated

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

Write a review
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: Newest First
Newest First Oldest First

Jane T

Verified

August 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

David N

Verified

August 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

Holly S

Verified

August 11, 2021 Stayed at: 025, Loop: South

Make sure you have a flashlight for the outhouses!

Helpful

Kevin J

Verified

August 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

Susan B

Verified

August 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

Anthony B

Verified

August 7, 2021 Stayed at: 023, Loop: South

Best camp hosts and cleanest bathrooms

Helpful

Arden L

Verified

August 2, 2021 Stayed at: 019, Loop: South

We had an amazing time here! Great campsite and beautiful lake.

Helpful

Jennifer C

Verified

July 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

Andrea H

Verified

July 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

Sarah P

Verified

July 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

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...

Nearest town

Ely, MN - 13 mi

About 23 min to downtown

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.

Nearby Campgrounds

South Kawishiwi River
Closed for Season

Campground / RV park

South Kawishiwi River

Ely, MN

South Kawishiwi River Campground is located in Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, about 10 mi from Ely, Minnesota. It offers fishing, boating and other recreational activities in a relaxing outdoor setting. Th...

21 RV Sites
21 Tent Sites
4.6 (372)
Silver Rapids Lodge & Campground

Campground / RV park

Silver Rapids Lodge & Campground

Ely, MN
4.0 (5)
Fall Lake
Closed for Season

Campground / RV park

Fall Lake

Ely, MN

Fall Lake Campground offers direct access to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and opens in early May, attracting anglers for walleye fishing. It also provides opportunities for birding, swimming, hiking, and boating. Situated within the 3...

38 RV Sites
42 Tent Sites
4.7 (764)

Nearby destinations

Explore destination

Ely

11 mi away

City
Explore destination

Embarrass

20 mi away

Day trip
Explore destination

Isabella

22 mi away

Day trip

Last updated: October 22, 2026

Message us

Need help?

Our team is here to help you find the perfect spot for your next adventure.

Message us

Replies within minutes

Explore Ely, MN

Population: 3,240

Nearby city: Duluth, MN

Approx. 69 mi away (straight-line distance)

Elevation: 1,470 ft

Learn more about Ely

From our Travel Guides

View all guides
USDA Forest Service Logo
Managed by the USDA Forest Service