Sites & Rates
Average nightly rates21 total sites
RV Sites
18 sites
Tent Sites
1 site
Cabins
2 sites
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
Report Incorrect Information
Help us improve by reporting any incorrect amenity information for Birch Lake Campground.
Rates, Sites & Availability
21 Sites Available
No sites found matching your criteria.
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.
Site Details
Select a site to view details
21 Sites Available
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 (93)
What Guests Are Saying
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.
What Guests Are Saying
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.
Review Summary
anthony k
VerifiedSeptember 19, 2025 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: South
love the lake
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.
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.
Shelly L
VerifiedMay 28, 2026 • Stayed at: 014, Loop: North
Campsite and fire pit were clean. Mouse levels were low and satellite bathrooms were very clean.
Gary I
VerifiedJune 18, 2026 • Stayed at: 019, Loop: South
mostly rain on Monday, Tuesday nice but windy, more rain on Wednesday - left early! Thor and Nancy were very nice and kept it all looking good!!
TIm I
VerifiedJuly 3, 2026 • Stayed at: 029, Loop: South
Beautiful campground on a beautiful lake. S29 was a good site for camping, but is not a site that provides easy access to the water if you are wanting to pull a boat up (large rocks/swampy access).
Judith B
VerifiedJuly 8, 2026 • Stayed at: 029, Loop: South
We had a disappointing experience. I reserved tent site #29 for 6/26, 6/27 and 6/28. However, due to extenuating circumstances, we decided we decided wanted to rent the Tamarak cabin which was posted as being available. We had to drive a ways from the C.G. to get signal and then signed to rec.gov to reserve the site. We filled out a registration slip and enclosed a check for $285 and deposited the registration. However, when we discovered the cabin was locked we went to the C.G. host site which seemed unoccupied. We tried going back to the host site, but no-one was there. We got the number of the concessionaire to call and again drove out of the C.G. to get signal. No one answered so we left a message. No one ever got back to us so we could not use the cabin the night of 6/26. The next day we were able to reach the concessionaire and were told that the campground hosts were on vacation for two weeks. I was astounded since this period of time is prime camping time and it is unthinkable to allow a host to "vacation" for two weeks, leaving us in the lurch. The concessionaire then stated she would call the Kiwishiwi campground hosts but also stated they might be off on Saturday - also a ridiculous idea since weekends usually always have a host on duty. Fortunately that host came around several hours later and opened the cabin for us so we could stay 6/27 and 6/28.
Alex Y
VerifiedJuly 12, 2026 • Stayed at: 028, Loop: South
Great campsite if you can score a site next to the lake.
brendon h
VerifiedJuly 14, 2026 • Stayed at: 014, Loop: North
The campground was nice but being forced into renting a campsite for 3 nights when we only needed one just because it was near a holiday (not on) not only left a bad taste in our mouths but it also made it so other groups were not able to use the site. I'll be giving my the areas I plan to camp a little more thought in future.
Amy O
VerifiedJuly 21, 2026 • Stayed at: 018, Loop: South
Love this campground. Well kept. Very peaceful.
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.
Elevation: 443 feet
13 mi drive to downtown Ely (about 23 min)
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
Last updated: September 8, 2026
