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
No available sites
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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
Sharon M
VerifiedMay 30, 2022 β’ Stayed at: 001, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Great camp host, he was friendly & did a good job.
The bathrooms were very clean.
Little flying bugs I believe were gnats where unbearable. I didn't want to be outside even with deep woods off bug spray.
Logan C
VerifiedFebruary 7, 2022 β’ Stayed at: 003, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Nice campground and our family enjoyed the swimming beach very much.
Robert M
VerifiedSeptember 29, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 027, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Booking on line can be a "bit of an experience".
John E
VerifiedSeptember 27, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 004, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
We enjoyed our 4 day stay alot. Beautiful campground. The on site attendant ( Julie ?) Was very efficient. Cleaned campsites as soon as they were unoccupied. Bathroom were always clean. She offered helpful suggestions and was knowledgeable. Keep in mind this a no showers, no flush toilets campground. Some sites are better suited to tents but most will accommodate campers 30 feet in length. We stayed in site #4. It has table and fire ring closer to camper door. Many sites have table etc behind where you park.
Tom G
VerifiedSeptember 27, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 027, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
The best campground and campsite yet in a 3week long trip to a dozen places! Lake views are stunning. Lake side path is well maintained. Canoes for rent. Well maintained steps and driveways. Our favorite so far
James G
VerifiedSeptember 5, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 026, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Everything was clean and tidy. The campground host (Julia) was an excellent source of information and helped us with our campground orientation. A memorable experience!
Keith H
VerifiedSeptember 3, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 003, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
This campground is a must to stay at. Relatively small with large private sites - electric only. The camp ground host was terrific. She maintained the sites and the vault toilets were immaculate even to the degree of having a floral arrangement, scent and anti bacterial soap.
Ginny M
VerifiedAugust 30, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 008, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Thought the host needed some help in making sure the bathrooms had ample toilet paper...she never came and asked how everything was or if we needed anything...they do a great job at Whiteface Reservoir....we were there during the Greenwood fire and she never came around to let us know the circumstances if there would be an evacuation or nothing to worry about...have had much better hosts previous years
steven c
VerifiedAugust 23, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 005, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
Super campground. Clean, quiet and great place to spend a night before your trip into the BWCA.
AARON S
VerifiedAugust 13, 2021 β’ Stayed at: 009, Loop: SOUTH KAWISHIWI RIVER
A nice location not too far from Ely. The only downside for a person tent camping is there are no showers on site. The host was wonderful and friendly.
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.
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| 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. |
