East Bearskin Lake Campground

Great campground but the campground roads need repair of the potholes that dot the campground. Pretty rough when towing a camper.

Well kept grounds. Great access to the lake.

We stayed at campsite 17 and it was wonderful.. Direct access to the lake.. it was clean and quiet..

This is a bare- bones lodging situation. We stayed here the night before entering the BWCAW. For what it is, it’s grossly overpriced but still less expensive than any hotel in Grand Marais. The mattresses were sandy and had a lot of animal (dog) hair on them. I recommend a sheet under your sleeping bag which we regrettably did not have.

I have been camping,meeting friends from the cities for over 20 years. We just finished our fall trip. We have seen the conditions deteriorate over the years. Pothole numbers keep increasing as do their depth. .The road from site #3 to drinking water access is terrible, after a rain the road, which is mostly dirt gets soft and the potholes are full of water. After a heavy rain, it can be covered by water and stay that way for days. That soft wet dirt gets pushed up from vehicles and blocks water from draining off, creates a dam on the lake side of the road. Rain water runs down the road starting from site # 6 gains momentum and divides some of it going into the low area between site #3 and drinking water access,flooding the road, and the rest of it continues through site #3 and down the steps put in years ago to the lake. Carefull if you stay in sight site #3 as the last step is becoming unstable. The washout area near the outhouse down by the water access has gotten wider and deeper over the years, go slow, some vehicles without much ground clearance could bottom out so to speak. It has become impossible to pull a trailer or drive a Motorhome through the campground without hitting branches while trying to dodge the deeper potholes.Trailers and Motorhomes are expensive and their owners dont appreciate having to scrape the sides and even the roofs to drive through the campground. Vehicle speeds need to be be kept down, as they should.Years back these branches would get trimmed back by the forest service, seen them do it The outhouse at the turn near sites 6,7 and 8 probably gets the most use in the campground and probably should be given the title as the worst outhouse to use of all campgrounds on and around the Gunflint Trail. Fishing is not as good as it once was. Why do we go? Its worth putting up, with the continuing decline of the camground, to visit the camping friends made over the years, each year. It would not be my first choice if I was new to the area

East Bearskin campground has beautiful sites next to Bearskin Lake. It is also close to Bearskin Lodge where one can rent canoes and other watercraft. The Gunflint Trail has lots of hiking and dining options, and Bearskin Lake leads to the BWCAW. It's a wonderful part of Minnesota and I highly recommend a visit!

The picnic table at our site had a big hole in the middle. Otherwise we had a nice stay.

We loved the campsite, such a pretty spot. #17 was more secluded and had a little walkway to the lake. The bearskin Lodge is also close, and has canoe/kayak rentals. Would definitely camp here again!

Campsite 18 was an excellent spot. Vault toilets were kept clean and supplied.

Beautiful campground, exceptional lake and convenient access BWCA and canoe rentals and outfitting at Bearskin Lodge! This made for an awesome basecamp mid-Gunflint trail for us to go blueberry picking, hiking, paddling, and swimming. We initially reserved campsite #8, but it was right across from an extremely smelly vault toilet so we found one of the FCFS sites (#11) which offered even better privacy and no smell. I would recommend not booking a campsite directly next to the vault toilets, especially later in the summer. On that note, it seemed like the outfitter who manages the campground did not adequately stock the toilet paper so definitely be prepared for shortage on that front. Otherwise, a great campsite in one of the most beautiful places on earth! We took note on some of the campsites closer to the lake (and far from the vault toilets) for next time. Also if you have a trailer or small RV, make sure to do your research in advance because many of the sites are designed only for tents.