Iron Lake

The Extremely Hazardous smoke cloud meant we stopped at Duluth and waited for healthier air only to abandon our reservation.

We spent 4 fabulous nights on site #7. Loved that we were able to access our kayak from the site. We had friends that joined us and were set up on #5 & #6. All of our sites were clean and had plenty of space. The bathrooms were super clean. No cellular service but we expected that. The deer flies were a little pesty during the day but on other trips to the Boundary Waters area we experienced much worse. The mosquitoes arrived at dusk and we were happy to have had a screen tent to retreat to. We were happy to have several places within a few miles in each direction that sold ice. Hope to get back to this campground when we're up that way!!

We and friends enjoyed our camping experience very much. The sites were great, lake was beautiful, hiking in the area was plentiful. We enjoyed all of nature at its best!

Enjoyed the stay. This was my second visit from 3 years ago. Very quiet which is what I like. Only a couple other campers. I appreciate the cleanliness of the vault toilet and the availability of potable water. The bugs can be bad, but I have seen worse. Deet worked well. The county road from Grand Marais could use some work.

NO WATER, 35 mile round tirp to get!!!

Beautiful location. The grounds and rest room were spotless, the sites private and the campground very quiet. The couple with the concession to maintain the area were very pleasant and helpful. I'd forgotten that I'd prepaid with my reservation and paid again at the entrance. They tracked me down and refunded my money!

I stayed at Site #2 on Iron Lake; it’s next to the trail access to Iron Lake, so there were vehicles coming in and out throughout the day. It wasn’t an issue as the noise was minimal. The site is quite secluded with newer quaking aspen providing a lot of privacy. The site is about 20 yards back from the road. Wind was an issue though, so using the guy lines on a tent are a must. I was there at the end of the open season, but everyone was conscientious of each other and respectful. BWCAW entry point 49 is right next to the site, as mentioned earlier, a reference point for starting. It’s a good campground to be within an hour’s driving of Gunflint Lodge and trails, Magnetic Rock trail, the Kekekabic trail and Chik-Wauk museum, all worth seeing. The pit toilet in an actual building, a bear resistant dumpster, and water point with drinkable water that you don’t need to pump by hand were quite welcome. Those got shut down on the 6th of October, the end of the season, though the campground is open after that without the amenities, or fees. Overall, it wasn’t an excellent campground, site and experience and if I had the chance again for a Boundary Waters trip, I’d stay here again.

I stayed at Site #2 on Iron Lake; it’s next to the trail access to Iron Lake, so there were vehicles coming in and out throughout the day. It wasn’t an issue as the noise was minimal. The site is quite secluded with newer quaking aspen providing a lot of privacy. The site is about 20 yards back from the road. Wind was an issue though, so using the guy lines on a tent are a must. I was there at the end of the open season, but everyone was conscientious of each other and respectful. BWCAW entry point 49 is right next to the site, as mentioned earlier, a reference point for starting. It’s a good campground to be within an hour’s driving of Gunflint Lodge and trails, Magnetic Rock trail, the Kekekabic trail and Chik-Wauk museum, all worth seeing. The pit toilet in an actual building, a bear resistant dumpster, and water point with drinkable water that you don’t need to pump by hand were quite welcome. Those got shut down on the 6th of October, the end of the season, though the campground is open after that without the amenities, or fees. Overall, it wasn’t an excellent campground, site and experience and if I had the chance again for a Boundary Waters trip, I’d stay here again.

Sites and amenities are well cared for…views by the lake are fantastic!

Sites and amenities are well cared for…views by the lake are fantastic!