Crescent Lake (MN)

Excellent no-frills campground on a lake. Plenty of mosquitoes, but that's MN.

This is a great spot. Definitely more remote than other National Forest campgrounds. Gravel roads from both Tofte & Grand Marais take you there. Bring the gravel bike, great riding. The lake itself is great for a 1/2 day paddle. There are also a couple BWCA entry points close. Great chance to see wildlife. We saw a wolf from a distance and multiple spots where there were moose tracks. We stayed at the walk-in sites and they were private with lake views and access to the lake.

Great campground, quite, good restrooms.

We enjoyed our one night stay.

one of the best campsites I've ever seen! clean, quiet, and very pleasant overall.

We accidentally booked the wrong dates for our trip, but we were warmly welcomed by the camp host anyway. He directed us to the best sites along the water and we had a great spot. Overall a very good experience!

I messed up the reservation, but it worked out in the end. Camp host very helpful.

Crescent Lake is the best of both worlds. You have the BWCAW right across the road (The Grade) so there's very little air traffic above, and yet you have the ability to pack all the gear you need and camp out of the car. So far I've seen two wolves, tons of deer, one moose, and zero bears... bald eagles, actually birds galore. Loads of grouse. Hummingbirds everywhere so if you're a fan of those you'll go crazy. Sawbill Outfitters manages the grounds very well. Clean, well maintained, vault toilet houses, and a couple of places to get water. You can get firewood from Jack the host at site 32, or over at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters at Sawbill Lake. It's rustic, and you're looking at 25-30 mi of gravel logging road to get to Crescent Lake, but it's well worth the effort. Walleye, smallies, and Muskies seem to be the majority of the fish, and there are literally dozens of other lakes in the area to check out. There is ZERO cell service, although Sawbill canoe Outfitters about 20 mi away is a WiFi hotspot. I highly recommend Crescent Lake! - Mike from Chicago

Love camping here! Clean sites and restrooms. Friendly and water edge sites are a favorite. Hope fishing picks up!

We camp at Crescent Lake every summer and love it! Beautiful sunrises, peaceful kayaking outings, and listening to the loons are our favorite parts of the lake. The bathrooms are clean, the drinking water is good, and the camp host is helpful.