Camping near Grand Marais

• the city-run Grand Marais Recreation Area on the harbor, with 296 sites
• Cascade River State Park, 10 miles southwest
• Judge C.R. Magney State Park, 14 miles northeast
• three Superior National Forest campgrounds inland: Devil Track Lake, Kimball Lake and Two Island Lake

Each books differently. The city campground takes reservations six months ahead, the state parks 120 days ahead on Reserve MN, and the three Forest Service campgrounds have no online booking.

This guide is for choosing a base for a Grand Marais trip: in town with hookups and showers, in a state park near the waterfalls, or at a quieter inland lake. It compares distance, price, season and how to book. Facts come from each operator's official site; sources are at the end.

The options side by side

The two state parks also require a Minnesota state park vehicle permit, $7 a day or $35 a year, per the DNR permit page.

Grand Marais Recreation Area (the city campground)

The municipal campground sits beside the harbor, a short walk from downtown. Its official site lists 296 sites, from full-hookup RV sites to lakeside and wooded tent sites, four bathhouses, a playground, two harbor pavilions and connections to the Gitchi-Gami bike trail. It is open year-round, with water at the sites from May to mid-October.

2027 peak-season rates (June 1 to September 30), from the campground's rates page. May and October rates are $5 lower.

Rates exclude 12.375% sales tax and the $10 reservation fee. A week costs the price of six nights, except on drop-in lakeside RV sites.

How booking works:

• Reservations open six months before arrival and roll forward one day each night. For the 2027 season, booking began November 1 for May 1 arrivals.
• Book online through Firefly at any hour, or by phone on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central, from November to April.
• Every reservation needs a $50 deposit, which includes the $10 fee. You get $25 back if you cancel two weeks or more ahead; inside two weeks you lose all $50.
• Drop-in sites (lakeside sites 1 to 18, some premium RV sites, and bike trail tent sites 73 to 85) are first come, first served. Registration starts at 8 a.m. at the office, and the person camping must be there.

House rules worth knowing: base rates cover up to 4 adults, with a maximum of 6 people per site. Check-in is after 1 p.m. and check-out by noon. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., generators are not allowed, and nightly or weekly stays are limited to two weeks per site.

Winter: as of November 2026, the campground's home page says bathhouses are closed and overnight camping is $20 a night electric or $10 rustic, with "NO RESERVATIONS TAKEN."

The two state parks

Cascade River State Park (10 miles southwest)

The DNR lists 40 drive-in sites (19 rustic, 21 electric), five backpack sites and two tent-only group camps. The maximum RV length is 35 feet, and the DNR warns that "many of our campsites are small." There are no water or sewer hookups at the sites, but there is a seasonal dump station for state park campers. Showers and flush toilets are seasonal.

Camping is year-round, but the DNR says all sites closed October 18, 2026 "except for the seven drive-in campsites that are plowed throughout the winter." (Another DNR listing says three rustic and three electric sites are plowed.) A June 2026 alert says backpack sites 2 to 5 are closed for maintenance. More in the Cascade River State Park guide.

Judge C.R. Magney State Park (14 miles northeast)

The DNR lists 27 rustic drive-in sites with no electricity, and a 45-foot RV limit. There are no RV water hookups; the DNR sends campers to the dump station and water fill at Cascade River. The campground closed October 18, 2026, and is closed late October through April, with "no reservations ... taken for this time." Only registered campers may use the showers and flush toilets. The park's main trail leads to the Devil's Kettle.

Booking either park

Both use Reserve MN, which opens dates 120 days before arrival at 8 a.m. Central and charges $8 online or $10 by phone, with no fee for same-day bookings, per the DNR reservation FAQ. Full details are in the North Shore state park reservations guide.

Superior National Forest campgrounds

Three Forest Service campgrounds sit inland, north of town, off the Gunflint Trail and its side roads. All three are listed on the Superior National Forest site at $22 a night, with a May 8 to October 19 season, vault toilets and drinking water from a solar-powered faucet.

Shared rules, from the Forest Service pages:

• Maximum of nine people per site.
• One vehicle and one towed vehicle per site; extra vehicles pay an additional half fee (listed as $11 at Devil Track Lake).
• Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Sites "are pull-in and are not specifically designed for RVs." Most fit a moderate-sized vehicle.

Booking: Recreation.gov lists Two Island Lake as not reservable. Devil Track Lake and Kimball Lake have no Recreation.gov listing, and their Forest Service pages show no booking link. Plan on first come, first served, and call the Gunflint Ranger District at 218-387-1750 to confirm. As of November 11, 2026, all three pages read "Closed, no fees or services" for the season.

Which one fits your trip

• Walk to dinner and the harbor: the Grand Marais Recreation Area. It is the only option here with full hookups.
• Waterfalls and the Superior Hiking Trail: Cascade River, or Judge C.R. Magney for the Devil's Kettle.
• Quiet lake, no reservation: Devil Track, Kimball or Two Island Lake, arriving early in the day.
• Winter: the city campground, Cascade River's plowed sites, or free winter camping at Devil Track Lake. See the North Shore in winter.

Before you go

1. Decide whether you need hookups. Only the city campground has full hookups; Cascade River has electric only.
2. Mark your booking date: six months ahead for the city campground, 120 days ahead for the state parks.
3. Budget for the city campground's $50 deposit and 12.375% tax.
4. Buy a state park vehicle permit if you are staying at Cascade River or Judge C.R. Magney.
5. Buy firewood where you camp. The city campground sells it at the office and allows no outside wood unless it is state certified.

Related guides: All North Shore guides · Minnesota camping guides · Things to do in Grand Marais · North Shore state parks compared · Gunflint Trail drive

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Sources

• Grand Marais Recreation Area, Home: https://www.grandmaraisrecreationarea.com/
• Grand Marais Recreation Area, Camping: https://www.grandmaraisrecreationarea.com/camping
• Grand Marais Recreation Area, 2027 camping rates: https://www.grandmaraisrecreationarea.com/rates
• Grand Marais Recreation Area, More details (rules and amenities): https://www.grandmaraisrecreationarea.com/more-details
• Minnesota DNR, Cascade River State Park: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html?id=spk00133
• Minnesota DNR, Judge C.R. Magney State Park: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html?id=spk00193
• Minnesota DNR, Reservation FAQ: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reserve-faq/index.html
• Minnesota DNR, State park fees: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fees.html
• Minnesota DNR, Vehicle permits: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/permit.html
• U.S. Forest Service, Superior National Forest, Devil Track Lake Campground: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/devil-track-lake-campground
• U.S. Forest Service, Superior National Forest, Kimball Lake Campground: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/kimball-lake-campground
• U.S. Forest Service, Superior National Forest, Two Island Lake Campground: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/two-island-lake-campground
• Recreation.gov, Two Island Lake Campground: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/poi/240995