Campgrounds on Rainy Lake in Minnesota

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Rainy Lake straddles the border between Minnesota and Canada. Its southern shores abut Voyageurs National Park. The campgrounds of the park are widely dispersed and reached by boat. Voyageurs requires a permit for overnight camping. Permits are available at the park's visitor's center and stations adjacent to the boat launch areas. Kabetogama State Forest is adjacent to Voyageurs as you travel south and offers several campgrounds for those traveling through to Rainy Lake.

Pine Aire Resort

Pine Aire Resort, 17.5 miles from Rainy Lake, has rental cabins and a campground for visiting RV travelers. Partial hookups, shower and restroom access accompany each site. The lodge has a fireplace, sells snacks and includes video games, table games and a jukebox. Guests can enjoy a sandy swimming beach. Dock space and boat rentals are available, along with free paddleboats and canoes for exploring Kabetogama Lake. Voyageurs National Park, 9 miles from the resort, offers snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter, and the Rainy Lake Visitor Center will loan snowshoes at no charge, along with trail maps. The center also rents ski equipment.

Pine Aire Resort
9978 Gappa Road
Kabetogama, MN 56669
(218) 875-2161
(877) 875-2161
pineaire.com

Woodenfrog Campground

Woodenfrog Campground in the Kabetogama State Forest, 22 miles from Rainy Lake, offers 61 drive-in, primitive camping sites with a fire ring and picnic table. Vault toilets and potable water are provided but few other amenities. RVs campers are welcome, and the spots will fit large RVs. The day-use area includes a boat ramp, two docks and a beach for swimming on Kabetogama Lake. Special activities are frequently held at the park, and visitors can join boat and canoe trips and guided nature hikes. Kabetogama State Forest has 12 miles of cross-country skiing trails, and the roads and hiking trails double as mountain bike trails in most cases.

Woodenfrog Campground
Kabetogama, MN 56669
(218) 365-7229
dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/facilities/cmp00032

Ash River Campground

Kabetogama State Forest is also home to Ash River Campground, 27 miles east of Rainy Lake. Ash River offers primitive camping similar to that found at Woodenfrog. A picnic table, fire ring and potable water are provided, along with vault toilets, but no other comforts are present. This campground does offer added benefits. It supports only eight sites, giving campers greater privacy and isolation, and the park supplies visitors access to the Ash River for whitewater canoeing and kayaking. Swimming is allowed and a boat ramp available on site. The Ash River Trail leads to Sullivan Bay on Kabetogama Lake, 1.5 miles north.

Ash River Campground
Orr, MN 55771
(218) 365-7229
dnr.state.mn.us/state_forests/facilities/cmp00029

Resources

Article Written By Alice Moon

Alice Moon is a freelance writer with more than 10 years of experience. She was chosen as a Smithsonian Institute intern, working for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and has traveled throughout Asia. Moon holds a Bachelor of Science in political science from Ball State University.

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