Biking

Lake View Lodge

9 Cabins

Lake View Lodge sits on the shores of Shagawa Lake in Ely, Minnesota — a lakeside cabin resort in the Boundary Waters gateway community that has provided fishing, boating, and wilderness vacation experiences for over 18 years in a setting where the Shagawa's 2,000-plus acres of walleye, northern pike, bass, crappie, perch, and bluegill habitat provide the kind of multi-species fishing variety that sustains a full week of angling without returning to the same spot twice. Ely's position at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness gives the lodge a dual character — a fully comfortable lakeside fishing retreat in its own right, and the most practical staging base for the BWCAW wilderness canoe travel that draws paddlers from across the upper Midwest. Each cabin at Lake View Lodge comes fully equipped with a complete kitchen, a contemporary bathroom with shower, and air conditioning — the amenity set that ensures guests can focus on the lake and the wilderness rather than the management of basic lodging logistics. The pontoon boat furnished with each cabin unit gives guests immediate and highly accessible watercraft from the moment of arrival, removing the equipment-sourcing step that typically requires a separate marina transaction. The combination of full kitchen, A/C, and included pontoon boat gives Lake View Lodge a practical self-sufficiency particularly suited to multi-generational fishing groups and families with children who benefit from the lodge's comfort infrastructure alongside the lake's recreational depth. Shagawa Lake's fishery reflects the productivity of the Canadian Shield lake environment — clear, cold, oligotrophic water over a granite and glacial till basin that supports the forage base for healthy year-round populations of walleye, northern pike, bass, perch, and bluegill. The lake's connectivity to the broader BWCAW watershed means the fish populations benefit from the wild corridor of protected lakes and streams extending north from Shagawa into the Boundary Waters, maintaining the wild character of the fishery in a lake immediately accessible from town. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the most visited wilderness area in the United States, encompasses over one million acres of lake-and-portage canoe country along the Minnesota-Ontario border — a network of over 1,000 lakes connected by portage trails where motor travel is restricted or prohibited and the experience of extended paddling travel through a genuinely intact subarctic wilderness ecosystem is available within paddling distance of Ely's outfitter row. The International Wolf Center in Ely provides the most comprehensive public wolf biology education program in North America, with live ambassador wolves and interpretive exhibits that connect the lodge's wilderness location to the ecological significance of the species that defines the BWCAW's predator community. Lake View Lodge operates through the northern Minnesota outdoor season, with ice-out in May launching the open-water fishing season that runs through freeze-up in November. The BWCAW canoe season peaks from June through early September, and the fall fishing calendar for walleye and northern pike provides particularly productive angling as the water cools and fish activity increases ahead of winter. Reserve cabins well ahead for the prime summer and fall fishing windows, when Ely's lodging inventory fills from the BWCAW outfitter and fishing tourism market that defines the community's visitor economy.

from $220/night

Wheelers RV Park

15 RV Sites

Wheelers RV Park in Wascott, Wisconsin, offers 15 full-hookup RV sites on spacious oversized lots with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 70 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, positioned directly on one of Douglas County's top ATV and UTV trail systems. Weekly, monthly, and seasonal stays are the park's core business. Fifteen sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp in back-in and pull-through configurations, sized to 70 feet. The lots are genuinely oversized, which is the configuration extended-stay guests in northern Wisconsin look for — room for the rig, the trailer, and the machines without crowding a neighbor. Weekly, monthly, and seasonal rates are available. Pets are welcome. Trail access is the reason to book. The park sits directly on one of the best ATV and UTV trail systems in the county, so riders can leave from their site rather than trailering out. Volleyball, biking, and birding fill the rest, with a golf course nearby. Wascott sits in Douglas County in the Northwoods lake district, where jack pine and red pine forest, hundreds of miles of managed forest road trails, and the drumlin lakes and cold-water streams of the St. Croix-Lake Superior divide define the outdoor recreation character that the region's seasonal camping and year-round resident population is built around. Riding season runs spring through fall, with fall color weekends drawing the heaviest traffic and winter bringing snowmobile riders. With 15 sites weighted toward extended stays, call ahead for short-stay availability.

from $45/night

Big Rock Creek

15 RV Sites, 3 Glamping Sites, 1 Yurt

Big Rock Creek in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, provides a natural, river-centered camping retreat on the banks of the St. Croix River in Polk County, where the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway's protected corridor delivers one of the Midwest's most pristine paddling and fishing environments in a landscape that has been federally protected since 1968 as one of the original components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Positioned at the gateway to the St. Croix River's upper segment, the campground serves paddlers, anglers, hikers, and nature-oriented travelers who prioritize the authentic river experience over resort-scale amenities. The campground accommodates guests in cabin rentals alongside tent and RV sites, with amenities calibrated to the outdoor recreation lifestyle the St. Croix River corridor demands: a general store for resupply, showers, bathrooms, Wi-Fi, firewood, and access to the river and a pond for fishing and non-motorized watercraft. Walking trails through the surrounding woodland and a playground serve guests whose camping agendas include both structured outdoor activity and the unhurried pace that river-adjacent camping encourages when the current of the St. Croix itself provides the day's primary entertainment. Pet-friendly policies welcome the outdoor recreation dogs that Wisconsin river camping characteristically attracts. The St. Croix River flows through a glaciated landscape of sandstone bluffs, clear cold water, and dense conifer and mixed hardwood forest that defines the visual character of the upper Midwest's most celebrated river corridor. The river's exceptional water quality—maintained by the restricted development that National Scenic Riverway designation enforces along both the Wisconsin and Minnesota shorelines—supports wild trout populations in the cold upper reaches, walleye and smallmouth bass in the middle river sections near Saint Croix Falls, and the canoe camping culture that has made the St. Croix one of the Midwest's most beloved paddling destinations for multi-day river trips. Interstate State Park in Saint Croix Falls, the oldest state park in Wisconsin, protects the dramatic Dalles of the St. Croix where the river carved a spectacular basalt gorge with glacial potholes carved by swirling boulders in the receding glacial meltwater—a geological display accessible from the park's trail system directly above the river. The Gandy Dancer Trail, a 98-mile multi-use rail-trail extending from Saint Croix Falls north to Superior along a converted railroad grade, provides biking and hiking access through the wooded Polk and Burnett county lake country. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are accessible approximately 60 miles southwest. Big Rock Creek operates seasonally from spring through fall in northwestern Wisconsin's four-season continental climate, with the St. Croix River's paddling season typically running from May through October and the best water levels for canoe and kayak descents occurring in May and June when snowmelt sustains the river's flow. Summer's warmth drives peak demand for river swimming and family camping in the clear St. Croix waters, and fall's hardwood foliage transforms the river corridor into one of the upper Midwest's most scenic landscapes through October. The campground's riverside character and proximity to Saint Croix Falls' outdoor recreation amenities make it a natural choice for paddlers planning St. Croix River multi-day descents.

from $35/night

Two Rivers Campground & Tubing

112 RV Sites, 1 House

Two Rivers Campground and Tubing in Royalton, Minnesota, offers 112 full-hookup RV sites and a house rental at the Mississippi and Platte River confluence, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet behind a gated entrance. A Paw Pen pull-through category for guests with dogs joins patio back-in and deluxe pull-through tiers, with an outdoor pool, mini-golf, jumping pillow, and river tubing. One hundred twelve sites span back-in full hookup 30/50-amp, back-in full hookup patio 30/50-amp, deluxe pull-thru full hookup patio 30/50-amp, Paw Pen pull-thru full hookup 30/50-amp, and pull-thru full hookup 30/50-amp categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. A Paw Pen — a private fenced run at the site — is genuinely uncommon. A house rental and cabins round out the lodging. A general store, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Rates cover one RV or two tent units with two adults and two children; children under two are free, an additional tent is $30 a night, and holiday rates apply. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with river tubing as the property's defining activity — the Platte's gentle current and accessible float corridor are what most guests come for. Mini-golf, a jumping pillow, gaga ball, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, walking trails, biking, a beach, playground, pavilion, and dog park fill the rest. The address is 5116 145th Street Northwest in Morrison County. Summer is the tubing season. Reserve well ahead.

from $36/night

Wildwood Outdoor Adventures & Campground

73 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

Wildwood Outdoor Adventures and Campground in Eagle River, Wisconsin, offers 73 RV sites and 10 tent sites directly on the Eagle River Chain of 28 Lakes, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 102 feet. Pond water view and premium back-in categories in both full-hookup and water-and-electric versions join boat docks, kayak rentals, and floating boat slips. Seventy-three sites span pond water view back-in 30/50-amp, pond water view back-in 30/50-amp water-and-electric, premium back-in 30/50-amp, and premium back-in 30/50-amp water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 102 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Every category comes in both a full-hookup and a water-and-electric version, which lets you choose the setting and the hookup level independently — a sensible structure. One hundred two feet accommodates the longest coaches with a tow. Every site gets a fire ring and picnic table. Ten tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, and private family shower rooms handle the practical side. Floating boat slips, a full dock, and kayak rentals open the chain for boating, canoeing, and kayaking, with a lake, pond, river, walking trails, biking, a playground, community fire pit, and productive birding filling the rest. The Eagle River Chain is the largest freshwater chain in the world — 28 glacially carved lakes connected end to end across more than 3,000 acres. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

Split Ridge Campground

10 RV Sites

Set in the lake and forest landscape east of Lake Holcombe in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Split Ridge Campground offers a wooded retreat built for guests who want a quiet, well-maintained northern Wisconsin camping experience with direct access to some of the region's most productive fresh water fishing and paddling resources. Shaded sites with gravel driveways provide a stable and comfortable surface across multiple site types, and the campground's relaxed and community-oriented atmosphere gives it a character that rewards repeat visitors who return season after season for the combination of wooded solitude and water access. The campground's signature amenity is the Turtle Club—an open-air shelter constructed over a small pond with turtles, providing an informal gathering space with a distinctly Wisconsin character. A horseshoe pit, fire rings at each site, and additional outdoor game areas give guests recreational programming without leaving the campground grounds, while full hookups, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and clean restrooms and showers handle the practical infrastructure of a comfortable multi-night stay. Firewood is available on-site, and the general campground character favors a relaxed outdoor pace appropriate to a northern Wisconsin forest setting. Lake Holcombe, the primary water body in the immediate area, is a reservoir on the Chippewa River formed by a hydroelectric dam that creates a productive freshwater fishery for walleye, muskie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, and bluegill. The lake's connected bays and wooded shoreline offer excellent kayaking and canoeing conditions for paddle-oriented guests, and the boat launch infrastructure on Lake Holcombe provides straightforward water access for guests arriving with their own vessels. The adjacent Chippewa Flowage—one of Wisconsin's largest and most productive natural lakes—is accessible within a short drive and represents one of the premier muskie fishing destinations in the upper Midwest. The forested landscape of Chippewa County surrounding the campground is characteristic of northern Wisconsin's mixed pine and hardwood lake country—a terrain of glacially deposited ridges, kettle lakes, and river systems that defines the outdoor character of this portion of the state and provides habitat for white-tailed deer, black bears, eagles, loons, and an exceptionally diverse freshwater fishing community. The Tuscobia State Trail, a converted railroad grade extending through the region, provides a long-distance hiking, cycling, and snowmobile corridor for guests seeking off-water recreation in the surrounding forest landscape. Split Ridge Campground is open through the northern Wisconsin warm-weather season, with the lake and forest environment most accessible from late spring through early fall. Fishing season on Lake Holcombe and the Chippewa Flowage drives consistent weekend demand from opening in early May through the fall walleye and muskie peaks of September and October. The fall color season in Chippewa County's mixed forest landscape is particularly beautiful, and leaf-change weekends in late September and early October represent a popular shoulder-season reservation window. Advance booking for summer holiday weekends and the peak muskie fishing season is recommended for guests with preferred site locations in mind.

from $30/night