Canoeing/Kayaking

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.

Indian Lake RV Resort & Campground

57 RV Sites

Indian Lake RV Resort and Campground in Manistique, Michigan, offers 57 RV sites on the shores of Indian Lake in the Upper Peninsula, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Full-hookup back-in, water-and-electric back-in, and pull-through categories join a beach, cabins, and dump station in Schoolcraft County. Fifty-seven sites run in back-in, back-in water-and-electric, and pull-thru categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier before booking, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. Cabins round out the lodging. A laundry, dump station, and restrooms handle the practical side. A beach on the property supports swimming, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Hiking runs through the surrounding forest, and the birding along the lakeshore and the nearby river is genuinely productive. A golf course and a state park are nearby. Pets are welcome. Indian Lake is the fourth-largest inland lake in Michigan, and this stretch of the Upper Peninsula's Big Lakes country sits between Lake Michigan's north shore and the waterfalls and birch forest of the central UP. Manistique's boardwalk and lighthouse are close, with Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Kitch-iti-kipi Big Spring, and the Seney National Wildlife Refuge all within reach — an unusual concentration of natural attractions for a quiet corner of the state. The UP season is short and concentrated. Summer is peak, with fall color drawing a strong second wave. Reserve well ahead for July and August, and check operating dates for the shoulder months.

from $42/night

Thornton's Rafting Resort and Campground

17 RV Sites, 4 Cabins, 3 Tent Sites, 1 Mobile Home, 2 Onsite RV/Trailers

Thornton's Rafting Resort and Campground in Athelstane, WI, offers 19 RV sites, 5 cabin and mobile home rentals, and 3 tent sites, with 30-amp service and room for rigs up to 80 feet. Sites are back-ins with electric service, site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. These are not full hookups — plan on arriving with water aboard and confirm what's available at your site when you book. Note the electrical: this is a 30-amp property, so a rig wired for heavier service will need an adapter and some load management. At 80 feet, though, the sites take a longer rig than almost anything else in the Northwoods. FSX and Transcend RV rentals are available for guests without a rig, and there's a bathhouse with showers on the property. Pets are welcome. The Peshtigo River's whitewater is the reason the resort exists, with rafting, kayaking, boating, and boat rentals, plus an outdoor pool, on-site dining, walking trails, a lake, and swimming, fishing, hiking, and birding. Athelstane sits in Marinette County in Wisconsin's Northwoods. Rates for sites, cabins, and tent spots are on the booking page. Rafting season weekends book first.

from $49/night

Lake View Lodge

9 Cabins

Lake View Lodge in Ely, MN, offers 9 cabins on the shores of Shagawa Lake. This is a lakeside cabin resort rather than a serviced RV park — the published record shows no RV sites or hookups, so contact the lodge directly if you're traveling in a rig. The grounds are gated, with a bathhouse, on-site dining, and WiFi. Pets are welcome. The water is the whole point. Boat docks, a boat ramp, boat rentals, a beach, and walking trails put guests directly onto Shagawa's 2,000-plus acres of walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth water, with swimming, paddling, fishing, hiking, biking, and birding. The lodge has been running this operation for more than eighteen years. Ely is the gateway community to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and the town reflects it: the International Wolf Center, the International Bear Center, the Dorothy Molter Museum, the Soudan Underground Mine, and the Mesabi Trail are all close. Rates for the cabins are on the booking page. Boundary Waters season is short and Ely fills — reserve well ahead, and call about RV accommodation before you tow.

from $220/night