Canoeing/Kayaking

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

River's Edge Campground - Birchwood

River's Edge Campground in Birchwood, Wisconsin, offers full-hookup RV sites with water, sewer, and electric, cabins, and tent camping on the Brill River in Washburn County, with pull-through and back-in sites, fire pits, and picnic tables. A man-made swim pond with a beach supplements the river access, and site WiFi reaches the campground. Full-hookup sites carry water, sewer, and electric in both pull-through and back-in configurations, with fire pits and picnic tables. Cabins serve guests traveling without a rig. A dump station, restrooms, showers, and laundry cover the practical side, a general store stocks basics and firewood, and WiFi reaches the sites. A pet washing station is on site — a genuinely useful detail after a day in the river. The Brill River frontage defines the campground. Swimming holes, tubing runs through clear northwoods water, and kayak launches give guests direct river access, while the swim pond and beach provide shallow, managed water for younger children. A dog park, playground, walking trails, sports courts, and basketball spread across the wooded grounds, with a jumping pillow, gaga ball, inflatable water toys, and planned activities filling the family calendar. Boating, canoeing, kayaking, and picnicking round it out. Pets are welcome. Birchwood sits in the northern Wisconsin lakes country between Spooner and Rice Lake, where the Namekagon and Brill rivers and a chain of glacial lakes define the landscape. Long Lake, the area UTV and ATV trails, and historic Hayward are the main draws nearby. The campground runs the northern Wisconsin summer season, with river swimming and tubing driving peak demand from June through August. Reserve ahead for summer weekends.

from $20/night

Big Rock Creek

15 RV Sites, 3 Glamping Sites, 1 Yurt

Big Rock Creek in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, offers 11 RV sites and four glamping sites and yurts on the banks of the St. Croix River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp electric service and rigs accepted to 45 feet. Back-in categories at both amperages join a recreation center, general store, walking trails, playground, and pond. Eleven back-in sites run in 30-amp and 50-amp categories, carrying electric service with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Plan around the hookups — these are electric sites rather than full hookup, so arrive with full water and empty tanks and confirm dump arrangements when you book. Two straightforward categories keep booking simple. Four glamping sites and yurts plus cabins round out the lodging. A general store, restrooms, showers, and portable toilets handle the practical side. A recreation center, walking trails, playground, and pond fill the grounds, with the creek and river carrying swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and biking. Pets are welcome. The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway protects this corridor, and it is one of the most pristine paddling and fishing environments in the Midwest — a federally designated Wild and Scenic River with clear water, sandstone bluffs, and a genuinely undeveloped feel despite sitting less than an hour from the Twin Cities. Interstate State Park is minutes away with its glacial potholes and the Dalles of the St. Croix, and Polk County's rolling farm and forest country surrounds the rest. Summer paddling season drives the heaviest demand, with fall color drawing a strong second wave. Reserve ahead for July and August weekends.

from $35/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.

Ham Lake Resort

5 RV Sites

Ham Lake Resort in Ham Lake, MN, offers 5 RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and back-in sites for rigs up to 42 feet. Sites come in two categories, water-and-electric back-in 30-amp and water-and-electric back-in 30/50-amp. There's no sewer at the site, so plan on the on-site dump station. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, and firewood cover the essentials, with cabins available for guests without a rig. Pets are welcome, with a dog park and a playground. For five sites the recreation is generous: boat docks, a beach, walking trails, volleyball, horseshoes, and planned activities, with fishing, boating, paddle boats, kayaking, and swimming on the lake. Ham Lake sits about thirty minutes north of the Twin Cities — close enough for a spontaneous weekend, far enough that the loons at dusk make the point. The Mall of America, Como Zoo, and the Sculpture Garden are all an easy drive. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. With five RV sites this close to the metro, summer weekends go quickly — reserve ahead.

from $65/night

Golden Acres Park

1 RV Site

Golden Acres Park in Stillwater, MN, offers 1 full-hookup nightly RV site with 30 and 50-amp service and room for a rig up to 42 feet. The site is a back-in carrying water, sewer, and electric. Laundry, a general store, and a bathhouse are on the property, and pets are welcome. One site means no neighbors and no queue — you're effectively renting a piece of the lakeshore. Boat docks, a beach, boat and kayak rentals, a pond, and creek frontage support swimming, boating, paddling, paddle boarding, and picnicking, with planned activities through the season. Golden Acres sits on the crystal-clear shores of Square Lake in Washington County, a short drive from the historic St. Croix River town of Stillwater. Square Lake consistently ranks among Minnesota's clearest natural swimming waters. Rates and availability are on the booking page. With a single site, contact the park directly and book as far ahead as you can.

from $75/night