Offering essential details on facilities, reservations, fees, and more, as well as accurate, easy-to-read maps, Best Tent Camping: Minnesota presents 50 of the state’s best campgrounds for car campers.

Minnesota Campground Locator Map Map Legend Acknowledgments Preface Best Campgrounds Introduction Northern Minnesota Bear Head Lake State Park Campground Bear Lake Campground Birch Lake Campground Cadotte Lake Campground Crescent Lake Campground Devil Track Lake Campground Fenske Lake Campground Flour Lake Campground Hayes Lake State Park Campground Huntersville Forest and Shell City Campgrounds Indian Lake Campground Itasca State Park and Hungryman Forest Campgrounds Jay Cooke State Park Campground McCarthy Beach State Park: Beatrice Lake Campground McCarthy Beach State Park: Side Lake Campground Mosomo Point Campground North Star Campground Owen Lake Campground Savanna Portage State Park Campground Sawbill Lake Campground Spirit Mountain Campground Split Rock Lighthouse State Park Campground Temperance River State Park Campground Tettegouche State Park Campground Zippel Bay State Park Campgrounds Central Minnesota Ann Lake Campground Banning State Park Campground Bunker Hills Campground: Rustic Loop Glendalough State Park Campground Lake Elmo Park Reserve Campground Maplewood State Park Campgrounds Mille Lacs Kathio State Park Campgrounds Monson Lake State Park Campground Sibley State Park Campgrounds Snake River Campground Wild River State Park Campground William O’Brien State Park Campgrounds Southern Minnesota Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campgrounds Blue Mounds State Park Campgrounds Camden State Park Campgrounds Great River Bluffs State Park Campground Hok-Si-La Municipal Park and Campground Minneopa State Park Campground Myre–Big Island State Park Campgrounds Nerstrand–Big Woods State Park Campground Rice Lake State Park Campgrounds Sakatah Lake State Park Campground Split Rock Creek State Park Campground Upper Sioux Agency State Park Campground Whitewater State Park Campgrounds Postscript Appendix A: Camping Equipment Checklist Appendix B: Sources of Information Index About the Author

Devil Track Lake Campground Beauty 3 / Privacy 5 / Spaciousness 5 / Quiet 4 / Security 4 / Cleanliness 3 The closest campground to Grand Marais, Devil Track is situated on a peninsula at the western end of a long, narrow lake. Key Information Address: Forest Route 1612, 0.2 mile south of Devil Track Road, Grand Marais, MN 55604 Contact: 218-387-1750, tinyurl.com/deviltracklakecg Operated by: Superior National Forest, Gunflint Ranger District Open: Year-round, when accessible (facilities: early May–mid-October; no fees or services in winter) Sites: 16 rustic; group sites available Each site has: Open tent area, picnic table, fire ring (premium sites available) Wheelchair access: No designated sites Assignment: First come, first served (no reservations) Registration: Fee station at campground entrance Facilities: Vault toilet, water Parking: 1 vehicle/site; half fee/additional vehicle at site (must park on spur) Fees: $16/night, $18/night premium sites Restrictions: Pets: Under owner’s control at all times Quiet hours: 10 p.m.–6 a.m. Fires: In fire rings; gathering of downed or dead firewood permitted; firewood must be purchased from approved vendor; nonash firewood gathered within 100 miles of Superior National Forest permitted Alcohol: Permitted Other: 9 people/site; use the facilities provided, such as tent pads and latrines; dispose of garbage in containers provided; water faucets for collecting water only—do not use area to wash dishes, fish, or other items; noise limits enforced at developed sites When you drive into Devil Track Lake Campground, you might do a double take upon seeing the size of many of the campsites; they are huge expanses of grass. You could arrive in a bus and put up a circus tent and still have room for more. These sites are incredibly spacious—and therefore private. Being as close as it is to Grand Marais, the lake serves two masters: those who want the amenities of a recreational water playground (motorboating, sailing, and even floatplanes) and those who want to feel that the north woods is right in the backyard. The campground is laid out along a broad, knobby peninsula near the western end of the lake. I was dumbfounded when I drove into the site I had selected: The driveway extended nearly 50 yards long before coming to a Y intersection. My site was 4, to the left. That spur seemed to go on forever, too, before it came to the campsite itself. A broad, dense understory of mixed aspen and balsam fir separated my camp from site 3. Another line of trees separated the site from the lake. The rest of the area was a large, lawn-covered field that could easily allow me to pitch several more tents. The lone picnic table and fire ring are almost lost within the expansive site. The campground is basically a long, curving stretch of camping spots along the lake with only four sites on the other side of the road. The road forms a cul-de-sac at the far end and makes a loop, with a lone site on it halfway back to the entrance. The area has mostly younger trees—aspen and spruce, with an occasional red pine and a few birch clumps scattered throughout the woods. Site 1 is at the end of a 100-foot driveway and opens up into an immense area. The site is off to the right of a clearing where campers can get drinking water. Site 2 sits amid a stand of aspen saplings. Sites 3 and 4 are at the end of a long Y-shaped driveway, each at one end of the upper arms of the Y. These are the first sites that sit right on the lake; it’s only about 10 feet to the water from these big sites! Likewise, site 5 is large, with a long drive drawing you into the trees. Ditto for site 6, also flanked by young aspens. Sites 7 and 8 are on a broad plateau—not as big as the others, but ample and situated right above the lake’s edge. Site 9 is at the end of the driveway that makes a beeline shot back to the campground. There is what seems to be a pull-through drive off the road at site 10. It’s handy because it’s blocked at one end; it best serves as a place to park your vehicle so it can at least partially block the view from the road. Sites 12 and 14 are actually standard-size lots. Site 13 is a small site right on the road. Fortunately there is a small clump of birches serving as a visual screen for this site. The last site at the end of the road before the cul-de-sac is 15, a basic, “small” site when compared to the megasites here. Site 16 is off by itself on the back side of the loop that encircles the entrance. Devil Track Lake would be the perfect place for a family that enjoys playing yard games while camping—there’s ample room to set up several different games at the same time. Of course, the lake is great for canoeing or kayaking; access at some sites is down a grassy or earthen embankment with a few boulders. There is a major floatplane base just east of the campground. Floatplane operations could provide entertainment, or some unwelcome noise. Another nice treat about these sites is the openness to the sky—this would be an ideal campground for gazing at the Milky Way, summer meteor showers, and the occasional display of the northern lights. Main activities include fishing, swimming, and boating. Getting There From Grand Marais take Gunflint Trail/CR 12 north 4 miles to Devil Track Road/CR 8. Turn left (west), and go 5.6 miles to the junction with CR 57. Stay left and go 2.7 miles, then turn left onto FS 1612. Go 0.2 mile to the campground. GPS Coordinates: N47° 49.808 W90° 28.019'

With our local camping experts on your side, the very best tent camping in your state is only a quick read away. Hand-selected for their appeal to tent campers who love seclusion, beauty, quiet, and security, the 50 campsites described in each of the Best Tent Camping guides represent the best of the best. Along with a detailed profile and useful at-a-glance information, maps show campground layout, individual sites, and key facilities. Driving directions supplemented with GPS-based coordinates for each campground entrance make getting there a snap. Regional maps and a profile numbering system make books in the series easy to use and enjoy.