Reviews

dusty boots

There are some really nice spots for rv's along the river, they were all reserved. Bathrooms were the cleanest I've see, campsite was clean also lot of warnings 4 bears 🐻 so I slept in my car. The pic is of the boat landing

Rachel Sandhorst

Beautiful campground that is kept very nice and clean (even down to the pit toilets!). The location is perfect - close to Ely and the BWCA, on the river, and even with a swimming area! We only stayed one night before going into the BWCA, but we will be back for a longer stay!

Curtis B

Stayed at site #16 (non-electric, first-come/first-serve). There's a small set of stairs leading to the tent pad and fire-pit, which gives a little separation from the road. The site had a couple of good places for hammocks and room for a couple of tents. You can see/hear your neighbors, but overall the campground was pretty quiet. Shout-out to the camp hosts: Probably one of the cleanest vault toilets I've ever seen! We'd definitely go back!

Kris Kelley

We stayed here for 5 nights in site #26 and it was beautiful. We had 32 steps from our site down to the BEST bench in the shore to drink a cup of coffee. The bathrooms were amazingly clean and well stocked. We used the boat launch and the swim beach, both were great!

Jack K

August, 2023: After altogether driving 305 miles (491 km) from the Minneapolis area, we arrived at Kawishiwi River Campground in the Superior National Forest (south-east of Ely, MN) where my friend had reserved campsite #1 for two nights [47.81582°, -91.73029°]. The campsite—which was the only one available the week before—turned out to be quite nice and certainly looked better than the park-provided image. As a bonus, it was an electric campsite and my friend could use one of her many crazy devices, which names and purposes I was not even trying to fathom. And as a double bonus, we had to pay only half of the required fee (i.e., $15.50 per night) due to her Golden Lifetime Senior Pass. In the morning the camp manager, Dan, stopped by in his golf cart to say “hello” and collect the $8.00 for the wood we had grabbed from his campsite upon arrival. The next day we spent close to one hour talking to him and Ellen, the campground host from Florida. They were extremely helpful and congenial people, who enjoyed their jobs. Once we drove to the bridge between the Birch River and Birch Lake, brought chairs and spent a few hours just enjoying the view. We met a very nice gentleman, who just arrived and was about to go fishing. While chatting with him, I noticed plenty of birds of prey hovering above—and then I realized (and he confirmed) they were Bald Eagles! Later we saw several of them flying and sitting on tree branches on the other side of the river. It was the first time in my life I saw so many eagles in such a short time! One of the campsites featured a sizable rock and a huge tree stump. It turned out that just recently this visibly huge tree fell over a camper, while its occupants were there. It was a miracle nobody was killed or injured! Since we were still looking for a nice campsite for the upcoming week, including the Labour Day long weekend, we approached Dan, who suggested that we check out Birch Lake Campground--we did and spent many days camping there. Overall, it was a wonderful experience to stay on that campground!

David R Bosshard

Great Campground!! This was our first trip to South Kawishiwi and there was nothing at all to suggest it shouldn't be 5 stars! Generally, there's electricity at most campsites, but we camped October 20th... and while the electric was disconnected, we were just glad it was open at all! Great views of the river, very large and nicely spaced campsites, well maintained throughout the grounds, and the most delightful privies we've seen ANYWHERE!! Clean and decorated and well cared for, obviously. No services supplied at this time of the year - so the camping was free - but an ex-camp-host from nearby Ely, stopped by anyway and inquired if there were any questions we might have and pointed us to a hand pump with "the best water you'll find anywhere in the north country!!" There isn't a dump station here, but there is just up the road at the Visitor's Info building as you enter Ely. 3 bars of connectivity on our Verizon network.

Denise McMillan

Great sites. Host is wonderful. Reasonable rates.

irene crisologo

Great campground, some sites have electricity available. Host is very nice. Great cell reception from TMobile.

Jeff Goldsmith

We stayed at two adjoining sites with friends last week. Everything about this campground is exceptional. We enjoyed the friendly campground host, spacious sites, trails down to the lake, ultra-clean bathrooms, access to firewood, and proximity to Ely and so many hiking and water recreation opportunities. We stay at Fall Lake often, but will return to this serene place. Give it a try!

Jean Griffiths

We found the park by accident. Stayed a couple nights in #41 w/ our 38'RV. It was reserved for the weekend and we loved it so much we moved to spot #20 w/out electric for another 4 days. Terri the host is awesome and keeps the place very clean. We hope to kayak and canoe tomorrow on the river. Great small trail all around the camp. People are quite and friendly. Ely is a awesome little town with lots to see and do. Loved the bear center. We hope to come back soon.