By:
Submission
Bearskin Lodge operates the East Bearskin Lake Campground on behalf of the US Forest Service. Bearskin Lodge is responsible for all its operations from May 1st through November 1st. The Campground is located on the shores of East Bearskin Lake, with many camping sites right on the water. East Bearskin Lake offers excellent fishing, swimming, boating/canoeing, waterfalls, BWCAW entry points, and world-class scenery.
East Bearskin Lake Campground has 32 campsites offering privacy and comfort. Tent camping and RV camping are permitted. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Like most Forest Service campgrounds, this is highly forested. There are no electrical hookups, nor is there an RV dump station at the campground or the resort. There are new vault toilet buildings and access to a solar-driven water pump. Showers are not available, although a refreshing swim in East Bearskin Lake will frequently do the trick.
Many people find this campground to be a good alternative to actual BWCAW camping, especially for people with younger kids or who need to have a vehicle nearby. The campground offers easy daily access to the Boundary Waters, without having to portage everything in.
The staff at nearby Bearskin Lodge will be happy to answer questions for you. Basic groceries, firewood, bait/tackle, ice, gifts, postcards, and boat/canoe rentals are available at Bearskin Lodge. However, the other amenities at Bearskin Lodge are for resort guests only and are not part of the National Forest Service campground facilities.
All campsites at the East Bearskin Lake Campground are $18.00 per night. One vehicle is included; an additional vehicle is $8.00. There is a limit of 8 people and 2 vehicles per site. If you registered online, you have paid your fees; if you are a drive-in camper, register and pay immediately after arrival. Campers who have not paid within 1 hour of arrival, or by 1 PM each day, forfeit their campsites.
Pets are allowed in the campground and the camper cabins, as long as they are quiet, well-behaved, and do not run free. The few campground complaints we get each summer almost always involve dogs in the campground. Be a good neighbor if you camp with your pets.
Most sites in the East Bearskin Lake Campground have been added to the national forest service reservation website at www.recreation.gov (Answer “East Bearskin Lake” when it asks where you want to go.) Some sites are still on a “first come, first served” basis, with no reservation needed. In recent years more sites were added to the reservation system, including several favorite sites that were on a “walk-on” basis in the past. Reservations can only be made 4 or more days ahead of the desired dates; if you don’t have a reservation, this campground almost always has nice, unreserved sites still available. The NFS does not permit us to take reservations for future camping at the lodge.
Cash or personal checks are accepted; there is a drop box located at the campground entrance, so you do not need to visit the Lodge. Checks should be made out to “Bearskin Lodge.” Returned checks are subject to a $30 charge; because this is a federal campground, bounced checks and unpaid campsite bills can result in significant penalties and prosecution. A kiosk located near the campground entrance has self-registration instructions with payment envelopes.
Bearskin lodge has some very beautiful ski trails. I found the Ox Cart Loop to be fairly easy at first with a little more rolling hills towards the end. The day pass of 20.00 or 1/2 day 15.00 was very reasonable. They have other trails to chose with varying levels of skiing ability.
Reasons why you will love Bearskin lodge:
Boat rentals!
Canoe outfitting!
BWCA entry point!
Wildlife!
Sandy beach with playground!
Family owned and operated!
Fresh baked pies!
Responsible stewardship of the environment!
Bonfires!
Sauna!
Nature crafts for the kids!
Rustic feeling cabins with indoor plumbing, full kitchens, and woodburning stoves with wood provided. Each cabin has a private dock.
This is a place to really "unplug"- but there is limited wifi for those who really need it. This was our second visit and we connected with our kids and teens alot during this trip- played board games, swimming, and took the pontoon out for a dinner cruise on the lake.
We liked the pet-free policy. We hear enough dogs barking in the city and this is a nice place to immerse yourselves in the sounds of the wilderness. Overall the vibe here is quiet and peaceful- I would not recommend having a loud party weekend here. The staff and owners have thought of everything to make a restful stay. Every time we interacted with the staff they were very courteous and helpful. The hot tub was undergoing maintenance during our visit but we were so busy with other things we really didn't miss it. Summer OR winter, you will not be disappointed with your stay at the edge-of-the-wilderness Bearskin Lodge.
A lovely place to stay with friendly staff and beautiful accommodations. Surrounded by the natural wonder of the BWCAW, this is a perfect destination any time of the year.
While the location is perfect, the grounds/amenities are nice, and the lake is great; our first 24 hours have left a lasting impression.
We checked in on a Saturday in December at about 3:30pm. Upon entering our cabin, we noticed it was pretty chilly. So we turned up the thermostat to get the place warmed up while we unloaded the vehicle.
By the time we were unloaded the place hadn't budged in warmth. The fan on the furnace was on as was the pilot light, but no heat was pumping. So we decided to start a fire and finishing unpacking our stuff within the cabin.
The note left on the table said our welcome letter would have the Wi-Fi password in case we needed that; we never received a welcome letter. So I walked to the main lodge for the Wi-Fi info and to see if we could have maintenance come and take a look at the furnace. The lodge was closed with a note saying they closed at 4pm (even though published hours are until 6 or 7 depending where you're getting your info {their website or letter in the cabin}) and in case of emergency to use the phone in the downstairs lobby - the no heat thing in December felt like it was worth going to find that phone. Upon trying to use it I was given a 'no service' signal, which was mentioned as their phone carrier is often down. Remember we also don't have Wi-Fi to connect and use our own phones to call someone for help with heat.
We continue to keep warm by the fire for the evening and rigged up a fan system to blow hot air from the fireplace into the bedroom as well as suck the cold air out from the ground level.
During this time and upon unpacking our goods, I noticed a number of things that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in the cabin (some dried dead leaves on the floors, some cobwebs in certain areas) all no real big deal as the beds looked as though they'd been cleaned and remade, it wasn't until I found dirt and debris (including 3 shards of broken glass) around the baseboards in the kitchen that I became uneasy. We swept and vacuumed the entire place, just to be safe.
The heat situation that we rigged up worked until we went to bed... the logs went out, as they do, and couldn't easily be restarted in the middle of the night. So we piled on all the blankets and got real close to keep warm until the staff returned to the main lodge at 7:30am. The next morning we were at the lodge first thing and they sent maintenance. We learned this furnace had been 'finicky' since the end of summer and just giving it a little love tap would give it a kickstart to turn the heat on. All fine and well until, again, in the middle of the night, when the temps have dropped and we wake up freezing cold because the heater needed a kickstart. Then we lay there awake until we were warm again. Lack of sleep at night made for sluggish daytime activities.
We did tell the 2 employees that came to look at the furnace about the dirt and glass in the kitchen, not sure if that made it back to management or not, so I told the front desk at checkout about it and asked that they leave a note for the manager for once they came in. Hopefully they received the message.
I will say the resort was lovely, cabins are a nice size and stocked with the necessities, and the amenities like the private hot tub and sauna were a nice touch (but having the sign up sheet in the main lodge be locked away once its closed makes it a bit hard to know if someone is signed up for a time slot). I loved being able to have birds come eat seed from my hand just out the back door, and lots of nice hiking trail options right from the property.
Ultimately, for the price of staying and what was supposed to be a fun birthday trip, ended up being a lot of money spent for a lot of not so wonderful annoyances. Thankfully they provide firewood!
