Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Big Lake Site 3
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 48.08064, -91.99116
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Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Big Lake Site 3
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,416 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Big Lake Site 3NIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Big Lake Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater7 mi
- ShShower11 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- @Mail14 mi
- GGrocery14 mi
- RxPharmacy14 mi
- MMechanic14 mi
- DDump19 mi
- +Urgent care23 mi
- EVEV fast charger46 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 14 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 46-mi run (and back).
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Big Lake Site 3
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,416 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
48.08064, -91.99116
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Big Lake Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featurePortage River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBurntside Lake · ~13.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.8 mi
- FuelFuel · ~21.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~18.7 mi
- GroceriesEly Northland Market · ~14.0 mi
- PharmacyEssentia · ~14.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicEly Bloomenson Community Hospital · ~13.6 mi
- HardwareHardware Hank · ~13.6 mi
EV charging — from Big Lake Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger45.7 mi straight-line SW — Ken Waschke Auto Plaza, VIRGINIA, MN · EV Connect · CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reachnone within 25 mi · 3 within 50 · 11 within 100 · 24 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)63.6 mi — Tofte, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Tofte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO46.0 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.0 mi — Dairy Queen Grill & Chill - Tesla Destination, Ely, MN (at a restaurant) · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 6 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Adventure Inn - Tesla Destination, Ely, 13.9 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 353736 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Big Lake Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBig Lake Boat Access · ~0.8 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMoose River Carry Down · ~5.8 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletN. Arm Burntside Boat Access · ~6.2 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFenske Lake Boat Access · ~6.7 mi SE · USFS
Open Big Lake Site 3 elsewhere
Other camps near Big Lake Site 3
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Big Lake Site 4~0.2 mi
- Big Lake Site 2~0.8 mi
- Big Lake Site 1~1.1 mi
- Agassa Lake Site 1~2.5 mi
The unit that manages Big Lake Site 3
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Big Lake Site 3 are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Big Lake Site 3
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Big Lake Site 3
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Big Lake Site 3
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dispersed camping tips →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →