Agency-listedUSFSFree
Birch Lake Campgound
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.75893, -91.78300
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
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 Birch Lake Campgound
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,442 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Birch Lake CampgoundNIFC · 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 Birch Lake Campgound · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel8 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- MMechanic10 mi
- RxPharmacy10 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- DDump14 mi
- WWater18 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- EVEV fast charger39 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 39-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 — Birch Lake Campgound
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
1,442 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.75893, -91.78300
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Birch Lake Campgound · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureStony River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBabbitt · ~8.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~21.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~14.1 mi
- GroceriesZup's · ~8.3 mi
- PharmacyEssentia · ~10.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicEly Bloomenson Community Hospital · ~10.6 mi
- HardwareHardware Hank · ~10.6 mi
EV charging — from Birch Lake Campgound · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger38.6 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 · 4 within 50 · 16 within 100 · 28 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)45.2 mi — Tofte, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Tofte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO38.6 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)10.4 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.
- 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 Birch Lake Campgound · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBirch Lake Campground · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBirch Lake Boat Access · ~0.2 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Picnic Area · ~4.5 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Swim Site · ~4.5 mi NE · USFS
Open Birch Lake Campgound elsewhere
Other camps near Birch Lake Campgound
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Birch Lake Site 3~0.5 mi
- Birch Lake Site 4~0.9 mi
- Birch Lake Site 6~1.2 mi
- Birch Lake Site 5~1.4 mi
The unit that manages Birch Lake Campgound
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Birch Lake Campgound are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Birch Lake Campgound
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
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
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
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 Birch Lake Campgound
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 — Birch Lake Campgound
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Picking a spot →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 →