Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Lake Vermilion Site 18
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.88544, -92.35954
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 Lake Vermilion Site 18
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smoke — around Lake Vermilion Site 18NIFC · 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 Lake Vermilion Site 18 · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- +Urgent care5 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- ShShower8 mi
- DDump8 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- WWater22 mi
- EVEV fast charger26 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 22-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out.
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 — Lake Vermilion Site 18
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
MN
Coordinates
47.88544, -92.35954
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Lake Vermilion Site 18 · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWater · nearby
- Nearest townTower · ~6.8 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.9 mi
- FuelBP · ~6.9 mi
- Propane / LPGFerrellgas · ~24.3 mi
- Dump station~8.5 mi
- GroceriesVermillion Fuel & Food · ~6.8 mi
- PharmacyFranks Pharmacy · ~15.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicCook Hospital · ~15.0 mi
- HardwareVermilion Lumber · ~6.9 mi
EV charging — from Lake Vermilion Site 18 · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger25.9 mi straight-line S — 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 · 13 within 100 · 30 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)67.2 mi — Two Harbors, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Two Harbors
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO26.2 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)23.9 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, 23.7 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 Lake Vermilion Site 18 · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletPfeiffer Lake Campground · ~10.6 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPfeiffer Lake Fishing Pier · ~10.7 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPfeiffer Lake Boat Access · ~10.7 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPfeiffer Lake Day Use Area · ~10.7 mi SW · USFS
Open Lake Vermilion Site 18 elsewhere
Other camps near Lake Vermilion Site 18
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Lake Vermilion Site 4~1.6 mi
- Lake Vermilion Site 5~2.0 mi
- Lake Vermilion Public Islands~2.8 mi
- Lake Vermilion Site 1~3.1 mi
The unit that manages Lake Vermilion Site 18
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Lake Vermilion Site 18 are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Lake Vermilion Site 18
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 Lake Vermilion Site 18
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 — Lake Vermilion Site 18
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Camping with a dog →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 →