Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Old Birch Dam Campgrd
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.81164, -91.78674
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 Old Birch Dam Campgrd
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,421 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Old Birch Dam CampgrdNIFC · 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 Old Birch Dam Campgrd · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- OOutfitter6 mi
- ShShower6 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- DDump14 mi
- WWater14 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- EVEV fast charger40 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 40-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 — Old Birch Dam Campgrd
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,421 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.81164, -91.78674
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Old Birch Dam Campgrd · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureSouth Kawishiwi River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townWhite Iron · ~6.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~21.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~13.7 mi
- GroceriesZup's · ~6.8 mi
- PharmacyEssentia · ~6.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicEly Bloomenson Community Hospital · ~7.3 mi
- HardwareHardware Hank · ~7.2 mi
EV charging — from Old Birch Dam Campgrd · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger40.0 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)46.5 mi — Tofte, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Tofte
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO40.1 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.9 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.
- 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 Old Birch Dam Campgrd · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Picnic Area · ~2.4 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Swim Site · ~2.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Boat Access · ~2.5 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSouth Kawishiwi River Campground · ~2.6 mi E · USFS
Open Old Birch Dam Campgrd elsewhere
Other camps near Old Birch Dam Campgrd
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Birch Lake Site 1~2.5 mi
- South Kawishiwi Campground~2.6 mi
- Birch Lake Site 2~3.2 mi
- Birch Lake Campgound~3.6 mi
The unit that manages Old Birch Dam Campgrd
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Old Birch Dam Campgrd are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Old Birch Dam Campgrd
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 Old Birch Dam Campgrd
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 — Old Birch Dam Campgrd
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Power off-grid →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 →