Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Sawbill Lake Campsite
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.87369, -90.88652
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 Sawbill Lake Campsite
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,798 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Sawbill Lake CampsiteNIFC · 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 Sawbill Lake Campsite · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- LLaundry18 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- GGrocery18 mi
- @Mail18 mi
- HHardware19 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- +Urgent care26 mi
- RxPharmacy27 mi
- DDump56 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 18 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 — Sawbill Lake Campsite
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,798 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.87369, -90.88652
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Sawbill Lake Campsite · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureKelso River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townLutsen · ~18.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.4 mi
- FuelMobil · ~18.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesClearview General Store · ~18.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicNorth Shore Health Hospital and Care Center · ~26.5 mi
- HardwareIsak Hansen Lumber & Home Center · ~18.6 mi
EV charging — from Sawbill Lake Campsite · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.4 mi straight-line S — Tofte, MN - Tesla Supercharger (at a hotel) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 14 within 100 · 27 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS80.4 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO80.4 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)44.4 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.
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Eagle Ridge Resort at Lutsen Mountains - Tesla Destination, Lutsen, 16.9 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters, Grand Marais, 21.0 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; customer use only - 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 313097 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Sawbill Lake Campsite · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSawbill Lake Campground · ~0.6 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSawbill Lake Picnic Area · ~0.7 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSawbill Lake Boat Access · ~0.7 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSawbill Lake Fishing Pier · ~0.7 mi S · USFS
Open Sawbill Lake Campsite elsewhere
Other camps near Sawbill Lake Campsite
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Sawbill Lake Campground~0.6 mi · fee
- Baker Lake Rustic Campground~3.8 mi
- Crescent Lake Campground~6.0 mi
- Crescent Lake Campground~6.2 mi · fee
The unit that manages Sawbill Lake Campsite
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Sawbill Lake Campsite are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Sawbill Lake Campsite
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 Sawbill Lake Campsite
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 — Sawbill Lake Campsite
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading your camp page →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 →