Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Snowbank Lake Site 12
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 47.98205, -91.46195
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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 Snowbank Lake Site 12
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,440 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Snowbank Lake Site 12NIFC · 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 Snowbank Lake Site 12 · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- OOutfitter2 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- FFuel18 mi
- GGrocery18 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- MMechanic18 mi
- LLaundry19 mi
- HHardware19 mi
- @Mail19 mi
- WWater21 mi
- DDump32 mi
- EVEV fast charger40 mi
- +Urgent care41 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 21-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 18 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 — Snowbank Lake Site 12
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,440 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
47.98205, -91.46195
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Snowbank Lake Site 12 · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureGriddle Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townSilver Rapids · ~14.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesShort Stop · ~18.3 mi
- PharmacyEssentia · ~18.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicEly Bloomenson Community Hospital · ~19.8 mi
- HardwareHardware Hank · ~19.4 mi
- Mapping is thin out hereAn empty row means nothing is mapped within that radius — not that nothing exists. Small stores, seasonal resorts and single fuel pumps out here often never make it onto the map. Treat these as unconfirmed and ask locally.
EV charging — from Snowbank Lake Site 12 · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger40.3 mi straight-line SE — 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 reachnone within 25 mi · 1 within 50 · 13 within 100 · 24 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS59.0 mi — Ken Waschke Auto Plaza, VIRGINIA
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO59.0 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.5 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 313097 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Snowbank Lake Site 12 · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Portable toiletSnowbank Lake Boat Access · ~1.6 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletMoose Lake Boat Access · ~1.8 mi W · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLake One Carry Down · ~3.1 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletOjibway Lake Boat Access · ~5.0 mi W · USFS
Open Snowbank Lake Site 12 elsewhere
Other camps near Snowbank Lake Site 12
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Snowbank Lake Site 11~0.4 mi
- Snowbank Lake Site 8~0.8 mi
- Secret Blackstone Site 1~1.6 mi
- Snowbank Lake Site 7~2.1 mi
The unit that manages Snowbank Lake Site 12
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Snowbank Lake Site 12 are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Snowbank Lake Site 12
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 Snowbank Lake Site 12
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 — Snowbank Lake Site 12
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 →