Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Vermilion River Site 3
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MN · 48.00885, -92.45087
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 Vermilion River Site 3
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,307 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Vermilion River Site 3NIFC · 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 Vermilion River Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- OOutfitter12 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- FFuel16 mi
- @Mail16 mi
- GGrocery16 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- DDump17 mi
- WWater25 mi
- EVEV fast charger33 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 25-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 16 mi out, the nearest EV fast charger is a 33-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 — Vermilion River Site 3
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,307 ft
State
MN
Coordinates
48.00885, -92.45087
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Vermilion River Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureVermilion River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townBuyck · ~8.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCook ShortStop · ~15.5 mi
- Propane / LPGFerrellgas · ~17.8 mi
- Dump station~16.7 mi
- GroceriesZup's · ~15.6 mi
- PharmacyFranks Pharmacy · ~15.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicCook Hospital · ~15.1 mi
- HardwareVermilion Lumber · ~16.4 mi
EV charging — from Vermilion River Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger33.2 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 · 12 within 100 · 27 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)76.7 mi — Two Harbors, MN - Tesla Supercharger, Two Harbors
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO33.7 mi — VIRGINIA PU VETS MEMORIAL, Virginia
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)18.1 mi — CRANE LAKE VC AFPQO000003XW8B, Crane Lake, MN · ChargePoint Network · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- 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 Vermilion River Site 3 · Superior National Forest · MN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletLake Jeanette Boat Access · ~10.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLake Jeanette Campground · ~11.0 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletEcho Lake Campground · ~11.3 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletEcho Lake Picnic Area · ~11.4 mi N · USFS
Open Vermilion River Site 3 elsewhere
Other camps near Vermilion River Site 3
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Vermilion River Site 1~2.5 mi
- Vermilion River Site 2~2.6 mi
- Vermilion River Site 4~3.5 mi
- Picket Lake Site 2~5.9 mi
The unit that manages Vermilion River Site 3
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Vermilion River Site 3 are set by Superior National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Vermilion River Site 3
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 Vermilion River Site 3
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 — Vermilion River Site 3
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Forest road numbers →First-night troubleshooting →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 →