Free camping near Ely, MN
Within 25 straight-line miles of Ely, MN there are 94 camps: 90 free, 3 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Bass Lake Site 1, 3.7 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bass Lake Site 1, 3.7 miles out.
Who manages them: 93 on the Forest Service; 1 on the BLM.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass Lake Site 1 | 3.7 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 3.6 mi to Winton | — |
| Dry Lake Site 1 | 3.9 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 3.9 mi to Winton | — |
| Bass Lake Site 3 | 4.0 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 3.5 mi to Winton | — |
| Bass Lake Site 2 | 4.0 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 3.7 mi to Winton | — |
| Low Lake Site 3 | 4.3 | Free | Hobo Lake (water) | 3.3 mi to Winton | — |
| High Lake Site 1 | 4.5 | Free | — | 4.5 mi to Ely | — |
| High Lake Site 3 | 4.5 | Free | — | 4.2 mi to Winton | — |
| High Lake Site 2 | 4.5 | Free | Dry Lake (water) | 4.6 mi to Winton | — |
| Low Lake Site 1 | 4.7 | Free | Hobo Lake (water) | 3.5 mi to Winton | — |
| Low Lake Site 2 | 5.1 | Free | Low Lake (water) | 3.6 mi to Winton | — |
| High Lake Site 4 | 5.1 | Free | Little Sletten Lake (water) | 4.7 mi to Winton | — |
| West Twin Lake Site 2 | 6.0 | Free | Dead River (river) | 5.0 mi to Burntside | — |
| East Twin Lake Site 4 | 6.0 | Free | Twin Lakes (water) | 5.5 mi to Burntside | — |
| West Twin Lake Site 3 | 6.1 | Free | — | 6.1 mi to Ely | — |
| East Twin Lake Site 5 | 6.1 | Free | Twin Lakes (water) | 5.7 mi to Burntside | — |
| Everett Lake Site 1 | 6.2 | Free | Twin Lakes (water) | 6.1 mi to Burntside | — |
| Sletten Lake Site 1 | 6.2 | Free | — | 5.9 mi to Winton | — |
| East Twin Lake Site 6 | 6.2 | Free | Twin Lakes (water) | 5.9 mi to Burntside | — |
| Twin Lake Site 1 | 6.3 | Free | Longstorff Creek (river) | 3.3 mi to Burntside | — |
| West Twin Lake Site 1 | 6.4 | Free | Twin Lakes (water) | 5.4 mi to Burntside | — |
| Grassy Lake Site 1 | 6.4 | Free | Tee Lake (water) | 5.7 mi to Winton | — |
| Burntside Lake Site 5 | 6.4 | Free | Dead River (river) | 4.3 mi to Burntside | — |
| Grassy Lake Site 2 | 6.7 | Free | Tee Lake (water) | 5.9 mi to Winton | — |
| Fenske Lake Campground | 6.9 | Fee | Little Sletten Lake (water) | 7.0 mi to Ely | — |
| Tee Lake Site 1 | 6.9 | Free | Tee Lake (water) | 6.4 mi to Winton | — |
| Fall Lake Campground | 7.0 | Fee | — | 4.2 mi to Winton | — |
| Burntside Lake Site 3 | 7.0 | Free | — | 7.0 mi to Ely | — |
| Burntside Lake Site 4 | 7.0 | Free | Shipman Bass Lake (water) | 5.0 mi to Burntside | — |
| Johnson Lake Site 1 | 7.1 | Free | Johnson Creek (river) | 4.0 mi to Rothman | — |
| Burntside Lake Site 6 | 7.1 | Free | Shipman Bass Lake (water) | 5.6 mi to Burntside | — |
| Old Birch Dam Campgrd | 7.1 | Free | South Kawishiwi River (river) | 6.3 mi to White Iron | — |
| Burntside Lake Site 2 | 7.8 | Free | Geraldine Lake (water) | 4.2 mi to Burntside Lake | — |
| Burntside Lake Site 1 | 8.1 | Free | — | 8.1 mi to Ely | — |
| South Kawishiwi Campground | 8.3 | Unpriced | South Kawishiwi River (river) | 6.2 mi to Silver Rapids | — |
| Nels Lake Site 1 | 8.4 | Free | — | 8.0 mi to Winton | — |
| Nels Lake Site 3 | 8.4 | Free | Nels Lake (water) | 8.0 mi to Winton | — |
| Pickett Lake Site 1 | 8.6 | Free | Bushmen Lake (water) | 7.6 mi to Winton | — |
| Pickerel Lake Site 1 | 8.7 | Free | — | 6.4 mi to Winton | — |
| Nels Lake Site 2 | 8.8 | Free | Nels Lake (water) | 8.5 mi to Winton | — |
| Pickerel Lake Site 2 | 8.9 | Free | Pickerel Lake (water) | 4.6 mi to Silver Rapids | — |
| Birch Lake Site 1 | 9.6 | Free | Keeley Creek (stream) | 8.5 mi to White Iron | — |
| Birch Lake Site 2 | 10 | Free | Keeley Creek (stream) | 9.2 mi to Silver Rapids | — |
| Birch Lake Site 16 | 11 | Free | Kangas Creek (stream) | 5.1 mi to Babbitt | — |
| Birch Lake Campgound | 11 | Free | Stony River (river) | 8.3 mi to Babbitt | — |
| Birch Lake Site 8 | 11 | Free | Kangas Creek (stream) | 5.9 mi to Babbitt | — |
| Greenstone Lake Site 2 | 11 | Free | Dan Lake (water) | 6.6 mi to Silver Rapids | — |
| Birch Lake Site 11 | 11 | Free | — | 7.7 mi to Babbitt | — |
| Birch Lake Site 10 | 11 | Free | Kangas Creek (stream) | 5.0 mi to Babbitt | — |
| Whisper Lake Site 1 | 11 | Free | — | 2.3 mi to Rothman | — |
| Birch Lake Site 3 | 11 | Free | Stony River (river) | 8.5 mi to Babbitt | — |
The other 44 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Ely, MN.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Ely, MN, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.