Free camping near Laporte, MN
Within 25 straight-line miles of Laporte, MN there are 30 camps: 23 free, 7 fee. The closest is South Pike Bay Recreation Area, 11 miles north-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Long Lake - W38, 12 miles out.
Who manages them: 29 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Pike Bay Recreation Area | 11 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Long Lake - W38 | 12 | Free | Long Lake (water) | 1.9 mi to Ah-gwah-ching | — |
| Shingobee - Nct W50 | 14 | Free | Recreation Lake (water) | 4.0 mi to Ah-gwah-ching | — |
| Chippewa National Forest Dispersed Site | 14 | Free | Recreation Lake (water) | 4.0 mi to Ah-gwah-ching | — |
| Stony Point Recreation Area | 15 | Fee | — | 6.9 mi to Walker | — |
| Cass Lake | 16 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Star Island Recreation Area - C17 | 16 | Free | Lake Windigo (water) | 2.3 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Gadbolt | 16 | Free | — | 5.4 mi to Walker | — |
| Norway Beach Loop | 16 | Fee | — | 3.9 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Chippewa Loop | 16 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Big Bass Island - W68 | 16 | Free | Scoffner Lake (water) | 5.5 mi to Akeley | — |
| Potato Island South C19 | 16 | Free | Mississippi River (river) | 3.5 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Wanaki Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Little Bass Island - W13 | 17 | Free | Scoffner Lake (water) | 4.7 mi to Akeley | — |
| Yellow Head Canoe Stop C18 | 18 | Free | Lake Windigo (water) | 4.1 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Camp Cassaway C26 | 19 | Free | Schram Lake (water) | 3.9 mi to Bald Eagle Center | — |
| Woodtick Impoundment - Nct W90 | 19 | Free | — | 4.7 mi to Hackensack | — |
| Schram Lake C25 | 19 | Free | — | 5.9 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Blue Sky Lake C20 | 19 | Free | Blue Sky Lake (water) | 2.6 mi to Andrusia | — |
| Mark Lake C27 | 20 | Free | Mark Lake (water) | 1.0 mi to Bald Eagle Center | — |
| Bimijiwan Recreation Area | 21 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Cass Lake | — |
| Diamond Lake - W71 | 21 | Free | Diamond Lake (water) | 5.5 mi to Whipholt | — |
| Gut Lake - Nct W53 | 21 | Free | Gut Lake (water) | 4.2 mi to Whipholt | — |
| Mississippi River 3 C31 | 23 | Free | Minny Lake (water) | 3.1 mi to Bald Eagle Center | — |
| Dispersed Camping Site C33 | 23 | Free | — | 10 mi to Bena | — |
| Little Portage Lake C39 | 23 | Free | Little Portage Lake (water) | 2.0 mi to Ryan Village | — |
| Turtle River B3 | 23 | Free | Turtle River (river) | 3.8 mi to Pennington | — |
| Mississippi River Site A | 24 | Free | Mississippi River (river) | 3.3 mi to Bald Eagle Center | — |
| Mississippi River Site B C35B | 24 | Free | Mississippi River (river) | 3.4 mi to Bald Eagle Center | — |
| Mississippi River Governors Point C37 | 25 | Free | Lake Harry (water) | 4.4 mi to Ryan Village | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Laporte, 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.