The best campgrounds near Ely, Minnesota with swimming

Welcome to Hipcamp, your go-to website for camping in the United States! Looking to go camping near Ely, Minnesota? We've got you covered with over 80 options specifically tailored to your preference for swimming. Whether you're a seasoned camper or new to the outdoors, our campsites offer a range of amenities and activities to suit your needs. From the highly rated Balsam Ridge Retreat (506 reviews) to the picturesque Woods and Meadows Farm (88 reviews) and the charming Blue Pony Acres (84 reviews), you'll find the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. With prices starting as low as $15 per night and an average price of $36 per night, camping has never been more affordable. So pack your swimsuit and get ready to dive into a memorable camping experience!

100% (254)

Top-rated campgrounds

Welcome to Hipcamp, your go-to website for camping in the United States! Looking to go camping near Ely, Minnesota? We've got you covered with over 80 options specifically tailored to your preference for swimming. Whether you're a seasoned camper or new to the outdoors, our campsites offer a range of amenities and activities to suit your needs. From the highly rated Balsam Ridge Retreat (506 reviews) to the picturesque Woods and Meadows Farm (88 reviews) and the charming Blue Pony Acres (84 reviews), you'll find the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. With prices starting as low as $15 per night and an average price of $36 per night, camping has never been more affordable. So pack your swimsuit and get ready to dive into a memorable camping experience!

100% (254)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Cook's Country Connection

100%

(171)

39mi from Ely · 5 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Cook, MN

This land was homesteaded by my great grandparents in 1900 as part of the Homestead Act of 1862. After losing my store to fire in 2013, I took the leap, and decided to open the farm to the public. I have a menagerie of animals, many rescued or adopted, that love all the attention. My friends' kids love camping in the pasture with the animals and when I saw an ad for Hipcamp, I thought maybe others would want the experience, too!Learn more about this land:Yoga with goats meets camping with alpacas! We offer camping in the small animal pasture of our family petting farm. (We also offer campsites away from the critters if your not too sure about sharing your space with livestock!). The options are limitless!

2. Blue Pony Acres

99%

(263)

47mi from Ely · 3 sites · Tents · Eveleth, MN

Welcome to Blue Pony Acres. Thirty eight years ago we bought the remaining acreage and buildings from a northern Minnesota dairy farm. We have always enjoyed sharing our beautiful piece of the planet with friends. We want to share the beauty we experience every day with you. Leave your cubicle and the city life for a short respite in the north woods and enjoy one of our campsites. Bring your kids, your dog, camera, canoe, kayaks, and bikes. Pitch a tent or swing a hammock in the pines. Enjoy your private campfire while you hear the stars sing, watch the northern lights dance and count the shooting stars. On a clear night you might see satellites pass overhead. Lay your sleeping bag on the ground, snuggle in with hot chocolate and smores and watch the night light show in comfort. After a long day of hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing or photography cook over your private campfire. The firewood is free! Exercise and walk your leashed dog in the state land adjacent to your campsite. A private composting toilet is available at each campsite (we do not have vault toilets), We are 3.5 hours north of Minneapolis, MN., and one hour north of Duluth, MN. The Saint Louis River carry in landing is only 3.2 miles from your site. A 5 mile drive gets you to the Mesabi Trial, over 160 miles of paved hiking and biking trail stretching from the Mississippi River on the west almost to the boundary waters and Ely, MN on the east. Local lakes within a few minute drive have public landings for boat launch and canoe carry in for your boating and fishing enjoyment. The famous Sax-Zim Bog is within a half hour drive and a great place for wildlife photography, and they have an interpretive center and very nice volunteers to help you identify wildlife. We’re about 5 miles south of the United Sates Hockey Hall of Fame; a great day trip for you and your sports minded children. A few miles further and you’re outside the doors of the Natural Harvest Food Co-op; a great shop for organic foods. Get local fresh food for your evening meal. Sneak into Lisa’s raspberry patch for “desert” or pick some hopps from the back fence in September and take them with you for your next home beer batch. I’m told they’re “Cascade Hopps”. They have a grapefruit taste. Mmm good! We invite you to join us. Bring your camping gear, including camp cook stove (sometimes we’re under a fire ban). Ask your dog to bring it’s leash, yes we have a leash law. Warm clothes and light clothing as the weather changes. Rain gear. Your favorite bug repellent. Good hiking boots. Don’t forget bikes, canoes, kayaks, cameras, fishing gear, and maybe some band aids. Come to unplug and unwind and enjoy the clean air and sweet smell of the north woods. Come on up North! Come on up North!

3. Luna Light Trails

100%

(21)

45mi from Ely · 3 sites · Tents, RVs · Makinen, MN

We have five miles of groomed trails that lead through state land to the Mud Hen Creek! Bring your kayak and pole! By the creek we have a few beaver lodges and so much wildlife to admire! As you trek along Silver Ridge Canyon, don't be surprised by the sudden flight of grouse along this trail! Visit Scout Hill for a sunny afternoon picnic; the cedar trees will lead you there. If you hear knocking, you will see Mr. Woodpecker enjoying his lunch on a nearby birch tree! Our campsites are nestled underneath a canopy of mixed wood forest. We have birch, poplar, maple, and a variety of pine. Nearby you will find our newly finished outhouse, complete with a portable shower and natural light. You will have access to parking near or next to your site with plenty of space to spread out and enjoy! Our property features a beautiful variety of trees and plenty of trails throughout our land with wildlife you might see or hear. It might be the hoot of an owl or the drum of a grouse! You will also hear the "buck wheat" and the "chee-chee" of our guineas calling for each other. Our beautiful forest is our main feature. Since 95% of our land is wooded, we enjoy the great beauty and majesty of the trees. giant is hidden on the northeastern side of our property. His beautiful branches tower over our trails and we have cleared a spot there to rest. Our property extends, via trail, to state land and the Mud Hen Creek. The views are breathtaking! Please come and bring your family and friends! Our campsites' proximity would create a great weekend getaway for a retreat event or a family reunion, as well as a quiet romantic weekend! Here at home we raise chickens, ducks, and guinea fowl. We also have a Catahola Leopard dog named Hickory. She enjoys roaming our Luna Light Trails on the off season. When I was a child, I lived on a church camp property in Uruguay, South America. This plot of land had a grove of the most beautiful, tall, eucalyptus trees in the neighborhood. These trees were the home to Monk Parakeets. These small green parrots are the only members of the parrot family to build stick nests and to nest colonially. Needless to say, they were very loud, but one of my favorite childhood memories! This little plot on the Minnesota map has been our home for the last three and a half years. We have enjoyed our woods and so will you!

4. Adventure Awaits

100%

(8)

48mi from Ely · 8 sites · Tents, RVs · Angora, MN

5. Tent Camping getaway

100%

(3)

48mi from Ely · 8 sites · Tents, RVs · Sturgeon, MN

Learn more about this land:Looking for a place close to the ATV trail to pitch a tent? Primitive or group campsite(s) available, on our 40 acre property. 6 miles N of the Taconite trail between Hwy 73 and Co Rd 25. Single night stays available Sun-Thurs, 2 night minimum stay required on the weekend. 2 miles of Onsite hiking/biking/ATV riding trails as well as a pond to splash around in. Call/text 218-398-4678

Public campgrounds near Ely

Fenske Lake Campground

6.9mi from Ely · 16 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

100%

(2)

Fall Lake Campground

6.9mi from Ely · 64 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

100%

(1)

South Kawishiwi River Campground

8.3mi from Ely · 32 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Birch Lake Campground

11mi from Ely · 30 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

95%

(10)

Bear Head Lake Campground

13mi from Ely · 74 sites · Tents, RVs · in Bear Head Lake State Park

McDougal Lake Campground

24mi from Ely · 21 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Sand Lake Rustic Campground

24mi from Ely · 2 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Jeanette Lake Campground

26mi from Ely · 4 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Little Isabella River Campground

27mi from Ely · 11 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Hinsdale Island Campsites

29mi from Ely · 11 sites · in Kabetogama State Forest

Eighteen Lake Rustic Campground

30mi from Ely · 3 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Section 29 Lake Rustic Campground

30mi from Ely · 3 sites · Tents, RVs · in Superior National Forest

Stories from the community

D

Darrin

October 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Adventure Awaits

Beautiful place to get away from the daily grind and do some star gazing and watch the meteors streak across the night skies. I'll definitely make the return trek. We'll worthbthen9 hour drive.

S

Sarah

October 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Luna Light Trails

Such a beautiful property! Trails to meander and water access available. Patty welcomed us with home baked goods and checked in nightly, assuring we had everything we needed. Not a single complaint to be had about the property, host, or experience!

View from Campsite #1 (over site #3 in the pit)

Mike

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Luna Light Trails

This place was a top 3 camping experience, anywhere. Let me break it down: Spacious campsite in deep woods, a maze of a trail system for hikes, they set us up with a large container of drinking water, outhouse was premium, they even dropped off fresh vegetables and eggs for us to eat. Unreal host commitment. 9.5 / 10 will go back and camp there. Great base for adventures on the Iron Range.

Timothy

August 2025

17 ft pop-up camper

Weekend Trip to Cook's Country Connection

Loved the visit from the goats. Clean bathroom. We had a great stay.

D

Dylan

August 2025

Tent

3 nights at Luna Light Trails

We absolutely loved our time at Luna Light Trails. Patty and Dan were such wonderful hosts, we couldn't have asked for better service or nicer people. Their little gift basket gave such a warming welcome feeling. We brought our own kayaks to go down the beautiful creek behind their property. Although the creek is easily accessible from their trails, it is a bit of a hike to portage the kayaks from the camp sites. Dan and Patty already had this all thought out and offer options for transporting them to and from the creek with their ATV. They even have canoes to rent at a very reasonable price. The weather was alittle on the rainy side during our trip. However, the abundance of sturdy trees made it very easy to make a simple canopy, keeping us from having to take shelter in our tent. We will definitely be recommending the Luna Light Trails to everyone we talk to, and highly recommend it for anyone researching through reviews.

Picnic table, fire ring w/ firewood, and a couple chairs to relax in.

C

Crystal

August 2025

Tent

Group trip

Weekend Trip to Cook's Country Connection

We loved our camping experience on Lois's Farm. The children loved seeing the goats visit us from the petting zoo. We were there all weekend and not once did the kids say they were bored. We love camping here!

A

Abby

June 2025

Tent

1 night at Cook's Country Connection

10/10 experience, the animals are adorable and Lois is very helpful. I would highly recommend camping on the land.

B

Bryan

June 2025

Tent

Group trip

1 night at Cook's Country Connection

Another wonderful stay at the farm! As always, the host and the animals could not have been more welcoming and we thoroughly enjoyed visiting with both.

Handful of wild raspberries foraged, the bushes looked like more will be coming in across the next few weeks.

P

Patrick

May 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Luna Light Trails

This is a beautiful property! The site was spacious and included a a pop-up restroom, table/chairs, firewood, and a jug of water. The network of on-site trails very well-kept and are a nice amenity. Patty and Dan were friendly and accommodating.