My buddies and I are headed up for our first of many BWCA trips to Entry Point #36 Hog Creek on 5/28 to 6/2. We are planning on driving up after work on 5/28 and staying somewhere relatively close to Sawtooth Outfitters. We are open to camping or hotels. From initial searches, it looks like hotels have a minimum stay of 2 nights and campsites will not let you reserve ahead of time unless it is a 2-3 day stay minimum. I expect campsites to be busy due to Memorial Day and do not want to bank on a same-day reservation.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a place to crash the night before? The only problem that I could see with a campsite is that most of us are planning on working a bit that Tuesday and would not get up to the area until 8-9 o'clock. We would prefer to not stay in Duluth so that we can get to our entry point and on the water at a decent time. Obviously, if there are no other options, we will end up in Duluth. Any recommendations that anyone can give would be greatly appreciated!

You've already probably considered the options below.

1. Americinn in Tofte. Tough to get a one-night stay, but try right now.

2. Maybe (and it's a big maybe), you find a one-night stay at Bluefin Bay.

3. Grand Marais, so you'll be backtracking 27 miles in the morning. There are several hotels in Grand Marais. Again, these hotels may not offer one-night stays, but I think your chances are pretty good that you will be able to find one for one night.

4. Maybe look for a hotel in Silver/Beaver Bay or even Two Harbors. That will get you closer.

If you have to be a Sawtooth in the morning, "camping" at the entry point won't work. There may be private camping spots between Two Harbors and Tofte, though it's tough setting things up at 9:00 PM.

Hope this helps.

Mike

Check with Sawtooth first, but most outfitters have bunkhouses for rent by the night.

Check the MN State Parks for reservable tent sites.

The only hotel/motel I am aware of south of Grand Marais that has 1-night stays is the AmericInn in Silver Bay. It is no longer called the Americinn and has changed hands, but it is still in operation. My son made a reservation there for mid-July this year, and we have stayed there the last two years for 1-nighters. Nice hotel, kind of pricey.

Thinking again, you might try the Solbakken in Lutsen on Hwy 61. The motel rooms are OK to fair, but good enough for a night. Here is their contact info:

4874 W Hwy 61
Lutsen, MN 55612
800-435-3950 or 218-663-7566
Info@solbakkenresort.Com

Sawbill Outfitters has a large USFS campground right at the outfitters with toilets and spigots for water. If the reason you need to go to Sawtooth Outfitters is to pick up your permit, you could get the permit pickup point changed to Sawbill Outfitters. From Sawbill, it is around a 30-35 minute drive to Hog Creek EP. Nice drive. Saw some wolves once that were jogging down the road. Sawbill has showers too.

Tom

I went in Hog Creek last May, arrived at the EP after 10pm and slept in the van, I woke to 3 other vehicles with people sleeping in them. I know it's technically against the rules, but if you are just sleeping in the vehicle without unloading anything at all I have never had a problem with it, setting up an actual campsite would be another matter.

BTW for the Hog Creek entry point we changed our permit from the Tofte Ranger station to the Duluth Pack store in Canal Park as they are open late and the permit can be picked up on your way North after work.....

Someone has already mentioned Sawbill Lake Campground. That would be my first choice.

There is a small campground at Kawishiwi Lake entry just a short way further past the Hog Creek Entry. Small (4-5 sites) means spotty availability.

On the way up the Sawbill Trail, there is also a campground along the Temperance River. Again, only a few sites, but since it is not adjacent the BWCA it may be more likely to have a site available.

You are allowed to camp on forest service land that isn't BWCA and isn't otherwise designated. We have pulled off the forest service roads and just set up 10 yards into a clearing. There are lots of overgrown roads that are level and grassy and perfect for camping for a night. I don't know that specific area, but I'll be there is something very nearby.

This might be a bit sketchy finding a spot after dark, but we have reconned spots with map and satellite photos and driven right up to them.

We have been on the water by 6:30 after a 6 am wake-up and a 400 yard drive to the entry point.

I've done a similar trip the past couple years and ran into the same issue with most hotels not taking guests for 1 night. I have stayed at the Mountain Inn at Lutsen the past couple years and it has worked out really well. Nice hotel, not too expensive, close to Sawtooth Outfitters, and most importantly you can reserve a room for 1 night. When I have stayed the past two years it seems like about about half the people staying at the hotel were gearing up for BWCA trips.

sconnie84: "I've done a similar trip the past couple years and ran into the same issue with most hotels not taking guests for 1 night. I have stayed at the Mountain Inn."

I believe this is your best bet. If you are willing to pay in advance (no refunds), you can get a 2 Queen room for $133.73 total. Just booked a room for my daughter and me for a mid June Kawishiwi trip.

I will add a recommendation for the Lutsen Mountain Inn, very nice for the price and a great location for those entry points.

Crescent Lake Campground is off "the grade", just a little bit off the sawbill trail. Half of their campsites are first come first serve, the other half are reservable. Many sites are right on the water. No houses on that lake. It's car camping for the most part, although there is one peninsula that you walk-in your gear to the campsites.

If some are getting there early, they could set up tents for those who are getting there late.

If you're having trouble finding it, look on the entry point maps on this website, and pull up baker lake entry. Crescent is across the road.

==========

On a separate note, North Shore lodging, trying to stage for one night, when they require 2, is a very common problem. I've mentioned this before, but I think we need a section on this website to form reservation pairs.

So in this example, a person would post that they want to share a reservation near Tofte, the day before or the day after 5/28. So if anyone else needs a reservation for 5/27, or 5/29, they could pair up. Theoretically, we could start strings, where several days in row are reserved at the same place. Unfortunately, that means someone is on the hook for the whole reservation, but the other people could venmo or paypal their share.

You would just have to have rules, like no sleeping on the sheets. People need to bring their own sleeping bag, or sheets and blankets, to sleep on for the night. I think this could work. Especially if people post months early. You'd have to have a no cancelation policy, or if someone is looking to cancel, they would have to post their intention, and see if someone else will pick up that date.

I can see where this site, might not want to do that, as it potentially conflicts with bunkhouse providers. The 2 night minimums drive alot of traffic there way. However, i would imagine it's a problem for the bunkhouse provider, that they are often being reserved by someone who is NOT renting canoes, and packages, and maybe they want to keep their bunks available for that. This could help.

In the past, I've called places as I'm driving up, and they are much more willing to waive the two night min, on the day of, if they're facing the possibility of being empty that night. That's going to depend alot on the day you're going. A lot easier to pull that off on a weekday, versus a friday or saturday. Certainly other factors drive demand, like Grandma's Marathon, or fall colors etc.

From the Britton Peak Parking lot for the superior hiking trail, which is just outside tofte, it's a 1.5 mile walk to the first campsite. The campsites on the superior hiking trail are not reservable and are all shared, meaning multiple groups use them at the same time. That will keep you close if picking up the permit is he issue. Otherwise up by Hog Creek EP, lots of dispersed campsites. Check the superior national forest page for dispersed campsites and you should be able to find one.

Temperance River State Park is about 2 miles south of Sawtooth Outfitters, and as of today shows 15 open tent camping sites for arrival on 5/18 and departing the next day. If you are arriving late, you really do want a reservation somewhere. Grab some breakfast at the Coho Cafe the next morning. Only downside of camping the night before a BWCA trip is if it rains it's a pain to take down and put away wet gear. An option I've considered if I do that again is to invest in a cheap big blue tarp to cover over my tent. The blue tarp could then be folded up and left in or under the car.

ajbuboltz: "My buddies and I are headed up for our first of many BWCA trips to Entry Point #36 Hog Creek on 5/28 to 6/2. We are planning on driving up after work on 5/28 and staying somewhere relatively close to Sawtooth Outfitters. We are open to camping or hotels. From initial searches, it looks like hotels have a minimum stay of 2 nights and campsites will not let you reserve ahead of time unless it is a 2-3 day stay minimum."

You can reserve a campsite on Recreation.gov, at either Sawbill or Crescent Lake campgrounds for just 1 night. I have a 1-night reservation at Sawbill in early June this year for the night before a Sawbill entry, and did the same last year the night before a Kawishiwi Lake entry. That might be a good option for you if they’re not too far from Sawtooth Outfitters (assuming you need to go back down to the shore in the morning because you’ll get to Tofte too late to pick up gear and permit).

It looks like both campgrounds have reservable sites available for the night of 5/28.

Harbor Inn in Grand Marais does single nights. Would not recommend, but it's, well, there if you really need a hotel. It is a great location and though our room was not in great shape it was cleaner than the one we stayed at in Duluth the night before, I'll give them that.

Someone posted here some years ago about a nice SNF primitive camp site a little ways past the Hog Creek parking lot coming from north. Don't know how to find it other than a member here connecting this.

I would camp at Sawbill. It has a few creature comforts like showers if you want before you go in, and a fully stocked store with beer. It's a very nice campground. Get on it now if you decide to camp there.

There are many rustic and primitive camp sites in the Super National Forest. Goole it up. Dispersed camp is also allowed in SNF.