A gray 4x4 Sprinter with a roof rack on a two-track through a wildflower meadow, cloud sitting on the mountains behind.

Forest Service campground

Crescent Lake

Forest Service campground in Superior National Forest, Cook County, Minnesota. 1,776 feet. 20.6 miles from Grand Marais.

Managed by
Forest Service Superior National Forest
Elevation
1,776 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
33 29 standard non-electric, 3 tent only non-electric, 1 group standard non-electric
Longest rig
45 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Cook County

Overview

Crescent Lake is an undeveloped lake surrounded entirely by the remote Superior National Forest. This quiet campground has waterfront campsites with easy access to fishing, exploring the nearby wilderness and simply enjoying the beauty of the natural area.

Superior National Forest, located in northeastern Minnesota's arrowhead region, is comprised of 3 million acres. The forest spans 150 miles along the United States-Canada border.

Visitors can find recreation opportunities year-round, including travel in the famous Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Recreation

The fishing is good for walleye, northern pike and muskie. Crescent Lake allows motorized boat use without limit on horsepower, but is most appropriate for small fishing or similar type boats.

The surrounding national forest offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking in secluded woodlands and canoeing in pristine lakes and rivers.

View recreation guides and maps of hiking trails and canoe routes in the national forest.

Facilities

The campground has 32 sites situated on a peninsula that juts out into the lake, providing many sites with nice views of the water and some sites with access to the water.

A few sites are first-come, first-served, including one primitive backcountry camping site that campers can boat into; access is a boat ramp on the northwest side of the lake.

Picnic tables, campfire grates, water pumps and vault toilets are provided. A fishing pier is located within the campground.

Natural Features

Superior National Forest is known for its boreal forest ecosystem, numerous clean lakes and diversity of plants and animals. The entire campground is heavily wooded with white pines, red pines, spruce, balsam, birch and aspen. Birds and wildlife are abundant, from moose and bear to bald eagles and loons.

Nearby Attractions

The concessionaire Sawbill Canoe Outfitters maintains a store with showers, laundry, fishing licenses, fishing bait and tackle, ice, grocery and convenience items, canoe and camping gear rental and a pay telephone. It is 13 miles from the campground.

Numerous outdoor recreation opportunities lie within Superior National Forest, including the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Over one million acres in size, the Boundary Waters extend nearly 150 miles along the United States-Canada border and contain over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites.

Additional sites of interest .

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing

The land around Crescent Lake

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.