A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Army Corps of Engineers campground

Leech Lake Rec Area

Army Corps of Engineers campground in Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake, Cass County, Minnesota. 1,296 feet. 0.9 miles from Federal Dam.

Managed by
Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Headwaters - Leech Lake
Elevation
1,296 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
77 73 standard electric, 4 walk to
Longest rig
80 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
Electric, Water, Sewer
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Cass County

Overview

Leech Lake Recreation Area is located in the heart of the Chippewa National Forest in Federal Dam, Minnesota on the Leech Lake River. The area is best known for its fishing and boat access to Portage Bay on Leech Lake, a famous perch, walleye and musky fishery.

Recreation

Boating, canoeing and fishing are very popular activities. Anglers will find walleye, perch, bass, northern pike and musky, where every cast has the potential to yield a trophy. Miles of scenic hiking trails meander around Leech Lake, including the Soo Line, Heartland and North Country National Scenic Trails.

Facilities

This campground offers 73 wooded sites with electric hookups, including eight sites with full hookups. Additionally, there are four primitive walk-to tent sites. A group day-use picnic shelter with electric is available, as well as two mini-picnic shelters.

Amenities include flush toilets, showers, drinking water, laundry facilities, a dump station, boat ramps and overnight boat mooring.

Campers enjoy the park's basketball, volleyball, badminton and shuffleboard courts, as well as the horseshoe pits. Younger campers love the playground areas.

Natural Features

Leech Lake has 316 miles of shoreline and encompasses 14 natural lakes. A mixed forest of elm, ash, maple, basswood, birch, aspen and pine covers the area. Wildlife is abundant around the lake, where campers commonly hear the tell-tale call of loons out on the water.

The description, directions and fees are the Army Corps of Engineers’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • badminton
  • boating
  • camping
  • day use area
  • fishing
  • interpretive programs
  • other recreation concession site
  • picnicking
  • ranger station
  • shuffle board
  • visitor center
  • water access

The land around Leech Lake Rec Area

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 July 16, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.