Visit our Popular Forums

john hd · 12-06-2003, 06:37 PM

hey gang

thought it might be cool to have a listing for "city" campgrounds. not urban, but the type that are run by small towns.

could be handy to have if planning an "off the beaten path" trip.

here are two i know of.

elroy wisconsin

spearfish south dakota

john

dmac · 12-06-2003, 06:50 PM

Also Bayfield, WI . The website does not say much, but it's a beautiful wooded campground on the south shore of Lake Superior, just a mile north of the little town of Bayfield. It overlooks the Apostle Islands.

maxandgeorgia · 12-06-2003, 07:22 PM

Grand Marais, Minnesota We camped here summers for nearly fifteen years before we started venturing West. The campground nestles in the curve of the harbor---lighthouse, breakwater, pines, waves, Lake Superior splash and spray, cobblestone beach, ambiance! . . .we still love it and get back whenever we can. The North Shore drive from Duluth to Grand Marais is a worthy trip in itself, and an added note is that Grand Marais is at the foot of the beautiful Gun Flint Tail, leading up to Gun Flint Lake, Lake Saganaga and Canada. The campground is owned by the little city of Grand Marais. Of course, over the years, changes have taken place. We hate that we no longer can camp right on the beach itself as we did for many years, but the water front sites are just across the camp road from the cobblestones and your "front yard" is incredible. The only improvement to this scene could be an AS for camp base!

Davydd · 12-06-2003, 08:15 PM

A short walk from the campground brings you to the Angry Trout restaurant. I highly recommend it. Hop in your car and drive 15 miles north to Nanaboujou Lodge and have dinner there. The large dining hall is a splendor of native American primary colors and a spectacular stone fireplace.

maxandgeorgia · 12-07-2003, 07:59 PM

Whether for high tea or hearty wild rice soup, Naniboujou is not to be missed, I agree. Nor is that incredible mosaic in the rest room at the Angry Trout! This is making me want to head Up North tonight- with recommendations, a caravan of Airstreams mayad up the North Shore Drive to the campground at Grand Marais this summer! Exploring the nearby Wilderness Waterways by canoe, picking wild blueberries in August, thrilling to the fireworks over the harbor on the Fourth of July, celebrating Canada Day at Old Fort William, dancing at the Rendezvous at Grand Portage or experiencing Ojibway culture at the Powwow. . .I hope some of the Forum add this beauty to their summer agendas this year. I'd love to meet some Airstreamers down by the shore!

Silvertwinkie · 12-07-2003, 08:04 PM

My all time favorite place.

Near Grand Marais, MI. Totally rustic, quite and in general a 12 out of a possible 10 (only reason that it's not a 13 out of 10 is because the road gets bad at a few points).

http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandt...nfo.asp?id=657

Eric

Davydd · 12-07-2003, 08:24 PM

Now I want to go to RuralProperties.com and enter "Gunflint Trail" in the search. Long before we moved to Minnesota we discovered the Helen Hoover books about life on the Gunflint Trail. "The Gift of the Deer" was the first we read--found in the Newport, RI library ca 1969.

Last year we caught the fireworks at Mackinaw City, MI. Two years ago we circled Lake Superior and discovered a hidden treasure in the north shore of Lake Superior in Ontario. We retired our canoe for two kayaks. We hope to retire our tent camping for the luxury of our vintage Airstream. If you see us we will be the ones with two kayaks atop our tow vehicle. Grand Marais (both MI and MN) are becoming kayaking centers.

One of my new favorite places on Lake Superior is Rossport, Ontario--a tiny little town with two superb restaurants and lots of little islands to kayak around.

maxandgeorgia · 12-07-2003, 08:51 PM

I cannot believe what I am reading. For years I too had read and reread all the Helen Hoover books, until one day we found ourselves up on the Gunflint, standing at the base of some of those majestic pines, surrounded by the quiet of the North Woods, looking up toward heaven, knowing in the hush that we were very close to the cabin of the stories. Helen had passed away just the year before, having resettled in retirement in the Santa Fe area, I believe. I was moved to tears--that is how strong an impact the place, the lady, and the pines had on me. What a memory trip this exchange has taken me on! I hope we meet you and yours Up North some day. We'd never reach the end of the stories while tossing more wood on the campfire, I'll bet! We would always say each year as we drove away, "Next year in Grand Marais!"

pyanke · 12-08-2003, 06:34 PM

We were on our way to Grand Marais, MN, last August when we hit the , twice. (different thread) We spent the better part of a week in the city campground and stayed for the "Fishermans Picnic" celebration. (An annual party the first weekend of Aug) This was our first journey with the A/S. There were 2 other A/S units in the park. By 9:30 the first morning we had met the owners of one unit and been invited to breakfast at the other. Airstreamers truely are a "family".

WayWard Wind · 12-08-2003, 08:08 PM

If you're travling thru or near Duluth, Mn you may want to check-out the city owned RV park in Cloquet (just outside of Duluth). It is located on St. Rt 33 in the city & is located on the banks of the St.Louis river. It is a clean, quiet & has elect & water hook-ups w/ an on-site dumping station. A good stopping point just b/4 heading up the North Shore.

Lum Park---a city (Brainerd,Mn) owned park on the Mississippi River.
While I live near Brainerd, I have never camped there, but it appears to be a very nice well kept park. Contact the city of Brainerd for more info.

City of Hoyt Lakes, Mn--A really great park --At least it was several years ago. The city of Hoyt Lakes is located at the end of the road & near the wild beginnings of the St. Louis River, which is located a few miles out of town at the RR siding of Skibo. For wilderness canoeing this is a great place. The campground is located on a thumb of land in the lake & all sites have a great view. Contact the city of Hoyt Lakes, Mn for more info.
Best,

Royce · 12-08-2003, 10:02 PM

Hi All,

Been lurking on the site for some days now and decided it is time to signup. Not an Airstream owner yet but have started the search. Current tow vehicle is a 55 Chevy 1st series pickup.

Will have to upgrade that. John is at fault for getting me to quit lurking and sign up. His post about the city campground at Spearfish SD caught my attention. I grew up on a small place that Spearfish creek ran though. I still claim a tie to that area and have chosen spearfishcreek.com as the name for my web page. Looks like a great bunch of folks here and I look forward to gaining much knowledge about Airstreams before purchase.

Thanks for letting me in to learn.

john hd · 12-08-2003, 11:06 PM

welcome aboard royce!

john

Ken J · 12-09-2003, 09:01 AM

We stayed at a real nice city campground in Canadian Tx this past summer. Elec and water hookups, put the money (think it was $10/night) in the box. There are lots of city campgrounds in Texas.

Ken J.

**Stefrobrts** · 12-09-2003, 10:53 AM

Wow, this thread turned out to be really interesting. We don't seem to have any city campgrounds around here, it must be a midwest thing.

Welcome Royce, there's not a better place around to learn! They've been putting up with me for almost a year

Now I have to go find some of those Gunflint Trail books. Sounds like some good winter reading to me.

WayWard Wind · 12-09-2003, 05:56 PM

Steph--If you're getting a book on the Gunflint Trail, you better also get one on canoeing, as you can't go up the Gunflint with-out a canoe. If you do, once you get there, you'll wish you had one. A really great area & even better to explore via a canoe.
Been there done that ---to old now.
Best,

maxandgeorgia · 12-09-2003, 07:28 PM

Stephanie, Gunflint books are perfect for a long winter's read, but if you do, I warn you now--you'll be packing for the North Woods of Minnesota come spring ice out! In addition to the Helen Hoover books such as The Gift of the Deer and The Long Shadowed Forest, try some Sam Cook, beginning with his essays called Up North or Quiet Magic. Include some Michael Furtman and don't miss the classics by Sigurd Olsen such as Listening Point. Two other old classics, still fun to read, are by the Jacques, Florence and Francis, called Canoe Country and Snowshoe Country. You might also try the biography of Justine Kerfoot of Gunflint Lodge fame. There are many more, but these could start the fever! I love my home, Missouri, but it's the North Woods, its pines and lakes and stories, that have fed my soul. Well, we seem to be off the thread, so maybe someone will get us going on city campgrounds in some other part of the country now!

WayWard Wind · 12-09-2003, 07:48 PM

Maxandgeorgia--- you have hit it right on the nose. I have the full collection of Sigurd Olson's books & Listening Point is my favorite. I reread them all the time. They are kinda like my Winter city campground.

Davydd · 12-09-2003, 08:22 PM

Steph,

Minnesota has no Mount Rainier. What I think we are trying to express is an attitude of nirvana that is felt more than words can express. Northern Minnesota is a mind massage of stress relief that can be gained by being there or just merely thinking about it. When I read Florence Jaques' "Snowshoe Country" a short book describing the solitude and hardships of living on the Gunflint trail in the Winter of 1943 disconnected from the outside world I could only think, "Wow!" Her husband, Francis Lee Jaques illustrated the book with several pen and ink sketches that captured the spirit. As I remember he also added illustrations to the Hoover books.

I'm thinking hard about it NOW with a current accumulation of 10 inches of new snow. So if you understand the feeling of cocooning during a gentle snowfall that stops you from worrying about anything else, multiply that feeling ten fold...and love it until you have to go out and shovel.

**Stefrobrts** · 12-09-2003, 08:37 PM

Sometimes I wish we could live that kind of life, ruled by the elements, where you just have to do things as mother nature lets you. More connected to the world around us. Out here all we have to deal with is rain, and it's a rare day that gets so bad we have to hole up inside. I'm really looking forward to checking out some of these books. It's wonderful to see how enthusiastic people are about their neck of the woods.

It just reminds me how much I need to get out and see different parts of the country in person to really experience it. Which is exactly why we bought the Airstream

See how I brought that back around to camping? We're almost back on-topic

WayWard Wind · 12-09-2003, 08:45 PM

DavyD --did you ever read --Canoeing with the Cree, by Eric Severid ( that's not right but close)? If not I would highly recommend it. A teriffic book written in the 30's. simular to ones you quoted.
Best,