McDougal Lake Campground
October 2026
About
Overview
McDougal Lake Campground provides easy access to a wide variety of recreational activities including hiking, boating, fishing, picnicking and swimming within the central part of Superior National Forest.
Superior National Forest, located in northeastern Minnesota's arrowhead region, is comprised of three 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.
The one-mile hiking trail and campsites 17 and 19 were closed in 2021 due to impacts from the Greenwood Fire and will be closed until further notice.
Recreation
Kids will love the sandy swimming beach within the facility. A boat ramp and shoreline access provide anglers the opportunity for a leisurely afternoon of fishing for walleye and northern pike.
Facilities
This comfortable facility provides 13 first come, first served and 8 reservable campsites that are either drive-in sites suitable for RVs and trailers or hike-in sites for tent campers. Campsites are private and separated by woods. The facilities include water from a solar powered pump station and vault toilets. Five of the first come, first served sites are available for long term rental by contacting the Tofte Ranger District Office at 218-663-8060.
The one-mile hiking trail was closed in 2021 due to impacts from the Greenwood Fire and will be closed until further notice.
Natural Features
The 323-acre McDougal Lake is surrounded by a thick forest of birch, maple and pine and sits at an elevation of 1,800 ft. The area is peaceful, rustic and begs for relaxation. One unique feature of the lake is the wild rice growing within it. Birds and wildlife frequent its shores.
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (218) 663-8060.
Nearby Attractions
Numerous outdoor recreation opportunities lie within Superior National Forest's 77 lake access areas, 13 fishing piers, 10 swimming beaches and 22 picnic areas. The forest is also home to three scenic byways.
Amenities
Phone: 218-663-8063
Is McDougal Lake Campground fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches McDougal Lake Campground in Isabella, MN for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching McDougal Lake Campground for cancellations is the paid part.