Norway Beach Loop

Occupancy and Use Restrictions for Developed Fee Campgrounds - Food Storage Order

To protect health and safety of humans and bears, from April 1 to November 30, you must secure all food, food containers, scented items (soap, lip balm, toothpaste), and refuse in a closed and locked vehicle, solid camper, rental cabin, or in an Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee certified bear-resistant container or disposed of in a provided bear-resistant trash receptacle. This does not apply when you are preparing, consuming, or visually supervising your food, food containers, scented items, or refuse.

PROHIBITIONS

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R, § 261.50(a), the following acts are prohibited within the area described in this Order (the "Restricted Area") and as depicted on the attached map, hereby incorporated into this Order as Exhibit A, within the Blackduck, Walker, Deer River Ranger Districts, Chippewa National Forest, Cass, Itasca, Beltrami Counties, Minnesota.

In effect April 1 - November 30 each year, except while being prepared, consumed, or under on-site visual observance, all food, food containers, scented items (such as soap, lip balm, toothpaste) and refuse shall be stored in a closed, LOCKED vehicle or camper constructed of solid, nonpliable material; in a rental cabin; in an Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee certified bear-resistant container; or disposed of in a provided bear-resistant trash receptacle. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58 (cc).

EXEMPTIONS

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

Persons with a written Forest Service authorization specifically exempting them from the effect of this Order.
Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting resource in the performance of an official duty.

RESTRICTED AREA

The Restricted Area is within the following:

Site Name	District	Legal Description
Bimijiwan (Knutson Dam)	Blackduck	Sec. 21, T. 146 N., R. 30 W.
Norway Beach Rec. Area	Blackduck
Cass Lake Loop		Sec. 18, T. 145 N., R. 30 W.
Chippewa Loop		Sec. 8, T. 145 N., R. 30 W.
Norway Beach Loop		Sec. 17, T. 145 N., R. 30 W.
Wanaki Loop		Sec. 8, T. 145 N., R. 30 W.
Webster Lake	Blackduck	Sec. 29, T. 148 N., R. 30 W.
Winnie	Blackduck	Sec. 35, T. 146 N., R. 29 W.
Clubhouse Lake	Deer River	Sec. 12, T. 59 N., R. 26 W. Sec. 7, T. 59 W., R. 25 W.
Cut Foot Sioux Horse Camp	Deer River	Sec. 9, T. 147 N., R. 27 W.
East Seelye	Deer River	Sec. 21, 22, 27, 28, T. 147 N., R. 27W.
West Seelye	Deer River	Sec. 21, T. 147 N., R. 27 W.
Mosomo Point	Deer River	Sec. 25, T. 147 N., R. 27 W.
North and South Deer Lake	Deer River	Sec. 28, T. 147 N., R. 27 W.
North Star	Deer River	Sec. 33, T. 59 N., R. 26 W.
O-Ne-Gum-E	Deer River	Sec. 25, 36, T. 147 N., R. 27 W.
Williams Narrows	Deer River	Sec. 35, T. 147 N., R. 27 W.
Joyce Estate Rental Cabins	Deer River	Sec. 32, T. 58 N., R. 25 W.
Mabel Lake	Walker	Sec. 2, 10, 11, T. 141 N., R. 27 W.
South Pike Bay	Walker	Sec. 34, 35, T. 145 N., R. 31 W.
Stony Point	Walker	Sec. 3, 10, T. 142 N., R. 30 W.

as depicted in Exhibit A of this Order.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Order is to reduce the number of human and bear interactions in the developed fee campgrounds. This is necessary for the health and safety of the public and the protection of the bears.

IMPLEMENTATION

This Order will be effective on April 1, 2025, at 12:01 am, and shall remain in effect until November 30, 2029, or until rescinded, whichever occurs first.
A list identifying the Restricted Area is attached and made part of this Order as Exhibit A. A map displaying those areas as Exhibit B.
Any violation of this prohibition is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or both (see 16 U.S.C. § 551, 18 U.S.C. § 3571(b)(6), 18 U.S.C. §3581(b)(7).\
Further information regarding this Order may be obtained at any District office, and at the Chippewa National Forest Supervisor's Office in Cass Lake, MN, Telephone number 218-335-8600.
This Order supersedes any previous orders prohibiting the same acts covered by this Order.

Done in Cass Lake, Minnesota, this 26 day of February 2025.

MICHAEL STANSBERRY
Forest Supervisor
Chippewa National Forest

Overview

Norway Beach Loop is part of the Norway Beach Recreation Area on the southern shores of beautiful Cass Lake in north central Minnesota. Visitors enjoy the area for its excellent boating and fishing opportunities.

Recreation

Cass Lake offers many recreational activities, including boating, canoeing, water skiing and swimming. Anglers fish for walleye, Northern pike, perch and trophy muskie, with a boat ramp nearby.

Star Island, in the middle of Cass Lake, is a unique feature of the Chippewa National Forest. Six miles of trails wind around the island, which is home to 199-acre Lake Windigo.

Hiking and biking trails are available in the area, including the Migizi Bike Trail and the Norway Beach Trail.

The Norway Beach Visitor Center is nearby. This building, with its magnificent fireplace, is a monument to the talents and craftsmanship of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees. Programs and displays depict Dakota and Ojibway heritage and the area's flora and fauna.

Special annual events are held at the center, including a Kids Fishing Day in June, Bald Eagle Day in July and Smokey Bear's Birthday Party in August. Interpretive programs are offered Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Facilities

Norway Beach Loop offers numerous campsites, each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Flush and vault toilets, showers and drinking water are provided.

Natural Features

The campground is situated 500 ft. from the banks of Cass Lake, in a forest of red and white pines.

Cass Lake is the largest of eight lakes that make up the Cass Lake Chain of Lakes. The lake covers nearly 16,000 acres and has 27 miles of forested shoreline and sandy beaches.

Nearby Attractions

The town of Cass Lake, Minnesota is 4 miles west of the campground, offering restaurants, a bank, grocery and hardware stores, a movie theater and museum.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (218) 835-4291.

Camp site features

Across 50 camp sites:

Pets allowed: all 50 sites
Longest RV: 75 ft
Largest party: 10 people

Directions

From Cass Lake, Minnesota, take U.S. Highway 2 east for 4 miles to the Norway Beach Recreation Area. Turn left and follow the campground road until the signs indicate the Norway Loop.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 1 PM.

Reviews

16 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

1 stars

BRIAN K

Loop:Norw

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

The place is beautiful and we had fun. The first night some group in another campsite made way too much noise though, sounded like singing karaoke, then baying at the moon. Maybe they were on some powerful drugs? They woke us up again about 2 a.m. The second night we moved to a site further from the noise, fearing for the worst. It sounded like they fired up the karaoke machine again and one of them with an especially deep voice was getting started. But then it stopped. Maybe the cops intervened? Otherwise, the beach, the visitors' center, and the beautiful Red Pines were wonderful. Especially the volunteer staff and hosts were great!

Alison J

Loop:Norw

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

We had the best time! It was so peaceful!

Shawn W

Loop:Norw

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

The beach was great. The paved bicycle path was nice. Our site was large and private. The campground host was very friendly and accomidating. The volunteers at the visitor center were also wonderful, they engaged the kids with activities and had lots of historical information to share. This campground is showing some very visible effects of current budget cuts as garbage receptacles were overflowing and garbage was being dispursed by critters abd poision ivy is not being managed on the trails. The shower buildings are in dire need of an upgrade.

Savannah S

Loop:Norw

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

We stayed here July 9–12. We were worried about poison ivy based on a recent review, but we did not see any around our campsite or on the trail to the lake. This is a lovely place to camp. The loops in this area are a little smaller than I imagined, but the trees and ground cover provide decent seclusion from neighboring campsites. It's about a 2–3 minute walk to the lake. The beach stretches a long way along the shoreline, but it is very narrow, so I think it would be difficult to lay out a beach towel and sunbathe along most of it. There is plenty of room for beach chairs, though. The water stays about knee deep for quite a ways out, making it great for wading. Aside from a few shells, the lake bottom is almost entirely sand with very few weeds. We didn't even use our pop-up canopy because the natural shade at our campsite was more than enough. I have a very large tent and was able to find a nice, relatively flat spot for it. We also had trees that were perfect for hanging a hammock. We would absolutely stay at this campsite again. They did not sell firewood at the campground, but Norway Beach Resort, just a short distance away, did. The vault toilets were clean, well maintained, and not scary or icky. There were also showers and water spigots conveniently located throughout the campground.

MICHELLE L

Loop:Norw

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

Beautiful campground but there was zero enforcement on people running their generators all night. Very disrespectful and disruptive of other campers. This occurred both nights we camped here. It really ruined our camping trip as we could not sleep very well with that motor noise - one of the sites continued to run their generators all through breakfast too, it was on from 9 pm to 9 am!

Peter H

Loop:Norw

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

There was poison ivy EVERYWHERE! Lining all the paths and trails and even IN the campsite. I had to watch my 4yo every second so that he didn’t get into it. We cut our trip short because of it.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

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