Camp Observer1 of 7 photos
Echo Lake (Minn)
Overview
Echo Lake is located on the west end of the Echo Trail, a remote country road that traverses through the heart of the Western Superior National Forest. This quiet campground, where the sounds of birds and the wind are often heard, is a peaceful alternative to the hustle and bustle of the area's resort scene. A variety of campsites, activities and amenities offer a comfortable stay for RV, trailer and tent campers. 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.Recreation
Echo Lake is a popular fishing spot for walleye, northern pike, panfish, black crappie, white sucker and yellow perch also living in the lake. 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 provides 22 sites, with 13 reservable sites (1 group site and 12 standard sites) and 9 first come-first served. The sites are non- electric and amenities include vault toilets, solar powered water, tables, garbage service, campfire rings.
A group campsite is available for groups of up to 21 people. Three free First Come First Serve dispersed campsites that can be accessed only by boat are located around the lake as well.
Heavy vegetation may limit the lake view from some sites; however, there are numerous trails leading to the water. Young trees and lush ground plants provide privacy between sites.
A boat ramp and sandy beach are provided for access to water activities and swimming.
Natural Features
This campground is on the south shore of the 1,222-acre Echo Lake and is surrounded by a mix of aspen, balsam, spruce, maple and pine trees, which provide ample shade.Nearby Attractions
Possible day trips from the campground include Voyageurs National Park, Crane Lake, Vermillion Falls, Echo Lake Trail (1.5 miles) and Echo Lake Hunters Walking Trail (10 miles).Numerous outdoor recreation opportunities lie within Superior National Forest's 77 lake accesses, 13 fishing piers, 10 swimming beaches and 22 picnic areas. The forest is also home to three scenic byways and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Additional sites of interest
Camp site features
Across 22 camp sites:
- Pets allowed: all 22 sites
- Group sites: 1 of 22 sites
- Longest rig: 45 ft
- Largest party: 21 people
Directions
From Orr, Minnesota, take St. Louis County Road 23 for 16 miles to Buyck. At
Buyck, County Road 23 turns into County Road 24. Continue on County Road 24
for 4 miles to the Echo Trail. Turn right onto the Echo Trail and continue 0.8
miles to the Echo Lake Campground.
Stay Limit
Check in from 2 PM, check out by 1 PM.
Reviews
Ratings (36)
5 stars
16
4 stars
10
3 stars
3
2 stars
5
1 stars
2
Ron B
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 5 days ago
Unfortunately, due to the fires in the Quetico/Boundary Waters area, we were restricted from entry to our campsite. We are hoping for a refund.
Scott B
Loop:Echo
Site:017
Reviewed 2 months ago
Nice level site. We had the place to ourselves. Good fishing for bluegills. See you next year.
Mike W
Loop:Echo
Site:005
Reviewed a year ago
Facilities were as expected. Unfortunately mosquitos were abundant 24 hours/day, making it hard to enjoy any time outside of screened tent or vehicle. Fortunately i had a kayak and could escape the bugs once i paddled away from shore. Tried hiking some trails but mosquitos would swarm so thick that it became impossible to enjoy.
James B
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed a year ago
Everything is good there except the road coming in to campground and road to boat landing needs to be graded. Campsites need class 5 gravel and leveled.
James B
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed a year ago
campsites need class 5 gravel to raise and level,and trails to the lake need to be brushed cut, bathroom down by beach needs paint scraped off and re- painted.
Susan P
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 2 years ago
It's a beautiful campground, the only criticism would be the swimming beach area could use a bit of a make over. The swimming markers are on shore, last year too, and the bridge that goes over the dry stream is on the beach.
There are pluses though, the beach area itself is quite beautiful, and mowed regularly, and the sites are always kept nicely when we arrive. The bathrooms are always clean and well stocked with tp. The camp host is very friendly and works hard to keep it up.
It's one of our favorite places to stay.
Tony M
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 2 years ago
This is the first time we have stayed at this campground. The campground is pretty nice and is located off the main road a ways. There are a few sites that have trails leading down to the lake however it is a bit of a hill to carry anything down there. There is a boat landing and a small beach close to the campground loop if you have a canoe or kayak to launch. The sites are fairly spread out but you are usually withing site and sound of the camping spot next to you. There are a few spots that are big enough for a camper , I was in site #16 and it was easy to back into that site. All of the National Forest campgrounds could use some maintenance work , new gravel , picnic tables , walkways repaired but it seems the government needs to spend money elsewhere such as getting more people signed up for welfare rather than maintain areas where people who actually work for a living and pay taxes and use these areas. Perhaps we could give jobs to these people who receive benefits and they could do basic maintenance activities and repairs throughout National Forests and National Parks. The bugs on the days we were there were horrible.....lots of mosquitos and biting flies so bring your bug spray. The campground host was very nice and knowledgeable about the area and he did a great job. Hope to get back again to this campground someday.
James B
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 2 years ago
campsites need 12 inches of class 5 to level sites,and toilets need to be sucked out at least once a month. Camp host keeps everthing clean in bathrooms. Need to clear brush 3 inches and smaller all the way to the lake so you can see lake from campsites 14 ,16,
Adam A
Loop:Echo
Site:019
Reviewed 2 years ago
I've camped here a number of times without issue, this time there were several.
Biggest problem was the out of service water pump. We were not warned ahead of time that there wouldn't be water available. Luckily the camp host was nice enough to share some of his water with us.
My name and dates reserved were not on the campsite post. Only the name/dates for the next weekend were posted. A number of reserved sites say empty all weekend. Not sure if there was a mix up or a high amount of cancellation.
Our campsite wasn't cleaned out. I assume this was because my reservation wasn't on the post so the host didn't know it would be occupied. When he saw us he skipped over the site he was working on to partially clean up ours. This was also when we found out about the water situation.
Overall the only real problem for us was the water. There needs to be a warning online or emailed if it's out of service. Camp host was great given the situation.
Daniel R
Loop:Grp
Site:021
Reviewed 3 years ago
Beautiful location just shy of Voyageurs national park. Plenty of space for our group of 16 people. Would stay here again.
Kathryn D
Loop:Echo
Site:005
Reviewed 3 years ago
Many sites are nicely spaced out - from site 005, you can really only see other camping spots from the road/entrance into 005, otherwise there is a lot of privacy. Level spots for tents, parking space, and each site also has a picnic table and fire ring. Bathrooms were clean and stocked. Road and sites didn't flood in heavy rain. Roads to and from site are gravel but well maintained. Didn't have any issue with ticks. Mosquitoes were terrible, but that's not unique to this campsite. Overall nice campground, reasonably priced during the week - would stay here again.
Adam K
Loop:Echo
Site:005
Reviewed 3 years ago
I know it’s Minnesota but holy cow- the mosquitoes were horrendous.
Rebecca G
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 4 years ago
Had a wonderful time, would come again. Nice shaded campsites. Clean campgound, host checked in to make sure we were doing ok. Logging activity nearby would be the only complaint as it was from sun up to sun down every day.
Laura B
Loop:Echo
Site:005
Reviewed 4 years ago
Lovely and secluded. Also a nice playground with a tire swing near the beach.
Yvonne S
Loop:Grp
Site:021
Reviewed 4 years ago
Very enjoyable. My only comment is a larger amount of toilet paper in the toilet by the group site. we have been here many years and when the host takes days off we are having to supply toilet paper for everyone around that end of the campground.
Keri S
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 4 years ago
Site 16: Only had a single night rsvp but it was a pleasant 24 hour stay. Sites are pretty spacious and private with a nice amount of forest growth between sites. The site was nice and flat which allowed many options for setting up camp. Fire pit/ring was structurally sound and functional with a rotating grill grate - plus the previous camper left fire wood and I didn’t even use it all and was able to leave some foe the next camper! Site offered a very short walk on private trail to a small sandy shore off Echo Lake. Only suggestion: picnic table could use some TLC. I’d stay here again.
Kirby K
Loop:Echo
Site:016
Reviewed 4 years ago
Beautiful location. The campground host was welcoming, hard working and proud of the facility.
Joel T
Loop:Echo
Site:017
Reviewed 4 years ago
great little campground with good sites.
Echo lake is a pretty lake snd has great sunsets.
Brad W
Loop:Echo
Site:014
Reviewed 5 years ago
The campsite itself was AMAZING! Very well thought out and spacious enough to have a nice long stay with several people! The lake was a bit choppy and pretty busy with motor boats making our canoe trip less than desirable, with wind causing extremely choppy conditions, but otherwise an excellent campsite! Highly recommend!
Janice N
Loop:Echo
Site:020
Reviewed 5 years ago
Our reservation for Boundary Waters EP 14 was cancelled, so our Plan B was camping at Echo Lake. We really enjoyed our time there and used the opportunity to explore the area. We took day trips to Vermillion Falls and to the Voyageurs National Park area. At our campsite, we really enjoyed the little beach, which was a short walk from our site, and paddled our canoe across the lake. The camp host was great and nice to talk with. We enjoyed the quiet and solitude at this campground--while it wasn't the Boundary Waters trip we were hoping for, it was a wonderful experience and we made some beautiful memories.
Joseph G
Loop:Echo
Site:005
Reviewed 5 years ago
It is a quiet campground with sites situated far enough from each other. The Campground host did a very good job of keeping the bathrooms clean! He was also very helpful with questions. There is a short hiking trail from the campground to some overlooks and interesting rocks. The lake is shallow which is okay for small children. Older children will not find it much fun as the lake is very shallow overall.
David H
Loop:Echo
Site:017
Reviewed 5 years ago
Host was very helpful and friendly, though you never know whether you'll ever see a given host again in the future.
The road in seems well maintained, not steep anywhere and a smooth ride.
My campsite was spacious and private; I normally don't bring my dog when I haven't been to a specific campground before because I'm never sure whether she'll be able to have enough space away from other dogs. This would be a safe campground for even shy or nervous dogs provided (as always) that other dog owners are being responsible. You'd definitely have better luck here than at many crowded campgrounds.
That said, there are signs up that food needs to be secure from bears, so maybe don't bring the dog...? There are definitely black bears in this region though I've never been overly concerned.
There's no getting away from incessant generator noise at any remote campsite. This site is no different. Someday someone will invent air conditioners that can run on solar. Until then...get used to dawn to dark generator noise.
The site has good quality drinking water at a pump shed. The only garbage dump is at a boat landing down the road, not on-site. Toilets are your typical one-hole vault toilet.
The lakefront paths were well maintained and the play area was nicely mowed. There's a small beach as well, though the lake itself is kind of grassy and shallow.
Finally: bugs. It's a forest service campground on a lake in Minnesota. There are going to be lots of bugs. You would be kidding yourself to think otherwise. Bring DEET, Thermacells, everything in your arsenal.
jaime t
Loop:Echo
Site:017
Reviewed 5 years ago
Good on privacy, but sites are big enough for campers but have no power hookup -if you like quiet, maybe find somewhere more rustic or tents-only.
Marilyn P
Loop:Echo
Site:022
Reviewed 7 years ago
Camp ground is great. The only negative is you need another bathroom by the group campsite.
Catherine C
Loop:Echo
Site:022
Reviewed 7 years ago
We love to go to Echo Lake, that being said, the group site is in poor condition. Much of it is in a low lying area that gets wet and swampy. The grass, weeds and brush are usually overgrown. This camp site needs some attention. We're not expecting much, we know we are going to the woods. However, we don't like paying for a group site and then having everyone huddle in one corner of it because the rest is under water or extremely muddy. It needs some fill. Overall, the rest of the campground is good. Love the hiking trails, beach and playground area, berry picking. Be sure to stay away from the playground up by the campsites, its a major deteriorating hazard!
Popularity
Very quiet · 18%
Busiest in July, when about 18% of sites are booked. Based on 9 years of reservations.
