Camping at Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park has 33 campgrounds listed on Recreation.gov. 33 of them are first-come, first-served, so they never show as bookable inventory.
Campgrounds
| Name | Booking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beaver Island | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Caribou Island | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Chippewa Harbor | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Daisy Farm | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Duncan Bay | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Duncan Narrows | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| East Chickenbone | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Feldtmann Lake | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Grace Island | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Hay Bay | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Huginnin Cove | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Intermediate Lake | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Island Mine | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Lake Richie | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Lake Richie Canoe | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Lake Whittlesey | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Lane Cove | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Little Todd | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Malone Bay | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| McCargoe Cove | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Merritt Lane | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Moskey Basin | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| North Desor | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Pickerel Cove | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Rock Harbor | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Siskiwit Bay | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| South Lake Desor | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Three Mile | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Todd Harbor | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Tookers Island | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Washington Creek | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| West Chickenbone | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
| Wood Lake | First-come, first-served | First-come sites; Rec.gov does not take reservations. No camping fee listed on Rec.gov (park entrance fee still applies). Stay limits vary by campground. |
When sites open
Recreation.gov releases most national park campsites six months before the arrival date, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. Windows are set per campground, so confirm yours on the Seasons and Fees tab on that campground page.
Work backwards from your arrival date and be logged in before the release minute. A named campground above is the rule for that campground only — do not apply it to the rest of the park.
Getting a site after it sells out
Far more sites are booked than used. Cancellations cluster in the two weeks before arrival and again when the free-cancellation deadline passes, and midweek nights churn much more than weekends.
Refreshing by hand rarely works — openings are gone in minutes. Parks Manager can watch your dates and tell you the moment something frees up.
First-come, first-served options
Beaver Island, Caribou Island, Chippewa Harbor, Daisy Farm, Duncan Bay, Duncan Narrows, East Chickenbone, Feldtmann Lake, Grace Island, Hay Bay, Huginnin Cove, Intermediate Lake, Island Mine, Lake Richie, Lake Richie Canoe, Lake Whittlesey, Lane Cove, Little Todd, Malone Bay, McCargoe Cove, Merritt Lane, Moskey Basin, North Desor, Pickerel Cove, Rock Harbor, Siskiwit Bay, South Lake Desor, Three Mile, Todd Harbor, Tookers Island, Washington Creek, West Chickenbone, and Wood Lake do not take reservations. In busy season that means arriving at the campground entrance before mid-morning.
Common questions
How many campgrounds does Isle Royale National Park have?
Recreation.gov lists 33 campgrounds at Isle Royale National Park, of which 33 are first-come, first-served.
How far ahead do Isle Royale National Park campsites open?
Recreation.gov releases most national park campsites six months before the arrival date, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. Windows are set per campground, so confirm yours on the Seasons and Fees tab on that campground page.
What if Isle Royale National Park campgrounds are full?
Cancellations are the real supply. Openings cluster two weeks out and again just after the free-cancellation deadline, and they get taken within minutes of appearing.
Background: How national park campsite reservations actually work