Superior National Forest · Minnesota
Overview South Kawishiwi River Campground is located in Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, about 10 miles from Ely, Minnesota. It offers fishing, boating and other recreational activities in a relaxing outdoor setting. The campground has sites with and without electric hookups, as well as one group day use area great for family picnics, birthday parties and other gatherings of up to 35 people.
Sites at South Kawishiwi River are reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites here can be reserved in advance through the official system, and they are claimed fast — cancellations then trickle back all season, unannounced, at any hour of the day or night.
| Total sites | 33 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Standard, Group, Shelter |
| Hookups | Electric hookups at some sites |
| Location | Ely, MN |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Because sites are booked months ahead, a steady share of reservations get cancelled as trips fall through. Each cancellation instantly returns that site and those nights to the official calendar — first-come, first-served, no waitlist, no announcement. Refreshing the booking page yourself, every few minutes for weeks, works in theory. In practice, the people who get these sites are the ones who hear about the opening first.
ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for South Kawishiwi River around the clock. When a site matching your dates and your vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link to it. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell — your fee pays for monitoring, and openings are first-come, so speed is the whole game.
| Whiteface Reservoir | Cancellation alerts available |
|---|---|
| Fall Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Sawbill Lake Campground - Superior National Forest | Cancellation alerts available |
| Flour Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Crescent Lake (Mn) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Trails End Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Birch Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| East Bearskin Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Cadotte Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ninemile Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Echo Lake (Minn) | Cancellation alerts available |
| McDougal Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Pfeiffer Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Fenske Lake Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Jeanette Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
| Little Isabella River Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Iron Lake | Cancellation alerts available |
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Site facts come from the official directory listing for South Kawishiwi River; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.