USFS · Minnesota

Superior National Forest

The Superior National Forest, part of the United States national forest system, is located in the Arrowhead Region of the state of Minnesota between the Canada–United States border and the north shore of Lake Superior. The area is part of the greater Boundary Waters region along the border of Minnesota and the Canadian province of Ontario, a historic and important thoroughfare in the fur trading and exploring days of New France and British North America.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.9 million acresUSFSMN40 campgrounds within 10 mi99 Forest Service sites1,998 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateMinnesota
Size3.9 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0909, region 09
Center point47.8868, -91.6734
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

2 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Superior National Forest0°10°20°30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 6.4°F averageFebruary: 11.0°F averageMarch: 25.1°F averageApril: 37.9°F averageMay: 51.6°F averageJune: 61.3°F averageJuly: 66.5°F averageAugust: 65.1°F averageSeptember: 56.0°F averageOctober: 42.2°F averageNovember: 27.1°F averageDecember: 12.9°F averageTemp °F
The line is the average temperature at Ely, 7 miles from the center point at 1,475 feet, station USC00212561 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

38 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 2 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Baker Lake Rustic Campground
First-comeMN
FS · Inside
Birch Lake Campground
Reservable32 sites
FS · Inside
Cadotte Lake
Reservable29 sites
FS · Inside
Cascade River Rustic Campground
First-comeMN
FS · Inside
Clara Lake Rustic Campground
First-comeMN
FS · Inside
Crescent Lake
Reservable34 sites
FS · Inside
Devil Track Lake Campground
First-come16 sites
FS · Inside
Divide Lake Campground & Backcountry Sites
First-come3 sites
Show 4 more

28 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 99

The Forest Service lists 99 recreation sites in this forest, among them 43 dispersed campings, 38 campgrounds, 8 fishings, 3 picnic areas. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 39 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 1,998 named trails in this forest, 2,769 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Cj Ramstad North Shore State ↗104
Arrowhead Snowmobile ↗80.8
Prospector OHV ↗75.6
Voyageur Snowmobile ↗58.3
Superior Hiking ↗57
Gunflint Snowmobile ↗55.6
Border Route ↗46.1
Tomahawk Snowmobile ↗44.4
Expressway Snowmobile Route ↗41.2
Seven Beavers ↗34.6

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 1,998 trails in Superior National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 5 mi
Voyageurs National Park
National Monument · 6 mi
Grand Portage National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 74 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Superior National Forest?

3.9 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Superior National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Superior National Forest in?

Minnesota.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Superior National Forest?

38 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Baker Lake Rustic Campground, Birch Lake Campground and Cadotte Lake. 40 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Superior National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 99 recreation sites here, including 43 dispersed campgrounds, 38 campground campgrounds and 8 lake and pond fishings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Superior National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.887, -91.673. Voyageurs National Park is 5 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Superior National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 9 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Superior National Forest?

Voyageurs National Park (5 mi) and Grand Portage National Monument (6 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Superior National Forest?

74 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Split Rock Lighthouse and Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Superior National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.