Belle Isle Campground
The Quick Take
Belle Isle is Isle Royale at its most stripped-down and rewarding. Tucked into Belle Harbor on the park's remote northeast end, this tiny campground is reachable only by canoe, kayak, or private boat — no ferry drops you at the doorstep. With just a handful of sites and a few three-sided shelters, it feels less like a campground and more like a basecamp you earned. There's no potable water, no showers, no camp store, and absolutely no cell service. What you get instead is a deep-water dock, food lockers to keep your provisions safe from the island's famous wolves and moose, and the kind of silence that makes you realize how loud the rest of your life is. This is a campground for experienced paddlers and boaters who treat the lack of amenities as a feature, not a bug.
Booking
Reserve Your Campsite
7 sites, first-come first-served.
What You Get
Sites & Setup
RV Information
No RVs. No electrical hookups. Generators permitted during designated hours.
Accessibility
Not accessible. No Roads
Rules to Know
- Fires:Campfire rings or standing grills provided.
- Generators:Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m.
Pro Tips
The dock has about thirteen feet of depth under normal conditions, but lake levels on Superior fluctuate — check current conditions with the park before launching, especially in late season when levels can drop.
Belle Isle sits near the northeast end of the island, making it a strong staging point for exploring the Lookout Louise trail and the rugged coastline toward Blake Point, one of Isle Royale's most dramatic and least-visited endpoints.
Pack a water filter rated for backcountry use — there is zero potable water here. Lake Superior water near shore can carry giardia, so treat everything, and bring extra capacity since you are also cooking and cleaning with filtered water.
Photos
NPS / Paul Brown
NPS / Mike Ausema
