Forum Discussion

DoneItAll's avatar
DoneItAll
Explorer
Jun 13, 2019

Lake Superior Circle (September 2020) Reservations?

I and another traveler both with trailers, are planning to circle Lake Superior (CCW) in September of 2020. What guidelines can you provide for making State/Provincial park reservations?

John
  • Last Friday, we returned from our Lake Superior Circle trip. We stayed at two Ontario provincial parks--Rainbow Falls-Rossport and Lake Superior--Agawa Bay. Both are right on the lakeshore and the views over the lake are superb. We enjoyed both and would definitely return if we ever go back to that area.

    Both campgrounds have some sites with electric hookups, separate potable water at the dump, and flush toilets, showers, and laundry. We had no cell service (one bar max) at either park and obviously no WiFi (we stopped at a Subway in Wawa to pick up five days worth of E-mails). The provincial parks don't start taking reservations until mid-June, so we obviously had no reservations.

    Agawa had huge trees throughout--so many that they were somewhat of an obstacle when trying to negotiate the campground roads and campsites. It does, however, have a number of long pull-thrus (we didn't unhook) and the spacing between sites is wide. In fact, our site was so wide that the shared electric post was farther than our 25' power cord would reach--we had to use our 25' 30A extension to reach it.

    One word of caution: Rainbow Falls has seasonal campers, so many of the electric sites may still be full during the fall. I would check the number of reservable sites still available just before you leave, then decide whether you need reservations.

    PS--We had absolutely no cell service or WiFi at the casino RV park in Grand Portage, MN. Or anywhere else in the town, the casino, the casino trading post, or the national monument. And we have Verizon!
  • We did the trip in the middle of September. The week we were there, several provincial parks were making plans to close up for the winter. The weather was definitely on the chilly side but the trees were beautiful, the critters were very active, and the waterfalls were running high with runoff from fall rain. I will be going back again in 2020. I don't think reservations would be necessary.
  • Bob806's avatar
    Bob806
    Explorer III
    Make a stop for a couple nights at Lake Superior Provincial Park (Agawa). Really really a nice CG right on the water.
  • In September, better take winter clothing !

    Also, the moose "rut" season starts in late September. That's when bull moose wander around and prove that they are the "king of the hill" to every living thing.
  • Made this trip last year in early October. It was great, the North Shore of Lake Superior is amazing. I hope to return shortly when more stuff is open. I'm rather depressed and having a real hard time getting excited about travel or planning RV trips. Still in Winter's firm grasp here in my slice of Michigan.
  • The MN state park CGs between Duluth and the CA border usually are sold out during summer. September, I have no idea. But I can say that it's a beautiful stretch you'll want to spend some extra time enjoying. Plenty of waterfalls, lake views, etc.
  • At that time of years reservations should not be a problem.
    Some campgrounds start shutting down at the end of September.
  • Some of the campgrounds close as of Labor Day. We did the trip in August and had no problems except most of the areas were almost empty. I'd make reservations to be sure they are open.