REGIONAL— A new state campground designed specifically for off-road vehicle users should be under construction later this year just east of Soudan. The campground was part of the original concept for the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park, but the idea ran into opposition from lawmakers and outdoors groups that opposed the lifting of a longstanding prohibition on ATVs and other off-road vehicles in state parks.
The small section of park land, about 400 acres, located just south of Hwy. 169 near the Murray forest management road, was re-designated as a state recreation area in 2020 to allow for construction of the OHV campground. Despite its new designation, state park staff will manage the new campground just as it manages other camping facilities within the park itself.
While final site design is not fully completed, Assistant Park Director Jim DeVries said park officials are hoping they’ll be able to go out for bids on the project yet this winter, with construction set to begin this summer. DeVries said the project is currently scheduled for completion in July 2025.
The new camping area is expected to include 27 large, pull-thru campsites, which will be considerably wider than those found in most state park sites to allow for loading, unloading, and maneuvering of off-road vehicles. Like most other state park campgrounds, facilities will include a shower house and vault toilets. The new campground is also slated to include an ATV wash station, which DeVries said is intended to help reduce the spread of invasive species, since seeds from invasive plants like dandelion and tansy are frequent hitchhikers on ATVs.
The new sites will provide for either tent camping or RVs. The DNR was not releasing any cost estimates at this time, nor a preliminary site map. That additional information should be forthcoming in March. In 2020, the park did receive $5.8 million in bonding funds from the Legislature to help move the project forward.
The new campground will have direct access to the Prospector’s Loop ATV trail, which will connect riders with an ever-growing network of off-road vehicle trails in the region stretching from the North Shore to the Canadian border. Another trail in the works will provide campers with direct access to both Tower and Soudan, where gas stations, restaurants, and other services are available.