Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Camping Permits

Location

415 Washington Ave.
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Policies

Check-in

11:00 AM

Check-out

11:00 AM

Pets

Allowed (per listing)

Campfires

Allowed (per listing)

About

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a camping experience defined by water access and shoreline terrain rather than by roads: all campsites must be reached by boat or sea kayak (Mainland 1 is the lone exception, reachable by kayak or a 6-mile hike), and the park does not offer car or RV camping or drive-to sites. Advance reservations are required for camping permits; permits may cover up to 14 nights and are non-transferable. Individual sites, intended for groups of 1 7 people, come with a fire ring, bear locker, and picnic table and cost $15 per night; group sites accommodate 8 21 people for $30 per night and are allocated in a March group-camping lottery with remaining sites released after the draw. There is a $10 non-refundable reservation fee per permit, changes incur a $15 fee, and cancellations made before the reservation start receive a 50% refund of use fees. If you arrive in a self-contained vessel and sleep aboard, you do not need a campsite reservation public docks on 12 islands accept overnight docking on a first-come, first-serve basis and an overnight docking fee is paid on arrival via the Recreation.gov mobile app (park staff may not take payments). For itinerary questions or facility information call park staff at (715) 779-3398 (daily 8 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Memorial Day September; Monday Friday the rest of the year). The lakeshore's campsite inventory totals 90 sites spread across island "loops" and primitive zones, giving you everything from concentrated clusters of sites to remote, amenity-free shoreline camping. The official breakdown lists 66 sites classified as both RV & tent sites, 3 tent-only sites and 21 primitive zones; remember that vehicle access and RV hookups are not available within the national lakeshore, so these classifications reflect the park's inventory rather than drive-in options. Site distribution includes Stockton with 25 sites, Oak and Sand with 10 sites each, Rocky with 7, Basswood with 8, South Twin with 5, Outer with 4, and smaller loops such as Bear, Devils, Hermit, Long, North Twin each with 1 site, plus Cat, Ironwood, Manitou, Michigan, Otter, and York in the low single digits (Cat 2, Ironwood 2, Manitou 2, Michigan 2, Otter 2, York 3) and Mainland counted as 3 sites. Primitive zone camping (1 5 people) offers true backcountry conditions with no amenities and specific rules about where you may land and pitch a tent; zones exclude sensitive or posted areas, locations within sight of designated trails, sites within 1/4 mile of buildings or other campsites, areas within 100 feet of flowing streams, and private or leased land. On the water you'll find opportunities for paddling, boating, diving, fishing, and swimming; on land, short hikes and wildlife viewing connect you to the islands' rocky shorelines, forests, and historic features.