Hi, new poster here….
I am taking a group of 12 guys (3 boats) to Rainy Lake in early June. I’ve never fished Rainy before so I’m not familiar with campsites there. I am looking for suggestions on what campsites would be able to fit 3 boats at shore (preferably sand or dock setup). Thanks in advance for any insights you can provide. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of fishing questions later.
Brian
The camping situation on Rainy is AMAZING. We’ve been making annual trips for a few years now. The camping is free and they take no reservations. At the access (Voyageurs National Park Rainy Lake Visitor’s Center), they have free printed maps that capture all of the campsites on the lake. There’s a key on the map that indicates the ameneties at each site (number of picnic tables/bear boxes/tent pads and if it’s a rock/sand/dock access). Oh, and you have to fill out a camping registration form.
The sites closest to the visitor’s center fill up first (of course), so you may have to boat a few miles to find a site that meets your needs. Just keep heading EAST – that’s where the better fishing is anyway.
We camped at the Lost Bay campsite last summer, it’s about 9 miles of water from the access, but – man, what a site. Sandy shore, big, out of the wind and close to good fishing.
I tried to find a downloadable version of the map, but this was the best I could come up with:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http://www.nps.gov/voya/planyourvisit/upload/Voyageurs-Camping-Houseboating-Day-Use-Sites-2010.kml&sll=48.461617,-92.803853&sspn=0.324195,0.891953&ie=UTF8&t=p&ecpose=48.10140298,-92.803853,40789.55,0,44.639,0&ll=48.461626,-92.803853&spn=0.324195,0.891953&z=11
PM me if you have further questions.
Thanks for the info! I’ve been looking for an affordable fishing experience with trophy potential and I think this will be a great place to start.
Welcome to In-Depth! 
When fishing Rainy be sure you have either a chip for your GPS or the laminated map sets. It’s a huge expanse of water with many islands and hazards to watch for.
After the maps, the most important thing is a quality camera. You won’t believe the shots are you going to get. Oh, you might latch onto some Trophy’s also!! 
Quote:
Welcome to In-Depth!
When fishing Rainy be sure you have either a chip for your GPS or the laminated map sets. It’s a huge expanse of water with many islands and hazards to watch for.
After the maps, the most important thing is a quality camera. You won’t believe the shots are you going to get. Oh, you might latch onto some Trophy’s also!!
Absolutely, I just bought a Humminbird unit with Lakemaster chip and it’s the cat’s meow. Way better than my old handheld/Navionics combo. I plan on making the other boat owners spend the money on them as well so they don’t run their boat into a rock pile. I’ve been working on the camera thing but my wife isn’t giving in yet on that one.
You don’t need to spend a bunch for a camera. Those cheap digital take a pretty nice photo. Would hate to have you miss some shots like these.
Enjoy your trip!! 
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
