George Crosby just became my new favorite Minnesota State Park for camping. It’s secluded and beautiful! Get away from the campgrounds for actual undisturbed state park camping. George Crosby ONLY offers hike in campsites. What!? No drive in or campgrounds here. Get your boots ready.
Riverside Views or Lake Backdrops
Riverside views or lake views. You can’t really go wrong with either option. They are both absolutely stunning. We camped at BC 20 on Benson Lake. It had the shortest hiking distance of half a mile. We chose this site because we were camping with a 4 year old and 2 puppies. We didn’t want to push anyone beyond their limit, especially after a full day of adventuring.
The distances range from 1/2 a mile up to 4 1/2 miles. Depending on your hiking abilities, choosing a farther option will offer more river views. The closest 4 campsites are on Benson Lake, perfect for young campers. For river views on the Manitou River the hiking distances will be farther. Just keep in mind that you’ll be carrying in your gear, no carts available.
Reservations should be made ahead of time at the MN DNR website to reserve your campsite. If you have questions that cannot be answered on the website (like our bear box questions), contact Tettegouche State Park. There is no office at George Crosby, Tettegouche manages this park.
Hike Times VS Daylight
Okay. This is the third time I’ve misjudged daylight time versus drive time versus hiking time. And again, we arrived right at sunset. In my defense, we always make way more stops with kids than we do when it’s just the two of us. This time, we had puppies along as well.
Hiking to our campsite in the dark, yet again. It really wasn’t so bad. Scott led the way, and I brought up the rear. We ended up carrying the puppies most of the way. To top it off, it was raining. Such fun! Good thing we are speedy when it comes to tent setup.
Bear Boxes and Poles
Each campsite is equipped with a bear box or a bear pole. We were told that our site had a bear pole, but it actually had a bear box. So be prepared for either one. Your food should fit in a container/bag that can either be hung from a pole or fit inside the box. Food and scented items should be hung or locked in the box whenever campers are away from camp or sleeping. Don’t feed the bears!
Side Note: Chipmunks are thieves as well!
Choose Gear Wisely
We had an unusual encounter with a cooler on the trail. We were headed to the waterfall on the Manitou River when we stumbled upon an Igloo cooler with a broken wheel. We passed it by, it looked like it had recently been left there. On our return trip, it was still there. We took a peek inside, all of the food had been thawed and was beginning to stink. I’m amazed that a bear hadn’t found it already. Who knows how long the abandoned cooler had been there.
The lesson here is to choose your gear wisely. The trails at George Crosby are not suitable for bags or coolers with wheels. The terrain is rugged and the hills are steep. Make sure you can carry what you need. Depending on the distance of your hike, you may only want to bring what you can carry in one trip. Pack light.
Hiking
There are 24 miles of hiking trails at George Crosby. Hike around Benson Lake at sunrise for beautiful morning views of the lake. You may just glimpse wildlife as well in the early morning hours.
The best hike at George Crosby has to be the hike to the water fall. This 2 mile, strenuous hike is well worth the effort. We encountered no other hikers and had the falls to ourselves on our morning hike.
Day Tripping
George Crosby is far enough away from the commotion of the North Shore tourist season to remain quiet, yet close enough to be an amazing base camp for exploring the other attractions in the area. Some excellent day trip options from George Crosby include, but are not limited to:
- Grand Portage SP/National Monument
- Gooseberry Falls SP
- Cascade Falls SP
- Temperance River SP
- Tettegouche SP
- Slit Rock Lighthouse SP
