The Gooseberry River drops through Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls into a rock gorge above Lake Superior. Highway 61 follows that water north from Duluth, and the first night out is the campground above those falls. Summer on this shore stays cool and foggy, and the walk from camp is the gorge itself, from Upper Falls down toward the lake.
North of Two Harbors, the Gooseberry drive-in loop has no electric hookups, and the park caps RVs at 40 feet. Lock that site before you book the van. A vehicle permit is required to enter the state parks on this shore.
The rest of the trip follows that same corridor. Each park up Highway 61 has its own river and its own drive-in loop toward Grand Marais.
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Shipwreck Creek Campground puts a drive-in electric overnight next to Split Rock Lighthouse, the cliff tower above Pebble Beach. The loop is seasonal, May through October. Cart-in sites are closer to the water, and the van stays on the drive-in pads.
Tettegouche State Park
Shovel Point's cliffs hang over Lake Superior, and the Baptism River holds High Falls in the gorge. Drive-in pads here take electric and RVs up to 60 feet, with cart-in sites closer to the shore.
The Superior Hiking Trail runs through Tettegouche and the other Highway 61 parks. It stays on rock outcroppings and cliff tops above Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains, and it has no drive-in camping of its own.
Temperance River State Park
A narrow gorge carries the Temperance River down to Lake Superior, and the campground splits into an upper and lower loop around that cut. Electric is in the upper loop only, and some pads are steep enough that you want a look at the site before you bring a long van.
Cascade River State Park
Toward Grand Marais and Grand Portage, the Cascade River comes down to the lake in a series of falls. You walk the river, then sleep on the drive-in loop, the last Duluth night on Highway 61. The park caps RVs at 35 feet, the tightest limit on the shore, so if you need more sleeping space or length, look at RVs for rent in Duluth.
Ely and the Boundary Waters are a different Minnesota trip, planned from the state campervan page.
Jay Cooke State Park
The St. Louis River runs through Jay Cooke State Park at Carlton, and the swinging bridge is the walk across it. The campground is how you stay for that walk, with electric on part of the drive-in loop, and it is the close first night if you arrive late and Highway 61 can wait until morning. Some loops on this Duluth trip stay open into winter with fewer electric sites.
Spirit Mountain campground
On the hill above Duluth, Spirit Mountain's campground has electric at every site and a dump station. As of September 2026, the season runs late May through mid-October. Canal Park and the Aerial Lift Bridge are the city day from here, a harbor walk with no camping at the canal. Wisconsin starts across the bridge at Superior.