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Camping on islands?

Getanet
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Getanet Mentor

Getanet

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I know there are more than 300 islands on Lake Vermilion, but I was wondering if most of them are private, or could a guy throw some camping gear in his boat and stay overnight on one (obviously one that is uninhabited)? If that's possible, does anyone know of any resources that identify which ones are private and which ones would be available for something like that?

 

 

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TomWehler Mentor

TomWehler

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Hi

I don;t know really if there is a list or not?

Hmmmmm. good question?

How do ya find out?

I do know House boats tie up n camp to some of the smaller ones.

So guessing fair game for campers also??

Fast simple way to find out those islands n locals might be to call Vermilion Houseboats n ask a few questions or drop by with a load Hoogies.  That 4 sure get some answers...

KEEP OUT, PRIVIATE PROPERTY signs, Boat Lifts, docks ~ cabins n Reputation and of course GUNS n DOGS take care of the lite work for rest of us island owners.

: )

15 years ago Bonnie n I were going fishen an teasing Marauder crew of our hounds NO BOAT TODAY!  We jumped in boat on back dock, told them to have fun, be back soon.

Driving around front of island to tease them an pick up front docks we see a boat pulling in to east side of island. I motor over an I ask if I can help them. Two dudes, kind of laurel n Hardy type couple. They say hey man, you a lake cop? Were on vacation an don't want no trouble, Go %$# @#$%^ an back off we are here 1st an need to take a dump.

Before I say anything Bonnie says, well bud yer on private property an if you like staying healthy you should get back in yer boat really fast or you gonna know why in 10 seconds.

: )

"Yeah well no one can own an island so just back off.....this aint nothing to do with you"

That is when the four hounds turned corner of shed full blast in silent sneak attack mode.  : )Guess they were wrestling or chasing frogs or simply in shock that we did not let them in boat cause it took them about 1 minute to react to the voices. But maybe they were just waiting for right moment to GET IT ON!

Becky arrived 1st....Buddy, then Barney an then Bailey.......

One united big bark turned the dudes heads an you never seen two guys leap into a boat so fast just shy of four mouths full of teeth....

: )

Fat guy flew over the lil guy what seemed like 10 feet right into the bow of boat.

Lil guys legs moving so fast to climb into boat an move it off show at same time all while screaming top of his lungs........HELP HELP HELP!!!

Bonnie just says as I motor along to front docks to get hound pals.  "Talk to the hounds, this aint got nothing to do with us ~ remember"

Fun couple of minutes!

Later out on lake they apologized an asked info on places to camp an were sorry for being real DICKS. Told them to maybe got to DNR office in town an ask them about island camping as at the time I had no idea.

Actually got to know them pretty good an laugh about this online every summer when they come to lake or when see them on lake once in a while.

: )

Keep on rocken!

T

 

 

 

ADockstuds.jpg

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Cliff Wagenbach Grand Master

Cliff Wagenbach

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Check the lakevermilion.com site for a list of public campsites on Lake Vermilion.

Cliff

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chucker1101 Community Regular

chucker1101

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There are 11 sites on/around Hinsdale Island, managed by the State DNR through one of the local parks (used to be Bear Island, it now might be Soudan Mine Park).

Here's a link:  http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/destinations/state_parks/lake_vermilion_soudan_underground_mine/Hinsdale_map.pdf

I think they're free to use, first come / first serve.  #11 is my favorite. I've heard that the ones on Hinsdale island have occasional visits from bears.

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Getanet Mentor

Getanet

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Thanks for the info guys. Looks like I have some research to do. Chucker, do you know if Hinsdale Island has a place to dock a boat ?  I'd hate to have it banging against rocks all night.

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Cliff Wagenbach Grand Master

Cliff Wagenbach

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I do not think that there are docks at the overnight campsites but some do have sandy shorelines. Most of the shore lunch/picnic  sites do have docks but are not overnight camping sites.

Cliff

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brrrr Enthusiast

brrrr

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I camped at a couple sites a few years ago.  no docks, but most of the sites had a half way decent place to put the boat in.  one had a decent log to tie to.  another I threw a couple anchors out back and was able to tie off to a couple trees to keep the boat close yet off the rocks. 

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chucker1101 Community Regular

chucker1101

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These aren't campsites to bring your Ranger fiberglass or decked-out Lund into. They're better fitted for smaller 14-16 ft alum boats, something you can drag on shore. Though i'm sure you can figure out how to secure something bigger.

Cliff is right, most have sandy/pebble shorelines to pull a smaller boat onto. Almost all of them are well-protected from the prevailing WSW wind. You're gonna get wakes rolling into shore from passing boats, though, as it's a pretty well traveled section of the lake.

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TomWehler Mentor

TomWehler

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Good info to me even. Cliff you can delete my story n junk. Most people don’t know me round here anymore n for sure the humor of life is of no interest. Under stand only want the facts mama. Just the facts. ? I endeavor to persevere.  Beef!   

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delcecchi Grand Master

delcecchi

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Hey, we need a little color and humor and Musky Tom does it best.  

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Slopfishin Rookie

Slopfishin

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9 minutes ago, TomWehler said:

Good info to me even. Cliff you can delete my story n junk. Most people don’t know me round here anymore n for sure the humor of life is of no interest. Under stand only want the facts mama. Just the facts. ? I endeavor to persevere.  Beef!   

Why delete your post?  I actually enjoyed reading that story. Seeing stories like yours is half the reason I like checking out this site (I like to check out all the different lake boards on fishingminnesota). 

Edited by Slopfishin
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FishinCT Community Regular

FishinCT

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We used to camp on hinsdale all the time. There is one spot on the south shore closer to the east end we stayed almost every time. It's got a big rock outcrop on a small point that slopes down to the water. The picnic table and fire ring are in the open up top. Wide open space and a good breeze will keep the bugs off you. Tent site is fairly hidden. That's the best spot we ever found. Only downside is boat parking. I remember tying up on a log off the the side so probably the same site mentioned earlier. 

We stayed there a ton when I was younger and never had any bear encounters, but the bear boxes are there for a reason!

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Cliff Wagenbach Grand Master

Cliff Wagenbach

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I agree with the others Tommy!

I always enjoy your bits of wisdom and humor!

Cliff

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mdogdaddy Apprentice

mdogdaddy

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On 4/23/2018 at 10:59 AM, Getanet said:

I know there are more than 300 islands on Lake Vermilion, but I was wondering if most of them are private, or could a guy throw some camping gear in his boat and stay overnight on one (obviously one that is uninhabited)? If that's possible, does anyone know of any resources that identify which ones are private and which ones would be available for something like that?

 

 

I found a very handy app for this. It's called onX Hunt Maps.  (I'm just a user)

It's primarily designed for hunters that want to know where state/federal vs private lands are.  To see property lines etc. you need the paid (premium) version. The free version comes with a trial of the premium version for 7 days. But even the free version does quite a bit.

It's pretty interesting for Vermilion because there is so much of each - private and state/federal lands. You can click on each parcel and it will even give the acreage, landowner names and tax address.  If I pull up to shore, I really want to know that I'm not trespassing. GPS works along with markers/waypoints. Maps can be stored for offline use so you  can use it without phone service or wifi.

The free version comes with a trial of the premium version for 7 days.

I added a zoomed out screen grab.

onX.jpg

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Nix769 Contributor

Nix769

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5 hours ago, delcecchi said:

St Louis county has something similar on their web sight (sic)

https://gis.stlouiscountymn.gov/LandExplorer/

 

You can also get the ArcGIS app to access the county files on your mobile or download the .kmz files on the county site to use in Google Earth.

Either way very useful.

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delcecchi Grand Master

delcecchi

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Yes, had it on wife's iphone when that was the only smartphone in the family.   I think I would have to have one of the huge phablets to be able to see anything but I am old and don't see that well anymore, when it comes to fine detail.  

But good you mentioned it since I had forgotten about it. 

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