Glidden Lake State Forest Campground

Beautiful State Forest campground 35 minutes away from the airport in Kingsford and 15 minutes away from Crystal Falls. It has a little more than 20 campsites, 9-12 have a lake view, and at least 10 and 11 have direct water access. Vault toilets and a hand pump are available. The beach is sandy the lake is clear and cold. We swam from our campsite to the beach multiple times. There is also a well maintained hiking trail. Part of the lake loop is currently closed due to maintenance of the bridge and boardwalk.

Great place to camp! Nice peaceful lake. It was cool to hear the wolves about 3am from across the lake.

Pros: Rustic camping (vault toilets). Nice campsites with fire rings. Lake has a boat ramp, but zero boat traffic, perfect for canoeing or kayaking. Trail system is extensive, good for hiking. Cons: Campsites are too close to the road for this girl. Bummer! When I want to be in the woods, I really don’t want to hear cars driving by. Not a really big deal, but there are no garbage containers, so what you bring in, you need to take with you. Someone left bags of feces at the back of the site we chose and a circle area of used toilet paper. (I guess the 100-foot walk to the toilet was too far.) I don’t regret camping here, but it’s not enough for me to come back.

This is a lovely little campground that is locked into an extensive trail system. The lake is totally undeveloped and is deserving of a canoe/kayak/small boat. Also functions well as a base camp for traveling to nearby Lake Mary, Peavey Pond and Michigamme Reservoir; not to mention plenty of public lands for hunting. The screening has been slightly reduced between the campsites due to some hazard tree removal efforts, and the adjacent Lake Mary road can have some frequent, usually single car traffic, but the overall setting of the sites with the lake is truly unique. Love the foot bridge spanning over the bog, nice touch.

It is a nice quiet rustic campgrounds with beautiful calm Lake. We enjoy the privacy it has to offer.