KestrelKestrel
Home/Mississippi River Headwaters - Cross Lake/Cross Lake Recreation Area
Recreation.govMN

Cross Lake Recreation Area

Mississippi River Headwaters - Cross Lake

Upcoming Availability

14 of 14 days currently show available sites.

View releasing sites

Sun, Jul 26

13

sites

Mon, Jul 27

17

sites

Tue, Jul 28

15

sites

Wed, Jul 29

18

sites

Thu, Jul 30

13

sites

Fri, Jul 31

4

sites

Sat, Aug 1

5

sites

Sun, Aug 2

12

sites

Mon, Aug 3

10

sites

Tue, Aug 4

10

sites

Wed, Aug 5

6

sites

Thu, Aug 6

8

sites

Fri, Aug 7

3

sites

Sat, Aug 8

4

sites

Campground guide

What to know before booking

The campground provides a full menu of activities for camping enthusiasts, while being located just minutes from shopping and paved bike trails. The sizable campground has 122 campsites including 97 with electric hookups. Cross Lake Recreation Area is nestled among tall pines on the eastern banks of Cross Lake on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes.

max Stay

14 nights

Official campground details, summarized

Concise planning notes based on the public Recreation.gov campground information.

Facilities

The sizable campground has 122 campsites including 97 with electric hookups. Additional amenities include two accessible hot shower facilities, a boat ramp, playground, floating docks for boat parking, 2 picnic shelters, a dump station and accessible fishing piers.

Natural Features

Cross Lake Recreation Area is nestled among tall pines on the eastern banks of Cross Lake on the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. The area has tremendous appeal, with access to 13 natural lakes, 13,660 acres of water and 119 miles of scenic shoreline. The collection of lakes help form the Headwaters of the Mississippi River.

Recreation

The recreation area provides plenty of water based entertainment like boating, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing and fishing. Two onsite beaches are convenient for swimming and sunbathing. Two accessible fishing piers provide angling opportunities on both Cross Lake and the Pine River.

Nearby Attractions

The Recreation Area is located adjacent to the city of Crosslake and is just a short walk from shopping and a paved bike trail. It's also near the Crow Wing State Park where visitors can view the Mississippi River from the historic "Chippewa Lookout."

Campsite map

Site markers come from Recreation.gov campsite coordinates.

122 mapped sites

Campsites

A sample of official campsite metadata for scanning equipment fit before booking.

Site 002

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

58 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 087

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

61 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 046

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

59 ft

vehicle

8

people

Full

shade

Site 011

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

75 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 065

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

57 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 050

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

79 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 036

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD NONELECTRIC

40 ft

vehicle

8

people

Full

shade

Site 040

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD NONELECTRIC

53 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 108

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

70 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 015

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

75 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 097

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

58 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 096

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

58 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 099

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

62 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 035

CROSSLAKE

TENT ONLY NONELECTRIC

46 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 031

CROSSLAKE

TENT ONLY NONELECTRIC

58 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 038

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD NONELECTRIC

77 ft

vehicle

8

people

Full

shade

Site 113

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

50 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 022

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

79 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 039

CROSSLAKE

TENT ONLY NONELECTRIC

36 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 110

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

79 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 048

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD NONELECTRIC

74 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 026

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

80 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 004

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

64 ft

vehicle

8

people

Yes

shade

Site 109

CROSSLAKE

STANDARD ELECTRIC

61 ft

vehicle

8

people

Full

shade

Important notices

Reservations * All reservations must be made and/or modified at recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. No walk ins allowed. * Cross Lake Recreation Area staff and volunteers do not make reservations on site. * Campers must check in within 24 hours of their scheduled arrival or risk their reservation being cancelled.
Title 36: Rules and Regulations In the interest of more effective resource management and to increase the overall enjoyment of the visitor experience available at the Cross Lake Recreation Area, Corps wide rules and regulations have been established and will be enforced (Title 36). Click here for more information 14-Day Stay Limit To ensure everyone has a chance to enjoy our campsites, please be aware of our 14-day camping policy. Camping at any of our sites is limited to a maximum of 14 days within any 30-consecutive-day period. This rule is in accordance with official regulation CFS 327.7(b). An extension may only be granted with written permission from the District Commander. Please be aware that violations may result in the cancellation of reservations or removal from the campground. America The Beautiful Passes We proudly accept America The Beautiful passes. To ensure fair use, please remember: The pass may only be used for the single campsite you are actively occupying. Passes are non-transferable and cannot be shared with friends or family for other sites. If a pass is used for multiple sites simultaneously, it will be invalidated, and the full camping fee for the additional site(s) will be charged. Cross Lake Recreation Area has additional rules including but not limited to: * Firewood restrictions are in effect to prevent the spread of invasive insects and disease. Click here for more information * ATV/UTV and Golf Cart operation within the campground is not allowed. * All vehicles and camping equipment must fit on the campsite. Do not park or place camping equipment on the grass. * Posted speed limit is 10 mph. * Limit two tents per site, or one wheeled unit and one tent. * Reserved campsites must be occupied daily and with intention of overnight camping. Visitors may not book a site just for access to the boat docks.
Closure * The Campground will close 15-OCT-2026 for the remainder of the season. This includes all dump stations, all restrooms, and water spigots. At this time, the main boat ramp is expected to remain available throughout October.

Surrounding campgrounds

Other tracked campgrounds within driving distance, nearest first.

Common questions

Is Cross Lake Recreation Area available right now?

Kestrel's most recent scan found openings on 14 of the next 14 days, starting Sun, Jul 26. Availability changes constantly — check the calendar above, then confirm on Recreation.gov.

How do I book Cross Lake Recreation Area?

Reservations are handled by Recreation.gov, not by Kestrel. Use the official reservation link on this page to book. Kestrel only watches availability and tells you when a site frees up.

How quickly will I hear about a cancellation?

Kestrel rescans every two minutes, and every 30 seconds during the provider's daily release window. Alerts go out by email as soon as a matching site appears.