U.S. Forest Service · Chippewa National Forest · Deer River, MN

Williams Narrows

Williams Narrows Campground is located on Cut Foot Sioux Lake in the heart of the Chippewa National Forest. Visitors come to the area for boating, trophy muskie fishing and beautiful scenery. The Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe work together to co-steward resources - making the Forest a great place to recreate as well as a special place where cultural and traditional resources are protected and preserved and the Band’s treaty rights are respected.

Closed for the season Reservable · Recreation.gov 18 sites From $16 per night No hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: reservable in Minnesota · pets allowed in Minnesota

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Buhler, USFS · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard, no hookups		16
Host/management		2

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 45 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

16 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	Waterfront	People / vehicles	Fires	Rating
001	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes
002	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes
003	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Standard
004	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Standard
005	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Standard
006	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Standard
007	Back-in	40	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes
008	Back-in	30	Gravel	Partial	Lakefront	8 / 2	Yes	Standard
010	Back-in	35	Gravel	Partial		8 / 2	Yes	Standard
011	Back-in	40	Gravel	Partial	Lakefront	8 / 2	Yes	Standard

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 1:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	None
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Fees	$16.00 per night

The campground offers several single-unit campsites, each equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Vault toilets and hand pumps for drinking water are provided in each loop.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

Status	Closed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
Forest	Chippewa National Forest
Fees	Use Fee/ $16 Night

Chippewa National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Leech Lake, 19 miles from the campground at 1,302 feet, station USC00214652 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 27 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 48 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Deer River, take Highway 46 north 15 miles. Turn west on Bowen/Williams Narrows Road (County Road 148) and travel two miles to the campground.

Nearest town	Deer River, Minnesota
Coordinates	47.5033° N, 94.0636° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

Outdoor gear	Wildlands Gear Exchange ↗	31.2 mi
Dump station	Dump station ↗	35.7 mi
RV sales & service	KB RV Center Inc. ↗	37.4 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Williams Narrows

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

0.6 mi
Simpson Creek Trail Spur D
1.6 mi trail · hiking
1.1 mi
Simpson Creek Trail Spur C
1.6 mi trail · hiking
1.2 mi
Avenue of Pines Snowmobile Tr ↗
21.9 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
1.3 mi
Vic Paved Accessible Trail ↗
0.3 mi trail · hiking
1.4 mi
Simpson Creek Trail Spur E
0.2 mi trail · hiking
1.5 mi
Cutfoot Sioux NRT ↗
18.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike · national_recreation_or_other

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Chippewa National Forest.

in
Chippewa National Forest ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 1,598,139 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

Historic landmarks nearby

On Register Atlas →

National Historic Landmark · 25 mi

Rabideau Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp

Blackduck

Natural features

The campground is situated on the eastern shore of Cut Foot Sioux Lake. A scenic forest of birch, oak and pine trees shades the campground. A few campsites have lake views. The lake is home to a variety of waterfowl and birds of prey, including loons, osprey and bald eagles.

Recreation

Boating, swimming, and fishing are popular activities on Cut Foot Sioux Lake. A boat ramp and swimming beach are located between the campground's two loops. Miles of trails in the area provide great hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and birding opportunities. The Simpson Creek Trail and Cut Foot Sioux National Recreation Area Trail can be accessed by boating across the narrows. Cut Foot Sioux Lake is located next to Lake Winnibigoshish. Lake Winnie offers excellent fishing opportunities for walleye, perch, and muskie. It is one of Minnesota's premier fisheries. Boating and water skiing are popular activities there as well.