Weekend in Northern Minnesota
Driving from International Falls to Bemidji, MN | Camping at Nelson Park Campground and Battle Lake Recreation Area | Weekend in Bemidji, MN | July 2026
After spending a few days exploring Voyageurs National Park, our next objective in this road trip was to get as many counties in Northern Minnesota as we could before making our return to Iowa. We knew going into this that we would have had a lot more to do if we had gone East to the Superior lake shore, and maybe better weather, but we had been to that area a few times before so there were no new counties to be gotten there. We accepted that we’d have to work harder to find things to do that interested us, but Curtis also had work so it was fine that we didn’t have too much planned.
We left our boondocking spot near International Falls, MN and drove into town to hang out for a few hours. We saw the Vic the Giant statue, and the world’s largest fiberglass Smokey the Bear statue. After going for a walk around town, we got on the road heading West. Once leaving town, there wasn’t much to see or many people on the roads. Just a quiet highway with occasional views of the Rainy River and Ontario on the other side.
After a couple hours of driving, we stopped to check out a free campsite along the highway that was right on the river. It turned out to be mostly empty, had cell service, and room to walk around, so we decided to just hang out here for the rest of the day and spend a night here. We parked and set up the van, then Curtis went outside to metal detect. Moments later, he hurried back to the van and told me to come outside. There, wandering through the campground, were 3 basset hounds. We couldn’t hold back the tears as we watched them roam around and thoroughly sniff their way through the sites. We followed them along a park road until one took interest in us and came to check us out. We gave it so much love and pets, and eventually another came and joined, while the third seemed more shy and kept her distance. At this time, we were right in between two hard anniversaries: the day of Charlotte’s passing, and what would have been her 12th birthday. Getting to love on these bassets was exactly what we needed. We figured out that they live in a home nearby, and we have to assume they have the best life getting to come to this park every day and check out new scents from different people passing through. However, they weren’t that fond of our neighbors, who had their cat outside on a leash!
Besides the campground coming with these precious bassets, it really was the best one that we stayed at while in Minnesota. It wasn’t as buggy as Voyageurs had been, and the area was experiencing a brief respite from the heat and humidity. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the water before settling in for the night.
The next day, the bassets came around one more time, and we gave them some more pets before saying goodbye and continuing on our drive. Curtis had a long meeting scheduled today, so we found a park near Baudette where he could attend his meeting and I could go between walking around and hanging out in the pavilion. Since the temps and humidity were creeping up higher, we decided it would be a good idea to go get ice cream when he was finished. And so we went to get ice cream…in Ontario! We had joked about going to Canada with our nieces and nephew so many times, it was about time we crossed the border, just to say we did. Unfortunately, the Canadian border guards thought ‘crossing to just get ice cream’ was just a bit too suspicious and we were subjected to the most thorough crossing we’ve received. At least the ice cream on the other side was worth it.
We strongly considered driving another few hours and going out of our way to visit the Northernmost part of the continental US, but we just couldn’t find the motivation within ourselves to put in the driving and effort it would take to get there. Maybe some other day. Or maybe we could just ignore that and go to the actual Northernmost point in Alaska.
With that, it was time to start heading South. We now had one week before we needed to be back in Iowa, so we could still take our time getting there. Today we just drove an hour South to another boondocking spot near Northome, MN.
The next day was a Saturday, and we decided that we wanted to spend the weekend around Bemidji, MN. It was the first day of a heat wave that would end up sticking around for the rest of our time on the road (and then some), so our plan was to spend our mornings outside in parks around Lake Bemidji, and when we couldn’t take the heat anymore, to go to coffee shops, Culvers, or other indoor air conditioned spaces in the afternoons. And that’s exactly what we did, both Saturday and Sunday.
While driving to Bemidji, we ran into a closed highway due to road construction (a very common thing on these back highways we like to take during the summer!) and while driving on the detour, I spotted a bear on the side of the road that quickly darted into the trees. Our second Midwest bear — not as big as the one in Wisconsin, but still very exciting!
In Bemidji, we spent Saturday morning at Diamond Point Park and walking around the surrounding area, and the afternoon in a coffee shop, followed by custard at Culvers. We found a stealth camp spot in town that worked out well for both nights. While it was hot and not as fun as camping in nature, it wasn’t as buggy as it had been when camping in the woods and there was a beach shower nearby so a definite plus.
The next morning, we started our day at the South Shore Beach Park to make and have breakfast. As I looked out at the lake, I felt something I never feel around lakes, which was the desire to be in the lake. I can’t stress enough how unlike us it is to want to go swimming. But it was irresistible on this hot day, and so we did just that. I mean, we didn’t really swim, it was more like just vibing in the lake. But it felt quite good, and when we got out, we also enjoyed the cold outdoor shower. We very quickly learned that these two things would be the secret to getting through the hottest week we’ve had yet in the van!
We also visited Paul Bunyan Park to see the giant statues of Paul and his giant blue ox, and went between walking around town and hanging out in the shade, until it became too much and we retreated back to air conditioned spaces. We loitered in multiple locations throughout the afternoon, then returned to the South Shore Beach Park in the evening for sunset and to use the outdoor showers to cool off. We were proud of ourselves for finding ways to stay cool and still stay on the road and not cut our trip short by running back to family in Iowa…but also seriously wondering if we could survive 5 more days like this. I hoped that as long as the free scoop coupons for Culver’s custard didn’t run out, we would stay strong and find a way to make it happen.
