Minnesota opens first DNR campground designed for OHV riders

Pyrite Campground has opened across Highway 169 from Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park, giving ATV and side-by-side riders a place built for the kind of travel that has long been harder to fit into a standard state park stay. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it is the first DNR campground designed specifically for OHV users, and it opened June 12 with 24 campsites, electric service and pull-through layouts for trailers.

The campground’s location is the key to its appeal. Pyrite connects directly to the Prospectors Trail, and riders may use OHVs in the Lake Vermilion State Recreation Area, the land south of Highway 169 that was reclassified by the Legislature to allow motorized access. North of Highway 169, OHVs are not allowed. The DNR says a new trail connection to Soudan is expected to open in fall 2026, which would tighten the link between the campground and nearby trail towns.

The setup is meant to serve more than just riders who want to sleep near their machines. The DNR says campers do not need to own or operate an OHV to stay there, but they should expect more vehicle traffic and noise than at a typical state park campground. Reservations are available through the DNR, making the site a practical base for families and groups that want trail access without having to improvise overnight parking or trailer staging.

For St. Louis County and the broader Iron Range, the project is also an economic bet. A related estimate put OHV rider spending at about $36 million in three northern Minnesota counties in 2023, including St. Louis County. That kind of activity matters in towns such as Soudan, Tower, Gilbert, Embarrass and Babbitt, where fuel stops, restaurants, grocery stores and repair shops can pick up business from riders moving through for a weekend or a longer trip.

The campground also fits a larger pattern of development at the park. Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park grew in 2010 when nearly 3,000 acres and five miles of Lake Vermilion shoreline were added, and the new campground extends that push toward a more modern, multi-use recreation site. Jim Essig, the park supervisor, called Pyrite a “comfortable basecamp” for riders. Built with a $5.8 million grant and delayed from an original 2025 opening because of contractor issues, it is now a concrete sign that the state sees motorized recreation as part of the Iron Range’s future, not just a sideline to it.