Cut Foot Horse Campground

Chippewa National Forest

Cut Foot Sioux Horse Camp is located northeast of Lake Winnibigoshish. Over 120 miles of forest roads and recreation trails surround this scenic campground, making it a favorite location of campers with horses. The campground will be first-come, first-served for the entire 2025 season.

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.  

Unique campgrounds like Cut Foot Horse require certain restrictions to maintain water quality, minimize soil erosion and lessen any impacts on vegetation. Special attention has been paid in designating the site for horse camping.

Several single-unit campsites are available, most of which are accessible. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and campfire ring. Hitching racks, picket lines and manure pits are located throughout the campground. Vault toilets and a solar-powered drinking water cistern are provided.

There is no campground host on site. The campground is patrolled regularly by Forest Service personnel and Itasca County law enforcement officers.

Need to Know

• Fee includes one camping unit per site. Double occupancy is not permitted on single unit sites; on large sites double occupancy is permitted. The second occupant must pay the full nightly amount for each night of stay by using a fee envelope at the entrance kiosk. Please read the fee board upon entering the campground to see what qualifies for single and double occupancy.

• Use nose bags to keep feed from landing on the ground and pack out supplemental feed.

  Certified weed-free hay is strongly recommended.

  Portable corrals are not permitted.

• Some important campground rules:

  - Quiet hours are from 10pm – 6am. Generators cannot be run during this time. If you have a medical condition that requires powered equipment, please plan accordingly with battery backup.

  - Pets are welcome but must remain on a leash 6' or shorter in length at all times. Pets are not allowed in beach areas.

  - Campfires cannot be left unattended. They must be extinguished before the campsite is vacated.

  - Fireworks, including sparklers, are not allowed.

  - Cutting/damaging live vegetation is not allowed. You may gather dead and downed wood for campfires if it fits within the fire ring.

  - The use of power saws, including electric chainsaws, is strictly prohibited.

  All regulations are found under 36 CFR 261 and are punishable by fines.

• Bundled firewood is no longer available in Chippewa National Forest campgrounds. Firewood may be available for sale at local vendors, or may be brought from home if within 50 miles of the campground. You may also cut dead and downed wood in the forest without a permit as long as it will be used in the campground. Chainsaw use (gas and electric) is not permitted in the campground. 

  Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information.

• Minnesota is a Bear Aware state. Campers must keep coolers and other bear attractants inside hard-sided campers or in vehicles when not attended, including overnight. Black bears are present and active within the campground area. Feeding any wildlife, including hanging bird feeders, is strictly prohibited.

• Click here for more information on the Chippewa National Forest.

Natural Features

The campground lies within the Cut Foot Experimental Forest, managed in part by the North Central Research Station in Grand Rapids and the Chippewa National Forest.
A mature stand of red pine covers the area, with oak and birch trees dotting the forest. The campground has nice shade and good privacy between sites.

Nearby Attractions

Boating, swimming, and fishing are popular activities on Big and Little Cut Foot Sioux Lakes and Lake Winnibigoshish. These lakes and several others are within a few miles of the campground.

Recreation

Many miles of trails pass through or begin at Cut Foot Horse Camp, leading horseback riders, hikers, and mountain bikers through the Cut Foot Experimental Forest. Several trails are also open to off-road vehicles. Research areas are designated by various markers. Please leave the markers as you find them.

Contact Information

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1235 DIVISION ST. DEER RIVER MN 56636

Phone Number

For campground inquiries, please call: 218-246-2123

Rental Options

Learn more about gear rental options for your trip

Driving Directions

From Deer River, travel northwest on Highway 46, to Forest Road 2171 (which is just over three miles past the Cut Foot Sioux Visitor Center). Continue approximately two miles on Forest Road 2171 to the campground. The campground entrance is on the west side of the road.

Available Campsites

• Site 029, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 014, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 009, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 027, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 007, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 001, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 010, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 013, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 024, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 012, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 003, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 008, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 025, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 033, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 022, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 030, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 011, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 004, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 026, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 021, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 020, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 034, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 017, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 002, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 031, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 015, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 005, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 016, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 006, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 019, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 032, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 018, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric
• Site 028, Loop CUT FOOT HORSE CAMPGROUND , Type Equestrian Nonelectric

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