2022 will be our 26th year at Northern Acres Resort & Campground. We have enjoyed the activity, energy and excitement of a revolving door of guests coming and going over the years, but as we get older we want to slow down a bit. We feel that the transition to weekly, monthly, and even seasonal cabin rentals will enable us to continue running the resort longer. In the past, we accepted short stays (2-night minimum) but for 2022 and on, we will book cabins and campsites for a week or more and will try to keep a gap between reservations. Please contact us for more details and to set up or change reservations.
Because part of the fun in vacationing is to escape the hectic schedules of daily life, we offer no planned activities. Bowstring Lake provides activities for all ages, including fishing, boating and swimming. Biking, hiking and wildlife watching are favorite pastimes. Please plan to provide appropriate parental supervision for children of all ages, especially near the water!
We can suggest local events and sights, too, to interest almost everyone. The Lost Forty, Judy Garland's house in Grand Rapids, the Palace & Northern Lights Casinoes near Cass Lake and the world-famous Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues in Bemidji are some of the unique sights in the area. Duluth's zoo & great lakes aquarium, Lake Superior's North Shore Drive, and the North American Bear Center and Wolf Center in Ely are easy day trips. There is also the White Oak Casino in Deer River, less than half an hour away.
We want to extend a warm thank you to all our guests both "new" and "old" for all the fun, excitement and friendship. We encourage you to plan ahead for another busy summer. As always, our goal is to provide you with everything you need to have your best "up north" vacation ever.
This photo from last summer shows our small family at Gigi's birthday party.
The office is open at 8 am daily and closes at 6 pm. If we are not there, we may be mowing,
cleaning cabins or doing other tasks nearby.
Please check in at the office on arrival or let us know in advance if you will arrive after
hours so we can provide directions to your cabin or camp site.
You can purchase snacks & basic grocery items such as pop, ice, candy,
frozen pizza, canned goods, breads, and ice cream treats.
Also available are souvenir sweatshirts, tee shirts, caps, jackets, tackle, bait, outboard motor gas and oil.
The restaurant is closed.
Bemidji (BJI) is the closest commercial airport serving north central Minnesota and is served by Delta's (formerly Northwest) regional carrier, with several daily flights. Rental cars are available but be sure to book in advance. Take Hwy. 2 east from Bemidji through Bena and turn north (left) on County Hwy. 9, which intersects with Hwy 46 at Gosh Dam Place. Continue north on Hwy 46 and follow above instructions from Cutfoot Sioux on. Note that Hwy 9 is a beautiful wilderness drive that crosses the Mississippi River where it exits from Lake Winnibigoshish (Winnie).
The North Country experiences the coldest weather of the season in January & February, with -20 degrees recently and a "high" of -1 degree. We've had almost daily snow in December and it glistens in the sunlight. Despite the cold, ice fishermen are out on the lake. For detailed current weather information on Deer River, Minnesota and neighboring areas, use this link to Weather Underground
Spring and summer weather here is extremely variable. We have had fishing openers in mid-May when parkas and snow boots were necessary and we've also had kids swimming and playing in shorts. Even when it's warm in the summer, lake winds can be chilly. We recommend bringing a windbreaker and sweatshirt even in midsummer. Mosquitoes are usually plentiful, especially around sunset, and you may want a long sleeve shirt and jeans to reduce bites. We do get hot, humid days but they're rare and seldom last.
According to the USDA's Marcell station, average temperatures from June through August are 60-66 degrees. December through February average is 12 to -2 degrees. Needless to say, air conditioning isn't usually needed when you're up north!
