Campground Reservation Process for Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Members

Release Date: 

Contact(s): Chippewa N.F. Recreation


 The Chippewa National Forest and Recreation.gov, a trip planning and reservation service portal, have improved the campground reservation process for Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s tribal members.  Tribal members can now go to www.recreation.gov, type in the campground name, look at available campsites for the preferred dates, and reserve a campsite without paying a reservation fee.  The tribal fee waiver applies only to LLBO members for camping on the Chippewa National Forest. Five other National Forests in the upper Midwest also offer treaty-based tribal fee waivers.

Alternatively, tribal members may reserve through the toll-free reservation line seven days a week from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm CST.  The Reservation line number is 1-888-444-6777.

The new fee waiver eliminates the need for LLBO members to submit a paper reservation form to Forest Service offices. Reserving through recreation.gov provides increased options through real-time site availability and results in immediate reservation confirmation.

Once a campsite has been selected on recreation.gov, tribal members should select “Tribal Fee Waiver”, then select Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in the drop-down box.  The attached guide may be a helpful reference when reserving through recreation.gov. To discourage fraudulent use of the tribal fee waiver, Forest Service staff may ask campers to present their tribal ID as verification.

The Chippewa National Forest has 11 campgrounds accepting reservations.  There are also five campgrounds with first-come first-serve, or non-reservable, sites that are available at no charge to LLBO members.  When occupying a non-reservable site, LLBO campers should record their information on a fee envelope. Complete all fields on the envelope and tear-off tab, write LLBO member in the fee paid field, and add your tribal id number in the last box. Keep the tear off tab and deposit the envelope in the fee station receptacle.

Tribal members can camp without a fee at all Forest campgrounds, including those outside the Reservation boundary.  Reservable sites can be reserved up to six months in advance of the first camping night. Reservations made online or through the toll-free number are limited to 14 days, ensuring all have the opportunity to use a campsite.

Here's a list of Chippewa National Forest campground opening and closing dates.

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