Tettegouche Camp Gear Checklist
Tettegouche Camp is four log cabins on Mic Mac Lake with a stove, a kitchenette and firewood, but no road and no carts, so every bag crosses a steep hill on foot. Guests pack bedding and food for a kitchen they do not have to outfit, plus firestarters, and in winter a sled and traction for ice. The regrets are about too much gear on the hill, bringing skis in a low-snow year, and a plan for meals that skipped the kitchen.
What shapes your gear on Tettegouche Camp
- The carry
- The camp has no vehicle access. Two routes lead in: 3.5 miles on foot from the main park trailhead, or 1.7 miles from the Lax Lake Road access, which is shorter but steeper. Bikes may use only the Lax Lake route. The park lends no carts.
- What the hill is like
- Guests describe a steep hill up and down. One family says the first half of the short route is all uphill. A guide first written in 2007 says the climb can take an hour, and its January group broke a sweat at once with toboggans in tow.
From MN is for Lovers, Midwest Weekends and Wandering Pine
- What each cabin has
- Each cabin has a woodstove and firewood, plus a kitchenette with two burners, a small fridge and basic cookware and dishes. Outside are a picnic table, a fire ring and a screened porch, and a canoe with paddles and life vests comes with the stay. No cabin has a bathroom or running water. Jugs are provided, and you fill them at the shower building or the hand pump.
- How warm the cabin gets
- Stove heat varies. One winter family had a cabin so hot one night that a child could not sleep, then a last night when even a fully loaded stove would not heat the cabin really warm. The hike out that day was minus 8 degrees.
From Borealis
- Winter ground
- In a low-snow January the trails near camp were ice and crusty snow, and a writer's group found that skis were useless but ski poles were invaluable. A family in a snowier year left snowshoes and skis in the car because the trail was packed and ungroomed.
From Midwest Weekends and Borealis
- Trash
- Guests carry their garbage back over the same hill, and they clean the cabin before leaving.
From Midwest Weekends and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
What the agency requires on Tettegouche Camp
Bedding and linens, with sleeping bags working best
The cabins do not supply bedding. The park tells guests to bring their own bedding and linens, and says sleeping bags work best.
Everything you need, carried in by hand
Guests must carry in their gear, because the camp has no vehicle access and carts are not provided.
What hikers carry on Tettegouche Camp
A backpack, with a sled or wagon for the extra
A guide first written in 2007 says to get as much as possible into a backpack, then pull the extra on plastic toboggans when it is snowy and on wagons in summer. A 2023 winter writer also suggests a sled or wagon for the steep hill, and a 2017 family said everyone else they met carried their load in by sled.
From Midwest Weekends, Wandering Pine and MN is for Lovers
Firestarters, matches and kindling
Wood is provided, and a 2007 guide says to bring firestarters, matches and kindling. A winter family listed firestarters as something they were glad they brought, on a ranger's advice.
From Midwest Weekends and Borealis
Warm bedding that packs small
One winter family strapped pillows to their packs and took down comforters in place of sleeping bags, which they found cozier without taking more room. A 2017 couple zipped two sleeping bags together for warmth.
From Borealis and MN is for Lovers
Ski poles and boot crampons for icy trails
A January group found ice on the trail to Mount Trudee and the High Falls spur. The poles helped, and one hiker remembered a pair of cheap boot crampons in a coat pocket for the steep, icy cedar path.
From Midwest Weekends
Food that suits a two-burner kitchen
A 2017 couple ate oatmeal and wished they had brought bacon and eggs for the kitchen. A winter family mixed premade chili and salad in bags with easy pasta meals.
From MN is for Lovers and Borealis
Hand warmers and bundling layers for the hike out
On a minus 8 degree hike out, a family bundled two children tightly and used hand warmers to get through the last stretch.
From Borealis
Dish soap, coffee filters and towels
A guide first written in 2007 tells guests to pack dish soap, coffee filters and dish towels along with food. A 2017 couple found dish tubs, soap and sponges in the kitchen, so check with the park about what is stocked.
From Midwest Weekends and MN is for Lovers
6 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Tettegouche Camp
Too much gear on the toboggan
A January group loaded toboggans with food, skis, snowshoes, wine, games and kindling, and later called it way too much for that hill.
From Midwest Weekends
Skis or snowshoes when snow is thin
The January group's skis were useless on ice and thin snow, and a snowier-year family left both at the car. A 2017 couple who skipped skis wished they had them, so it depends on the pack.
From Midwest Weekends, Borealis and MN is for Lovers
A plain kid sled for a heavy load
A family that hauled a play yard in on a regular children's sled said the rope dug into their hands, then switched to a borrowed pulk with a harness and found it far easier.
From Borealis
Ice skates, left behind
The January group says the only thing they could have used on the frozen lake was ice skates, and nobody brought any.
From Midwest Weekends
Gear questions for Tettegouche Camp
How far is the hike to Tettegouche Camp?
There are two routes. One is 3.5 miles from the main park trailhead. The other starts at the Lax Lake Road access, covers 1.7 miles and is steeper. Guests describe a steep hill up and down on the short route.
From Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Wandering Pine
Can you use a cart to reach Tettegouche Camp?
The park does not provide carts and says guests must carry in their gear. A guide first written in 2007 suggests a backpack first, then a toboggan in winter and a wagon in summer for extra.
From Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Midwest Weekends
Do you need to bring bedding to Tettegouche Camp?
Yes. The park says to bring your own bedding and linens, and that sleeping bags work best.
Is there running water at Tettegouche Camp?
Not in the cabins. The park supplies jugs, and guests fill them at the shower building or the hand pump.
Do you need to bring firewood to Tettegouche Camp?
No, each cabin includes a woodstove and firewood. Winter guests still bring firestarters and kindling to get the stove going.
From Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Midwest Weekends and Borealis
Sources
- Tettegouche Camp · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources · Agency
- Heirs to a hideaway · Midwest Weekends, Beth Gauper · Blog
- A Tettegouche Camp Cabin and Roller Garden Brooke Birthday · MN is for Lovers · Blog
- Winter hike-in cabin camping with children at Tettegouche State Park · Borealis · Blog
- Weekend at Tettegouche State Park remote cabins · Wandering Pine · Trip report