Gull Lake Recreation Area
Mississippi River Headwaters - Gull Lake · Minnesota · 42 sites
Photos: US Army Corps of Engineers via Recreation.gov
Overview
Gull Lake Recreation Area is a US Army Corps of Engineers campground in Mississippi River Headwaters - Gull Lake, Minnesota, with 42 sites. Very shady: nearly every site is under trees. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T report coverage at every site.
36 of 42 sites shaded
0 of 42 sites in full sun
7 of 42 sites with clear sky
Map of the campground
Every site from the Recreation.gov listing. Choose a layer to see it across the campground; tap a site to open it in Roam.
Layers
More in Roam Premium
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Questions
Which sites at Gull Lake Recreation Area are the shadiest?
Nearly all of them. 36 of 42 sites at Gull Lake Recreation Area have good shade from the trees, including from the hot afternoon sun.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Gull Lake Recreation Area get the most sun?
None are truly sunny; the sunniest still have trees over most of the site.
See the tree canopy in RoamWill Starlink work at Gull Lake Recreation Area?
Only at a few. About 7 of 42 sites have a clear gap in the trees for Starlink and 15 a partial one; most sit under tall trees. Satellite texting on a phone needs less open sky, but still works best from the most open spot you can find. This is our estimate from tree heights — check with the Starlink app's obstruction check when you arrive.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Gull Lake Recreation Area are the most level?
19 of 42 sites are flat, and 16 more have a gentle slope most RVs can level with blocks; 7 are steeper, better for tents. Sites that take RVs or trailers fit rigs up to 80 ft.
See the slope at each site in RoamDoes Gull Lake Recreation Area have cell service?
Yes. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all report coverage at every site at Gull Lake Recreation Area. That's the coverage each carrier reports to the FCC, not a measured signal, so under trees or below a ridge it can be weaker.
See the coverage map in RoamWhen is the best time to see fall color at Gull Lake Recreation Area?
October. In a typical year the leaves around Gull Lake Recreation Area are at their best in early to mid October, though any one fall can run a week or two early or late. Much of the forest here stays green, so expect color in patches. Roam’s fall foliage map shows how far the color has come this week, free every September through November.
See this week’s fall color in RoamWhat’s the weather like at Gull Lake Recreation Area in October?
In October, expect highs around 55°F and lows around 36°F, with about 2.7 inches of rain over the month and 1 inch of snow. Every month’s averages are in Roam Premium.
Open Gull Lake Recreation Area in RoamCampground facts
- Sites
- 42
- Kinds
- 42 for RVs or trailers
- Hookups
- 42 with electric
- Longest rig
- 80 ft
- Accessible
- 1 site
- Elevation
- 1,195–1,213 ft
- Every site
- Picnic table · Fire ring · Pets allowed · Campfires allowed · Check-in 1 PM, check-out 12 PM
- Managed by
- US Army Corps of Engineers
- Booking
- Reserve on Recreation.gov
How we know Sources and limits
Shade, sun and Starlink are our estimates from Meta and the World Resources Institute’s canopy-height model (about 2 m pixels, from satellite imagery calibrated with space lidar; CC BY 4.0). From 2 m above each site we trace 72 lines out to 60 m and note the tallest tree in each direction. Shade counts trees overhead, the canopy within 30 m and how much of the afternoon sky is blocked. Sun counts how open the southern sky is. Starlink needs open sky above 35°, with the northern half counted twice because US dishes tilt north, and we keep the best spot within 8 m of the site’s post. The model sees tree heights only, not trunks, buildings or hills, so check with the Starlink app when you arrive.
Slope is the ground at each site’s post over about 4 m, from USGS 3DEP 1 m lidar: level under 2%, gentle to 4% (most rigs level on blocks), sloped to 8% (fine for a tent), steep beyond.
Cell coverage is from the FCC Broadband Data Collection (carrier filings as downloaded May 2026): each site is tested against each carrier’s modelled outdoor 4G/5G coverage. It is what the carriers report, not a measured signal.
Fall color is the typical peak from NASA’s MODIS satellite record of when leaves change (2001–2023), limited to deciduous and mixed forest with USGS land cover (NLCD), calibrated to the USA National Phenology Network’s ground reports of colored leaves (CC BY 4.0). It is an average of many autumns, so the page gives a window, not a date.
Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the campground. Sites and facts are from Recreation.gov’s open data (July 2026). Map imagery: USGS The National Map. Photos: Recreation.gov.
From the campground’s Recreation.gov listing: “The campground is known for its well-spaced wooded sites, each with 50 or 30 amp electric hookup service, picnic tables, campfire rings, and a centrally located showerhouse. A water fill and dump station is located near the entrance to the campground. This side of the park holds two canoe launches, a paved shoreline fishing platform, fish cleaning station, self-guided information booth, playground, a flush toilet restroom, and a handful of picnic tabels and grills. Across the dam is the Ranger Office, boat ramp, vault toilet, and swimming beach on the lake. Volleyball nets, basketball hoop, horseshoe pits, and two more playgrounds are also perks of this side of the park. The campground sits on the Gull River at the outlet of Gull Lake. The area was formed by a receding glacier that moved southward from Canada and carved the landscape. Gull Lake is one of the six Mississippi Headwaters Projects of the Mississippi River Watershed operated by The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”
Page data as of October 15, 2026. Full source notes are in each layer’s info in the app.