A campsite inside the Birch Lake Recreation Area.
A new 22-acre campground complex with 49 new campsites for RVs and tent campers opened this month at Birch Lake Recreation Area in Babbitt, Minn., according to hometownfocus.us.
The recreation area has a popular developed swimming beach, picnic area, beach house, concrete public boat landing ramp, two docks, boat cleaning area, rain garden for stormwater runoff and a parking area with handicapped parking.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation provided Development and Community Infrastructure grants totaling $750,000 that helped pay for the design, engineering, water and sewer lines and extensions related to the campground. A portion of the grants helped offset expenses related to unforeseen geological conditions which resulted in utility rerouting. The total project investment was approximately $5.9 million.
The new campground is expected to increase tourist traffic even further because it will be connected to the new Prospector Loop ATV trail system and eventually to the paved Mesabi Bike Trail. The increase in tourism can have positive economic impacts on the community of Babbitt and its businesses.
According to Explore Minnesota, tourism generated $11.7 billion in gross sales in 2020.
