Where to Go Camping in Minnesota

Country Camping is located in Isanti, Minnesota open from the middle of April through the middle of October, offering guests a chance to camp among the forty acres of beautiful woodland and rolling hills. The campground is conveniently situated about four miles from downtown Isanti, right off of Highway 65. Amenities at Country Camping include horseshoes, sand volleyball courts, a half-court for basketballs, a playground for children, complimentary wireless internet, a game room, laundry facilities, a dump station, propane refill station, modern restroom facilities with free showers, a splash pad, a heated swimming pool, kayak rentals, and a camp store.

27437 Palm St NW, Isanti, MN 55040, Phone: 763-444-9626

Kiesler's Campground & RV Resort in Waseca is a place for camping, fun in the sun, fishing, crafts, sports, and swimming in southern Minnesota, along the shores of Clear Lake There is even a track for remote-controlled car racing. Owned and operated by the Kiesler family for more than forty years, the resort consistently strives to provide guests with superb activities, great facilities, and friendly service, all within a beautiful natural setting in the middle of the Southern Lakes region. Guests can enjoy free Wi-Fi, a heated pool, horseshoes, a playground, miniature golf, hiking, biking, planned activities, and much more.

14360 Old Hwy 14, Waseca, MN 56093, Phone: 507-835-3179

The Lebanon Hills Regional Park-Campground offers visitors of all ages an opportunity to spend a night in the great outdoors, under the starry sky in Dakota County. Surrounded by serene woodlands, the campground is conveniently located only minutes away from the Minnesota Zoo, the Mall of America, and downtown Minneapolis, yet feels like it’s much further, offering an ideal getaway close to home or a different camping experience for out-of-town visitors. Campground features include wireless internet at full hookup campsites, a playground, laundry facilities, hiking trails, hot showers, restroom facilities, pull-through sites, and 50-amp electric service.

12100 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd, St Paul, MN 55124, Phone: 651-480-7773

Family-Friendly Camping

The Snake River Campground, as the name suggests, is situated along the banks of the scenic Snake River in McGrath, Minnesota. The campground is nestled within a grove of tall pine trees that provide plenty of shade and a backwoods setting that many campers love. With the rustic setting, the Snake River Campground doesn’t have any more amenities than what’s necessary. The campground consists of twelve sites, a canoe landing, picnic tables, drinking water, and pit toilets. The primitive camping area doesn’t provide electricity. It also provides access to hiking trails and the Soo Line and Redtop ATV trails.

State Hwy 65, McGrath, MN 56350, Phone: 218-927-7364

Afton State Park is an ideal destination for cross-country skiers, horseback riders, and hikers, offering a perfect setting for nature-oriented outdoor recreation. Set upon bluffs that overlook the St. Croix River, the state park is home to a rolling, rugged landscape, as well as campgrounds and a swimming beach about three-fourths of a hike away from the parking lot. There are several camping options in Afton State Park, such as two rustic group camps, two yurts, four cabins equipped with electricity, twenty-four campsites, and one canoe-in campsite. The park also offers several miles of trails for horseback riding, biking, and hiking.

6959 Peller Avenue South, Hastings, MN 55033, Phone: 651-436-5391

Located near Starbuck, Minnesota, Glacial Lakes State Park is home to a unique stretch of soaring hills that serve as a contrast to supine valleys created by glaciers over ten thousand years ago. Visitors can take a swim in the crystal clear lake, hike along the park’s ridgetops, and explore the oak savanna and prairie of Minnesota. The campground at Glacial Lakes State Park features handicap-accessible campsites, group camp facilities, pull-through sites, camping cabins, tent campsites, restroom facilities with flush toilets, hot showers, and a sanitary dump station. There is also a camping area for guests with horses.

25022 County Road 41, Starbuck, MN 56381, Phone: 320-239-2860

Romantic Camping Ideas

The Interstate State Park is located along the banks of the scenic St. Croix River, established near the town of Taylors Falls. The campground consists of almost forty family campsites, twenty-two of which include electric hookups, situated within a wooded forest setting along the river. Each of the sites feature a cooking grate, a fire ring, and a picnic table. Other campground features at Interstate State Park include a dump station, both vault and flush toilets, showers, and drinking water. Outdoor recreation opportunities here include rock climbing, fishing, canoeing, biking, wildlife viewing, kayaking, boating, and viewing glacial potholes.

307 Milltown Rd, Taylors Falls, MN 55084, Phone: 651-465-5711

Itasca State Park near Park Rapids is the oldest state park in Minnesota and a natural national landmark. Visitors can explore the unspoiled wilderness where the Mississippi River meets Lake Itasca, featuring pine trees that have been around for over two hundred years. Within this naturally beautiful wilderness setting is a campground with more than two hundred drive-in sites, 160 of which have electricity. There are also eleven hike-in rustic campsites at Itasca State Park, as well as around fifty miles of hiking trails throughout the park grounds. During the winter months, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are popular activities.

36750 Main Park Dr, Park Rapids, MN 56470, Phone: 218-699-7251

Lake Maria State Park is located near Monticello, Minnesota and is an ideal destination for a spontaneous, or planned, getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of the state’s Twin Cities. There is a high level of seclusion and quiet found at the park, despite it being so close to major cities. The park also offers a campground remotely situated within Lake Maria’s riparian confines, offer several primitive, backpack-in campsites that provide a perfect distraction-free camping experience, as well as bear boxes. The camper cabins and walk-in campsites at Lake Maria State Park are open throughout the entire year.

11411 Clementa Avenue NW, Monticello, MN 55362, Phone: 763-878-2325

When many people think of huge trees, the picture of redwoods in northern California may come to mind, however, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park in Minnesota offers big tree fun as well. Huge basswoods throughout the park tower over visitors, hiding the fittingly named Hidden Falls. One advantage to the Nerstrand Big Woods Campground is that it doesn’t get as busy as several state parks in Minnesota since it lacks historical sites or bodies of water, the latter making the campground less buggy as well. The one sometimes crowded spot in the park is the main trail to the Hidden Falls.

9700 170th Street East, Nerstrand, MN 55053, Phone: 507-384-6140