Camping in MN

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Firemansam79
Firemansam79 Posts: 416 Member
If you guys are the camping type. Where are your favorite camping spots in MN

My wife, kids and I really enjoy State Parks. #1 for us is probably Itasca State Park, the bike trails are amazing and the trees are beautiful. Plus, we live 80 miles from the entrance and its easy to get to.

We have camped at Sibley State Park near New London, MN and that was very nice too. I love the New London area.

A great private campground near Itasca is Long Lake Campground, its a great place for camping with kids.

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  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    We are more private campground type people but we have stayed at a few State Parks to experience and we have a few we liked; Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, they have a sand bottom pool with life guards; Father Hennipen State Park is really nice. Another really nice one is southern Minnesota Whtie Water State Park.
  • Emar11
    Emar11 Posts: 246 Member
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    I really enjoy Baker Park campground and Jay Cooke state park.

    Baker, is a quick and easy place to camp. While Jay cooke has beautiful hiking
  • nolanerinbryon
    nolanerinbryon Posts: 80 Member
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    Baker is ok but it's so close to the Twin Cities that you can hear the traffic from your campsite/tent (I saw that as a draw back, but it's by Lake Independence which is nice and has a lot of walking/biking trails). One of our favorites is Nerstand Woods - it's most beautiful in the fall because it's heavily wooded and the colors are stunning. I has a lot of great hiking trails and the sites are almost totally shaded which I prefer. One other place we really enjoy is William O'Brien State Park (by Stillwater) - lots of stuff to do there by St. Croix River. We're trying Whitewater State Park this coming weekend - I hear it's beautiful!
  • annadjanssen
    annadjanssen Posts: 29 Member
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    Jay Cooke is beautiful! Tetagutchi state park is amazing but can be a long drive. I have heard really good things about Rock Lake near the pilsbury state Forrest.
  • HikerMom03
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    Grand Marais Municipal Campground!!!! Awesome. I do find though that having that super yummy bakery right in town can be a toughy to stay away from.

    Moose Lake is a nice kid friends place.

    Minneapoa (I believe that's how you spell it) down by Mankato is our next adventure.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    Any park on the north shore makes me happy. I love the cart-in sites at Split Rock (site 20 is the best!) and Tettagouche. They have Lake Superior views and/or access. We also just camped at a hike-in with a private beach at Cascade River. George Crosby Manitou has tremendous hiking, though camping is rustic and the hike-ins that aren't on the lake can be hard to access. I also like CR Magney because of the hiking and the easy drive up to Grand Portage to take advantage of those falls hikes, but it's all car camping which I don't love.
  • Firemansam79
    Firemansam79 Posts: 416 Member
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    Went to Jay Cooke 2 weeks ago. Very nice place. We had a lot of rain and went to the Edgewater Hotel/Waterpark in Duluth for the last night/day.

    Also ran up to Gooseberry for 1 day for some pics and site seeing.
  • mrsewert
    mrsewert Posts: 430 Member
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    We have a seasonal camping spot at In-We-Go Resort in Nevis and love it. Can't wait to open back up again.
  • dodgegirl1979
    dodgegirl1979 Posts: 73 Member
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    Kathio state park is nice ! We like the state forest camp grounds for less rules and cheap !
  • starrchiild
    starrchiild Posts: 38 Member
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    Some of the Walk in sites at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park are undeniably great
  • Snosprt10
    Snosprt10 Posts: 2 Member
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    The Army Corp of Engineers campground in Cross Lake is really nice.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    If you haven't been out to the western side of the state, Maplewood State Park near Pelican Rapids is really wonderful. There's great swimming on Lake Lida (south shore, so its deep!) and I think 25 miles of hiking with some spectacular vistas as the park is located in prime glacial moraine territory. It's unbelievably quiet as well, the park's size shielding it from highway noise almost everywhere.

    Another favorite of mine is Glacial Lakes State Park. This is where I first saw showy lady slippers in the wild. There's a trail that goes all the way around Signalness Lake, which the heart of the park, and it offers something like 15 miles of hiking trails.

    Already mentioned were Jay Cooke State Park up by Duluth. This remains my favorite place to go camping if I'm in that area, although Gooseberry Falls is very nice as well. It seems to me that Jay Cooke is a trifle more secluded for camping and Gooseberry Falls gets more day trips.

    Glendalough State Park is a fairly unknown gem. I think its the newest state park, and while it only has 9 miles of hiking trails, Annie Battle Lake is one of the prettiest lakes in the state, and the park is amazingly secluded.

    And of course, Sibley State Park, also mentioned above, holds a special place in my heart. I am from the area, and grew up running through the steep hills, swimming at the excellent beach, and exploring the 18 miles of hiking trails. You really can't go wrong spending time here, plus there's tons of things going on in the nearby towns of Spicer and Willmar.
  • ashleybreanna13
    ashleybreanna13 Posts: 249 Member
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    I love camping down by the Zumbro River because I love to tube (float) down the river.
  • ashleybreanna13
    ashleybreanna13 Posts: 249 Member
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    Also, I live by the Sakatah State Park in Waterville, MN & it is gorgeous, with a wonderful trail!