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Camping

Established Camping

Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

23 Reviews

About

State Park

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Location

Sakatah Lake State Park Campground is located in Minnesota

Directions

Park entrance is located on State Highway 60, 14 miles west of Faribault, or one mile east of State Highways 13 and 60 in Waterville.

Address

50499 Sakatah Lake State Park Rd
Waterville, MN 56096

Coordinates

44.21902721 N
93.53189597 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Fair
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Cabins
Tent Cabin
Equestrian

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Big Rig Friendly

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Mike R.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 13, 2023

Decent campground. Very wooded, and showing a bit of age.

Good campground location for the bike trail and for going to places like Mankato, and Faribault. No swimming beach, but that's good because the lake is nasty in late summer.

Site17E

Month of VisitSeptember

Lindsay T.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 22, 2022

Great campground close to the Twin Cities

This is a great campground within an hour's drive of the Twin Cities. Nice hiking and sites well spaced out. Beautiful in the fall! Only negative to our site was a fairly steep incline to back our trailer up. Made for more difficult but not impossible leveling, perfect site otherwise.

Site36E

Month of VisitNovember

(5) View All

Tori K.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 25, 2022

Not too far from twin cities

Great place to camp and get away from the cities without a long drive. Firewood is available at the office and a fire ring is at each site as well as picnic table.

Month of VisitOctober

Patty M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2022

Close to Twin Cities, Wooded sites

Beautiful, small state park less than an hour south of Twin Cities. Sites are wooded and shady but some are close to neighboring sites. Not too many mosquitos or flies for August in Minnesota! Sakatah Singing Hills paved trail runs through the park. It was pouring on Saturday so most of the other campers checked out and we had the campground mostly to ourselves. Super friendly and helpful staff, clean restrooms. Faribault is 15 minutes away so we went antique shopping at Keeper's Antiques downtown and had cocktails at 10,000 Drops Distillery for rainy day activities.

Site29E

Month of VisitSeptember

Eric T.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 31, 2022

Short Ride South of MInneapolis

Great park if you’re not looking to drive too far to enjoy a bit of nature. Wonderful hiking paths and biking paths.

Our site was nice a secluded and right next to the trail heads.

Only downside, if you’re looking for complete quiet, this isn’t the park. It’s next to the highway and there are residents that live on the lake that can be noisy.

Otherwise, wonderful park especially for families.

Site56

Month of VisitAugust

anne K.

Guide

Reviewed May. 4, 2022

Beautiful place to tent

Stayed here in April which was a little chilly but kept the bugs away (it’s a little swampy here). The trails seemed less travelers than other places but that may have been due to the early time of year. It’s serene and peaceful here with plenty of space between sites and clean latrines.

Site7

Month of VisitMay

(7) View All

anne K.

Guide

Reviewed May. 4, 2022

Site #78

The sight was slightly uneven but pretty private. We were here in mid April so the leaves were just starting to bud and the morning temps hovered in the upper 20s (F). This seemed like a lesser used park to me as the trails were not as worn out but this could be due to the early time of year we visited. I can see where the bugs would be bad later on as this is a very swampy area with lots of algae, ponds etc. A calm, serene place.

Site78

Month of VisitMay

Edward S.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 24, 2021

Awesome trails and amenities adjacent to large lake.

Surprisingly extensive trails both inside and adjacent to the state park.

Site17E

Month of VisitSeptember

(6) View All

e M.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 13, 2021

Simple

Simple camping, picnic table, fire ring & grate. It is well maintained.

Site2

Month of VisitNovember

Meg W.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 3, 2021

Large sites, fairly private

Visited Sakatah Lake State Park to get some fall camping in. The drive from Minneapolis was an easy hour. The sites are generously sized, with the sites farther off the road being a bit larger. The sites are separated by a thickish bit of woods which provides more privacy. The sites are mostly gravel, and I bent a flimsy tent stake trying to pound it in the ground. The trails are not very long, but a nice walk. The Wapekute offers a semi-blocked view of Lake Sakatah, but also had a lot of stinging nettle and poison ivy very near the trail. The toilets were clean. Overall a really relaxing visit.

SiteDrive-In 6

Month of VisitNovember

Bike G.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 14, 2021

Quiet and good ground

A friend and I used the bike in sites it was very nice, though finding trees for my hammock with in the designated sites was difficult.

Sitebike

Month of VisitJune

Tracy O.

Guide

Reviewed May. 25, 2021

Close drive to Minneopa!

We stayed here while visiting Minneopa state park. The campground was nice. It was mid April so no water at the sites but had electric in ours. We were able to get potable water at the entrance. And firewood. Had great trails to walk and bike on. Sites are spaced out. Our 34’ trailer fit easily. Vault toilets on site. Bathrooms were closed (covid). The loops near the entrance had more shade. Spaces are large and accommodating!

Site29E

Month of VisitMay

(5) View All

Tim B.

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 22, 2021

Beware of lots of trees.

Very nice park if your RV is not to big. I put our 38 foot 5th wheel in a site but you better be on your game here. Lots of shade and big trees. Love being on the bike trail and the hiking is fair. On the lake but you need to be in middle of this lake if you want to get wet. Unless you enjoy swimmers itch. Not even very nice fishing on the dock Unless you like green fish. As most State parks in MN you better get your reservation in early if you want a site with electric. If your good without. It's a great park.

Corey H.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

A fun Labor Day!

Was so much fun!! Best Labor Day in awhile.

Matt C.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 21, 2020

Nothing special - but a great quick escape from Minneapolis

Our site was a perfect tent-in site(site 15), as it was far enough away from the highway and other sites, so noise was minimal. The bugs were actually tolerable, which was an added bonus. Downsides were that the drinking water had consumption warnings, the modern restrooms were closed, and the lake isn’t swimmable. Otherwise there was some great hiking, and the park ranger was friendly and very prepared for COVID.

Site15

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

Fitore M.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 4, 2019

A perfect getaway

Everything was beautiful. We camped for a week in southern Minnesota state parks, but this one is our favourite.

Elissa W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2019

Nice campground, good trails

We got a last second site and stayed for just one night. The sites were great for tents and relatively shady, but an RV had some trouble in our loop and had to move to another site. Where we set up our tent was pretty rocky and hurt the feet when you stood barefoot in the tent even with an extra tarp, so be careful where you set your tent.

There is no swimming beach, but the ranger gave us directions to another beach nearby. Next time we visit we'll be sure to check that out. Early June is good as the bugs there aren't bad at all.

The trails were nice, wish we had brought our bikes to hit the Sakatah/Singing Hills trail, looked lovely! The fishing dock was fun for the little kiddos to visit.

Site22

Month of VisitJuly

GoWhereYouAreDraw N.

Legend

Reviewed May. 27, 2019

There is plenty to do for the outdoor enthusiasts

We biked the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail from Faribault, MN to Mankato, MN (39 miles). The whole trail was paved, which was really nice and runs through hardwoods forest. We camped in Sakatah State Park and then explored the City of Mankato. Sakatah Lake is a relatively calm lake and seems like a great place to kayak.

They have 5 bike-in campsites near the trail. Other campsites include drive-in sites, electric sites, group sites, and camper cabins. The campsites are secluded just enough so that one feels like they are camping in the woods by themselves. Unlike a lot of campgrounds, Sakatah State Park has its fire pits above ground. Very nice for keeping warm. Amenities at the campground include showers, flush toilets, vault toilets, dump stations.

(4) View All

Carla A.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 29, 2018

Tons of nature!

Loved this park!! Very quiet and peaceful. Biked the trail. Campfires, hammocked and just enjoyed chillin!

Site29e

Month of VisitOctober

Emma G.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 12, 2018

Lovely, green campground with private sites and friendly rnagers

Sakatah Lake State Park campground is a lucious, green campground located near Sakatah Lake. There are quite a few sites. Most are private, but they are a bit crammed together in multiple loops so some sites are not so private.

The campground has friendly rangers with great recommendations and is located on a state trail that goes from Mankato to Fairbault. We had a great time from Friday-Sunday hanging out at the campsite, roasting marshmallows, riding bike on the state trail, and hiking around the lake!

Sakatah Lake is quite shallow so late season is at risk of algae bloom - the lake was pea soup green when we got there at the end of August, so go early in the season if you want to get on the water.

Month of VisitSeptember

Kayla O.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 2, 2018

Good campground with private sites

This was my third time camping at this campground and I love it more and more every time. It’s next to a lake so we can easily bring our kayaks with.

Sarah F.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 19, 2017

Ranger was friendly, campsite was quiet and comfortable!

We had an awesome time roasting mallows and hotdogs over the fire and singing songs!

SiteSite 57

Month of VisitSeptember

Shelly S.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 25, 2017

Best Bird Listening and Frogs

I was so amazed with all the sounds of birds in this park. I heard Everything from Eagles, Canadian Geese and Swans to Woodpeckers and multiple song birds. I wish I could distinguish between them. Also the frogs and toads were adding their voices too.