$35 / night

Camper submitted image from Wild River State Park Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Wild River State Park Campground - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Wild River State Park Campground - 3

Activities

Camper submitted image from Wild River State Park Campground - 4

Roads

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Camping

Established Camping

Wild River State Park Campground

41 Reviews

About

State Park

The park provides opportunities for semi-modern camping, group camping, equestrian camping, backpack camping, and canoe camping. Visitors who want modern amenities can reserve the guest house which provides a living room, dining room, kitchen, and fireplace. The park also has six camping cabins which include bunkbeds, a table, and benches.

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Location

Wild River State Park Campground is located in Minnesota

Directions

From I-35, take State Highway 95 to County Road 12. Drive 3 miles on County Road 12 to the park entrance.

Address

39797 Park Trail
North Branch, MN 55056

Coordinates

45.53700006 N
92.73600055 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

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

Features

For Campers

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

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

$35

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Lawrence K.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 29, 2023

Great time even with rain

Great campground. Clean bathrooms, and friendly at office. Beautiful this time of year! Hiking was awesome

Site62e

Month of VisitOctober

Mark B.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2023

Serene times at Wild River

Stayed for two nights at a drive-in double site here and found it ideal for autumn camping. We didn’t think we would get colors, but they came out a little early, adding a few splashes to the hiking and river view.

Site was private enough, the woods surrounding dense enough to obscure others while still feeling open. Also open enough to spot three white-tail deer.

Hike to the Nevers Dam lookout was easy enough for a five year old to walk (most of it) — featuring some very cool fallen trees and a wonderful winding staircase — and the adjacent sandy beach was a pleasant and peaceful surprise.

One complaint is that the nearby vault toilet reeked of amonia and was unusable so we had to walk to the adjacent loop for bathroom. Silver lining is that we discovered the free little library near that bathroom and grabbed a copy of ‘Ramona the Brave’ for the kiddo. We went back and left a copy of ‘Amira’s Picture Day.’

Site80

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Ashley H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 25, 2023

One of the better state park campgrounds we've stayed at

We were at site 93. It's a large site with plenty of room for a huge tent or a few tents. It was very buggy so we got a screen tent. Nicely shaded site as well. Not far from the water station and pit toilet. For a bathroom with running water it's a long walk and there's not close parking either. The campground is a long drive into the park from the main entrance. 12x10 screen tent fit easily over the 8' picnic table.

Site93

Month of VisitJuly

Dave M.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 11, 2023

Back to Nature

Secluded Spots. Plenty of hiking trails. Great views. Dump Station and 50 amps. Right on the St. Croix River

Site51

Month of VisitJuly

Lindsay T.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 2, 2022

Excellent, can't wait to return!

Great campground with plenty of privacy and space between sites. Excellent hiking trails along the river. Restroom/shower building and vault toilets well maintained.

Site46E

Month of VisitOctober

Eric T.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 28, 2022

Great, Large, Classic Park with River Walks

Lots of different camping spots. All with trees surrounding your area for a little bit of privacy but the spots are relatively close to each other. We really liked the far end of the campsite but would've preferred campsite 89 or 91 or any on those sides because they seemed to have the most room and privacy.

Toilets were great and they had some bathrooms not too far away that have running water as well.

Trails that ran along the river were great!

Site86

Month of VisitJune

Abby K.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 22, 2022

Great spring location!

We stayed at a backpack site where we were greeted with well maintained paths, great hiking options, and good views. The only con I have with the park is the lack of water accessibility for backpack sites located in Highland Loop. We have to either carry in all water for our trip or do the steep, winding hike to the Visitor Center to refill. There wasn’t any area to filter water. Otherwise, everything was great!

SiteAspen Knob

Month of VisitJune

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Timothy W.

Guide

Reviewed May. 22, 2022

Nice State Park Campground

We enjoyed our stay. Large, wooded campsite with electrical service and T-mobile service (1 bar). Good trails and plenty of wildlife (deer, etc).

Site66E

Month of VisitJune

Edward S.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 24, 2021

April might have been too early in the season

The layout of Wild River State Park has a lot of potential for great trails and exploration. April is a bit too early to go since the trees are still pretty baron. That said, it does have a surreal “Blair Witch” vibe and the further down the trails you go, the more you realize how separated you are from the rest of the world.

Site48E

Month of VisitMay

(6) View All

Fred S.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 6, 2021

Beautiful campground

Wooded, secluded sites. Fantastic hiking trails nearby. Clean restrooms, showers. Water. Dumpster. Pretty quiet here. T-Mobile 2 bars. Would stay here again.

Site16

Month of VisitNovember

Deb M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 18, 2021

One of our faves

Just a wonderful campground, close to the city, with large secluded sites. This is our go-to when we need a quick one or two night getaway.

Site63

Month of VisitSeptember

Rachelle W.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2021

Wild River State Park Camper Cabin

The camper cabins at Wild River are located just above the St. Croix River. Our cabin seemed to be at a trailhead to the river, which we took advantage of. The camper cabins had electricity and heat, no plumbing. Excellent fire ring for cooking. The park itself has many trails.

SiteCamper Cabin

Month of VisitJune

(9) View All

Randy W.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2021

Spacious sites

Very secluded RV sites. Some shallow some very long. Restrooms and showers were very clean

Site61

Month of VisitSeptember

Randy W.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 2, 2021

Very secluded lots.

Little hard making the turn to back in, but nice flat, shaded lot

Site61

Month of VisitSeptember

Melissa A.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 20, 2021

Nice campground on river

Nice campground on the river. There is lots of hiking trails but the deer flies could be bad on some of the trails. Spotty AT&T cell phone coverage.

Site44e

Month of VisitJuly

HollyRose M.

Ranger

Reviewed Dec. 9, 2020

Lots to Explore/Learn

I’ll say, one of the best parts of this park is all the interpretative kiosks. Love learning about the forestry and history of state parks! Also many options for trails which is great. A lot of wildlife here, I heard a ton of coyotes and geese, a woodpecker, and a beaver under the bridge in the evening chomping away at peeling logs... totally scared me at first but he was just doing his job and I tried not to bother him!

I stayed at the backpacking site: SPRING. It’s just a short hike (bout 400 meters) from the river access where there is a vaulted toilet snd water year-round. The site had a bench overlooking the river and a rugged stair for water access. Also had a little personal rustic toilet just a trail behind the site. Nice and wooded campsite, soft dirt, and fairly spacious! In wet months, I bet it's pretty muddy. The only drawback is that the trail it’s situated on is the hiking club trail and heavily trafficked. I stayed in winter, where you could see through the trees and all that tho. Maybe in summer, it’s more secluded? But still, something to keep in mind.

Took a peek at the campground- some of the most spaced out and wooded sites I’ve seen yet. I like that they made it in separated loops, to avoid through traffic distracting your stay. Love the visitors center, great overlook, and interesting information. By the trail center, which is also very cozy and rents, skis and snowshoes and has a great inside fireplace, there is an interpretative walk about white pines- great for kids to imagine those huge trees! They do a great job aiding the imagination as you walk along the short trail.

Camper cabins here are up on a bluff- didn’t stay there but totes want to! Nicely situated.

Everything that I checked out here was very well managed and they clearly put a lot of time and care into making this park functional, interesting, and accessible. I loved my little backpack site but can’t wait to come back to camp in the summer or rent a cabin! The river is gorgeous, even as it was frozen in winter!

SiteSPRNG

Month of VisitJanuary

(10) View All

Dani K.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 19, 2020

Great spot for first time camping

This was my first time camping EVER, and I wanted a balance of car camping ease with quiet wilderness. I stayed in the E loop. No electric sites, which cut down the number of big rig RVs, but there were plenty of small campers and trailers. To me, this means louder guests than tent campers. That said, people tended to quiet down by 9-10p. There was occasional noise during the day from crop dusters and motorized boat traffic on the St. Croix.

Site 87 had nice privacy — less between sites 87 and 89 and much more between 87 and 85 (see photos). Site 89 is a double site, so be prepared for a little more activity if someone books there. If I went again, I'd try to snag site 85. Large trees and vegetation between sites, especially on the outside loop. Plenty of space for hammocks. The site itself was level and very spacious. We had a five person tent and could have put up a bug house easily. The fire pit was clean and had a grate on top. Pit toilets were clean and had plenty of toilet paper, especially for the end of a holiday weekend. Bugs were minimal, but could have been because the weather was on the cooler side (50s-60s).

A couple random notes:

Firewood is $6/bundle. Self-pay available if the ranger station is closed. Bring exact change since you'll be paying by envelope.
The ranger station was open for window service, and they sold fire starters, soda, t-shirts, etc. Not sure when hours are exactly. They were open when I went around 3-4p Sunday and Monday to buy wood.
Cell reception for T-Mobile was minimal to non-existent.

Site87

Month of VisitOctober

Kate T.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

Campsite 29

We stayed in campsite 29 in the drive in campsite over Labor Day weekend. The park was great - lots of hiking options, very clean (including the bathrooms), available water, right along the river. #29 definitely wouldn't be my first pick, but we booked late and it was one of the two left. No pad, which was fine (some of the sites do have pads, though). You could easily fit two tents in the site - it was a nice big area and looked kind of empty with just our one tent! The site isn't particularly private, since it was in the center of the loop, and if anyone ends up in the campsite behind you (#33), you're really pretty close - we lucked out and no one showed up until we were leaving. On the other hand, if people wanted to double camp, those two sites would be great together! It was a busy weekend, but people seemed to be pretty quiet after 10 pm. #30 looked like an awesome site and probably had the most privacy of the B lane. The restrooms were between A and B lanes (walkway between #24 & #26, #26 was pretty exposed to people walking back and forth) and was pretty busy - and not many people following the mask rule for the park. The campsites in general were pretty busy (Labor Day weekend probably contributed to that), there are a lot of sites, and it's close-ish to the cities, so if you're really looking to get away from people this probably isn't the ideal park. Lots of dogs, too. But, the sites were right next to the hiking paths and the park has a ton to see. We had a good time! We hiked past the Spring Creek campsite area and it looked really great, if you want to carry your stuff in.

Tikki B.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2020

Excellent getaway!

I usually camp on weekdays bc of the smallest crowds and I had a wonderful relaxing time! Great bike trails, river access, and clean sites.

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Joanna B.

Legend

Reviewed Feb. 16, 2020

Huge park, so much to see

2/8/20-2/9/20. #91

First time to this park. It’s a nice distance from the cities, not too far. We planned on attending their candlelight ski and decided to camp. The campground was fully reserved but was empty, the low was 10 so people must have bowed out. The campsite was plowed out and had a nice spot for the tent. The sites were far enough apart and it looked like it would be more private when the leaves come in.

The park is huge and beautiful. We snowshoed and skied. I really enjoyed the snowshoe hike along the St Croix River and watched the full moon rise. The ski trails were groomed and there were miles of trails. The candlelight ski was great and the routes were marked with different colored luminaries - for hiking and skiing. We really enjoyed that. Would like to return to explore more of the park.

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Shannon S.

Scout

Reviewed Nov. 13, 2019

Fun park with nature

Best state park

Matt T.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 22, 2019

Very nice

Quiet nice spots

amber N.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 1, 2019

Secluded, River Front Buck Hill Site

Backpack site Buck Hill is right on the river, beautiful view to the east. Circled by flowers (goldenrod in the late summer), brush and trees. End of the path so zero foot traffic / passersby. Fine size for us but if you had two tents maybe tight. Fire ring and picnic table of course. No drinking water (we brought a bladder). It’s a great place to star gaze. There’s a teeny somewhat treacherous path to the river- no beach or anything (water was super low when we went) - Just can get your feet wet.

Down the path a little bit is an unenclosed toilet - not the best. The other direction down the path (only about 20 ft) is a smallish bear box.

You can harvest your own wood (at this time) and that was really great - bring a backpacking saw!

Only downside to the site— you can hear cars on both sides (river and opposite side of forest).

It was a 2.37 mile walk from the parking lot, mostly shaded.

Side note: we checked out Deer Creek site which is much closer to the car. It is a hike in / canoe site. It’s wayyy more spacious, and even has two separate clearings. Also has cool stairs down the to water, and a much more expansive view of the river. We will be staying there next time! We want to take a few days to canoe the whole length of the park, camping along the different sites. Next year! :)

(5) View All

Mi S.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 22, 2019

Nice getaway not too far from the Twin Cities

I’ve camped here on several occasions and have not been disappointed. The group sites are walk ins only. No drive ins/pull through. They are spaced out enough for privacy. The individual sites are decent & drive in. The space between sites are far enough apart. There are a couple of double sites that will accommodate more than 6 people but less than 13. We’ve rented canoes in the past and have enjoyed it primary because of the sandbars, but have not done it recently so I’m not sure if that has changed or not. The mosquitos were bad in late June! Even with bug spray, candles thermacell, etc...we were still under massive attacked. I’ve always enjoyed coming here year after year, not so much because of the park (although it’s nice overall), but because this place holds lots of memories for me.

Elissa W.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2019

Nice place to stay!

Wild River was a great campground, and only about an hour drive from the Twin Cities. The sites were nicely shaded and roomy for our tent and screen tent.

There is ample hiking, however due to early spring rains, many of the trails near the St. Croix were flooded, which is pretty typical for the river in the spring. We would have liked a swimming beach for the kids, but they enjoyed exploring the trails, especially the trail with a lookout over the river.

The great thing about June is that the bugs weren't bad at all. We escaped early in the morning due to impending rain, but found a lovely brunch spot on the way back to the cities.

Month of VisitJuly

Jeff L.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 14, 2019

Love this State Park

Wild River State Park is my go-to campground since it is within an hour of my home. I make it my first place to camp every season. Love the scenic trails and all the park has to offer. Hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, exploring, informational programs, and the wooded campsites.

Alec J.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 1, 2019

Clean,

I booked this campsite last minute for the weekend because my other campsite was booked. The park had great reviews and looked like a nice area of the state to visit. As you drive to the campground area, you pass signs that state Snake Research Area. I have a fear of snakes, but never thought this would impact my visit. I came across two very large snakes (apx. 4ft long and maybe longer) in the road, having to wait for them to slither across the road. Once I got to my campsite, I was walking with my dog along the perimeter of the campsite and came across multiple snakes of this same size right on the edge of my site! I have been camping many times in many different areas, but this was something that I have never experienced before. I think there should be some sort of disclosure on the state parks' website that snakes of this size are around the campgrounds.

Site81

Month of VisitJune

Colleen D.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 12, 2019

Nice place to take a fall hike.

It is a relaxing, semi-modern campground. Very nice trails to hike by the river.

Lauren S.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 16, 2018

Variety of spots

Great trails! Most sites are located along the river. We were at the furthest location called buck hill. About a 2 mile hike from your car. They did give us the option to temporarily park on the hwy to drop our stuff off (yes it's totally cheating but if you were given the option wouldn't you take it?) Then go back and walk it without all of our gear. They allow dogs with us a plus for us. The grounds were all kept very well! Definitely would recommend this location. Only down side is that you are near the hwy and can hear all the cars driving by.

SiteBuck hill

Month of VisitAugust

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Stephanie L.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018

Beautiful & Family Friendly!

Great, easy-to-access campground and state park. Absolutely beautiful! The park even had free family-friendly archery available while we were there!

I stayed in one of the group sites, and while there were several other groups, the sites are well-spaced enough that the noise wasn't too bad. There are 2 vault toilets available at the group camps, as well as an old-fashioned water pump. Note: the group sites are cart-in ONLY.

Plenty of hiking trails, and there's almost always something scheduled on the weekends for families to enjoy. Highly recommended!

SiteGroup 10

Month of VisitAugust

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