Red Fox Campground — Minneopa State Park

We’re headed west and needed a place to recharge and shower and rest. This was such a sweet camping spot. We pulled in at sunset and saw the bison herd and it was beautiful. I expected a call office to check in at and didn’t see it so finding the site was a little difficult but we managed! So cute and worth spending more time at!

Great little park bathrooms are very clean! They are just long drop toilets though. Tried to book online as there is no in person drop box. Can only pay online. I found the site to not be very mobile friendly. Kept kicking us out of selected field. Had to call to pay for the site. They were very friendly over the phone, though there was a pretty long wait time.

Have to pay for a separate vehicle pass but that gets you access to the bison refuge and the water fall.

Was a great .6 mile hike from the campground down to the river with a great sunset view over the water.

My journey to visit all 64 MN State Parks lead me through Minneopa State Park. Stayed in February and was surprised that we had so many neighbors. Campsites are not very private. I could hear all my neighbors voices. The cool thing about the park is the walk and/or drive through the Bison sanctuary. The ranger was on a power trip, so That turned me off. Still, made the most of it and nights under the stars are always a good time.

Most of the sites are roomy enough but not a lot of privacy. Short walk to water/bathrooms.

We stayed at A24 and A26. Overall, nice spots and were easy to find, and an easy walk to the bathrooms (which were standard but good). Theres a “little library” by them too with a small picnic table for kids. Your sites all face each other completely so don’t expect any privacy (it’s a campground so not that you should expect that usually).

Like others said, A24 is huge and has a beautiful tree in the middle, but it currently has a blue stripe around it which might mean it’s getting chopped or is sick?? (Photo attached) I think you’d lose a lot of your tree cover if they take it down.

Tons of mosquitoes like at many parks this year.

This park has one of my favorite sites. The site for your tent is up a short walkway from where you park your car. My dog loves the bison drive! Firepit and picnic table provided. wood is available for purchase at the office. Shower and bathroom facility was clean and close to this campsite. Be sure to visit the waterfall in the other section of the park nearby! Will be returning this summer! Please note, raccoons are in the area, so please be kind to mother nature and keep your food and trash secure!!

We stayed in site A24. It’s a huge campsite, with trees all around. There are bits of view between the trees.

The bathroom has nice showers, and running water in the sinks, but has pit toilets.

Big sites with plenty of trees. Small hikes to river and waterfalls. A short drive to see the bison. Excellent 2 day visit. The town of Mankato is 10 min away with breweries and restaurants

This campground was on the small side with sites close together. They have a Buffalo drive trail to see the 30 Buffalo they have in the park. The Waterfalls are a short drive to the other side of the park. With great hiking trails down to the bottom of the falls.

This was a smaller campground with only a few electric spots. The bison loop is a cool feature in the park. There was nice hiking trails. The down fall to this campground is the falls are not within walking distance from the campground. The cell phone coverage was good in the campground.

Campground was small and dusty, but they had a cool bison range you could drive through and a waterfall right up the street for a small fee of $7.

Sites are so close to each other its like your camping with your neighbors. They are clean and typically quiet though so it's a great place to go.

Beautiful drive along CR 169 MN scenic byway! The park itself is different because right outside the campgrounds is a live herd of bison that you can drive thru for viewing!🦬

Best known for its waterfalls and trails alongside the Mississippi River! 💦

The park and waterfall are very pretty. The bison will walk right up to your vehicle for some great photos! Our campsite was loud however. Trains and vehicles flying by all night. The campground was clean and you have space between your neighbors!

This campground is definitely an awesome spot to spend the night. We arrived there around sundown, and set up camp in the spot we reserved. The view was absolutely beautiful over the hills, with the forest giving us cover from the bright sun rays in the a.m. Slight warning though, if you aren’t an early riser the sun might not be a problem but the railroad is right behind most of the sites and we did hear a couple trains go by. We headed out early in the morning, unfortunately too early to drive through the bison range but we did stop to see the beautiful waterfall on the other side of the highway exiting the campsite. Would 100% come again, and hopefully check out the range. Side note, drive slowly on the gravel road we saw a lot of little bunnies and they hop everywhere regardless of cars!

This is a decent park but the sites aren't too far off the road and many back up to rail tracks with the sound of passing trains day and night. There is an active herd of bison on the park grounds. They are fenced off from the rest of the park with enough prairie land that you don't always see them.
There are surrounding parks and bike trails that make for nice day trips along the Minnesota River Valley. For a newer park, I would have hoped that they would have taken more care to lay out the campsites to offer a quieter and more private camp setting.

Such a beautiful park with so much to offer, located practically downtown Mankato in a river valley, you get the delight of being 10 minutes from a great brewery!

The waterfalls are an easy walk from your car but the real treat is the bison range! When we visited the bison herd was right near the front gate so we didn’t even have to drive very far to have bison surrounding our car. But stay in your car! These bad boys can easily crush you so drive cautiously and respectfully!

Our campsite was very wooded but beautiful!

Everything you expect from a state park.

After reading all of the wonderful reviews, I was a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it is because we arrived after a rainy period. Many of the sites in the A Loop were flooded or muddy and there was only one site occupied. B Loop was a bit better and there were a few more people there. Some sites in the A Loop overlook the river valley through trees but they are directly over railroad tracks so you will hear loud trains. No flush toilets but for pits (A Loop has sinks and a shower), reasonably clean. However I would not choose sites closeby because the fans are quite loud. Bison viewing road was cool and leads to the rebuilt granary (all that remains from a mill). Waterfall (across the street and about a mile from campground) is nice. Unless you hike the Minnesota River Bluff trail, you could easily see the bison, granary, and waterfalls in half a day, making this good for just a one night stay.

After Seeing the Buffalo in South Dakota I just had to go see them again somewhere but South Dakota was too far away. Maybe open a state park offers a ton of things to do with seeing the Buffalo along the road

I have visited here a few times before. However, this time I was able to camp overnight on a trek toward Minneapolis. Another relatively small campground, but well shaded and ample spacing between sites. I unhitched the trailer and immediately headed for the Bison drive. Took a leisurely ride to Seppman Mill and was able to view the buffalo on the return trip. The next morning, I headed out early to geocache 2 other State Parks in the area. Electric sites, fill up your water holding tank and dump your tanks upon leaving. Be sure the enjoy the Minneopa Falls located in another part of the park. Oh yea, the park is split and divided by a highway and a railroad. Just don't miss both the waterfalls and the Bison drive/Mill.

Site 10

Campgrounds are somewhat private and pretty standard for a state park. the waterfalls are beautiful. The drIve through the bison herd area was really cool! would highly recommend. the hiker’s club trail was mostly prairie and some wooded areas and mostly flat. A really nice park.

Minneopa State Park is located near Mankato, MN. Minneopa is a smaller campground with only 12 sites maybe. They have multiple group camping sites that are secluded. They have a lot of trails. The buffalo are close to the campground and the other half of the state park is about half a mile away. That section has more trails and a large waterfall you can walk down too. It’s all prairie land so easy to walk around.

The campsites are very clean and within walking distance to the bathrooms. They also have plenty of room for several people in the sites. The area where the buffalo are is very wild and abundant for them. Lots of other animals are there to roaming around freely.

What a great place to camp! There are several beautiful things to see in this park. I actually made 2 trips. Gorgeous waterfall from any and everywhere you view it. Don't miss out! Take the trail down and around to get a lower view of the fall! Hopefully, you are there during a day/time when the Buffalo gate is open. The drive up to Seppman Mill is fabulous! First time I went it was closed, but luck was on my side on my return visit.

The waterfall brought me here it was awesome my little one loved the adventure. Close to the town of Mankato as well.

We arrived late but our site was marked reserved for us. Signage was good. Site was clean and well laid out.

Park was active but at 10pm everything was quiet and we were the only group with a fire. Not for partiers. Family friendly. Waterfall and buffalo were cool.