Forestville Mystery Cave State Park Campground

Stayed here one night in early may and hiked the big spring trail. Site #42 was private with partial shade and a very nice and level gravel tent pad. The site was plenty big with plenty of room for activities. The shower facilities were very clean, same story for the latrines.

For a campground that’s not too far out of the way, you feel so secluded and hidden away in the woods. Its quiet and really easy to get some solitude.

This is a pretty great campground with mostly large, private sites. Not all sites are level and there’s little to no cell coverage. The tours of the cave and historic Forestville are extra costs and are only available Thursday - Saturday

Campsites are flat and grassy. They back up to each other so good for groups camping together. Has horse tie ups and great trails

Bathrooms are close to camp. Camp sites are close to eachother, but there is tons of camping to get away!

This was a nice campground with private sites. We were in site 70e and was very private and close the the showers. Lots of great hiking and forestville is very charming but tours were not running due to COVID. There was no AT&T cell coverage.

I’m probably a little biased. My parents started coming to this park to ride horses in the 70s. We spent at least 3wks every year here when I was a kid trail riding, hiking, even tubing down the Root River (there’s no commercial tubing available and you have to get up and walk through rocky shallow spots, so it isn’t ideal for this, but tell my 10yr old self that).

I stayed here recently in the “people campground.” I hiked 12mi in one day and had a great time. The campsite itself was great—privacy and no loud neighbors. I always make sure to stay in spots without electric if possible to escape the culture and noise that accompanies RV camping. Site #4 isn’t very level, but it backs up to the river and the access trail out of the campground. Forestville never disappoints me—I even randomly ran into my own uncle while hiking!

We tent camped here and loved it. We were able to do a lot of trail exploring and had a great time on the “scenic” cave tour. The trails were well maintained but difficult to understand in some places as signage was lacking.

There is a primitive loop with pit toilets, a tent loop with no electricity but access to showers and flush toilets, and a trailer loop with all accommodations.

There are great cold water trout streams that are shallow enough to wade in and play in if the weather is warmer. Hiking trails of varying skill levels but all in mostly wooded areas. Forestville townsite is closed during the week but you can wander around the outside of the buildings and site. No gates or posted restrictions.

Grear family camp area!

Mystery Cave State Park is surrounded in in a lush green forest with huge oak and maple trees that hang over the road like a huge living canopy. My new word while we stayed there was “Forresty” due to feeling like we had entered a different world. There are so many activities to do both within the park and surrounding areas, but my most favorite thing to do was walk the endless miles of hiking trails. (Word to the wise, some of the trails are hiking/equestrian so watch your step😂) We didn’t do our homework, but if we would have known, we would have brought our fishing rods as the rivers were full of trout!!

We arrived at 2:00pm on Saturday, after a long 5 hour drive from northern Minnesota. It was amazing to watch the landscape change from iron ore mining pits to countless acres of corn and potatoes!! Check in time is 4:00pm, but our spot was empty when we arrived, so the park rangers let us set up early (Friendly and most helpful!!) We grabbed a bundle of wood for $6.00 for a campfire while we were at the park office. (that is pretty normal rates as you can’t bring in your own wood at State Parks in Minnesota) There are 3 different loops, an additional equestrian loop, and 5 cabins. We stayed in loop “C” with has bigger sites for RV’s and offers electricity. Loops “A” and “B” have smaller sites (still big!!) and both of those loops are non-electric. None of the sites are “full” hook up, but there is a dump station & fresh water fill right off the park office. The restrooms and showers are just off of the “C” loop, as was the amphitheater, and there are garbage/recycling bins every 4-5th site. The park was very noisy, but that all changed when most of the folks left Sunday. It was very peaceful the rest of the week.

There are so many things outside the park to do too!! We were not aware, but the Mystery Cave is a short drive from the state park. We took the scenic tour, and our guide Kip was fantastic!!! Hey let everyone ask all the questions they wanted to, and didn’t rush us at all!! The rate is $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids 5-12, and kids under 5 go for free. The pictures just don’t do it justice!! The next day we drove to Masonic Park in Spring Valley and we were amazed by the sheer size of the rock face!! There is no charge to picnic or visit there and there is one spot for camping, but you need to get permission from the city before doing so. We also toured Niagra Cave which is a longer drive, but well worth it!! The underground waterfall was super cool!! They charge $16.00 per adult, kids 4-12 are $10.00, and children under 4 are free.

All in all this was a great get away for our family, and I highly recommend staying at the park:)

Forestville is a quaint state park with a lot of interesting history. It can be a little confusing because the camping and mystery caves are a distance apart. I highly recommend going to the caves. They are very intriguing but bring a jacket because it is quite cold down there. Lanesboro MN is close by too which is a cool town to visit with small town shops and cool bars.

I've been here twice and it's always been great. The cave tours are well done and the sites are scenic and tucked into the woods. There is also a winery (Four Daughter) not far away that's more than worth stopping at.

This campground is eh. Its very dewy and wet, not because it rained or anything but because the vegetation is very thick. We walked around the historic town of Forestville at night and it was really really creepy. There is no flush toilets. There are port-o-potties and water pumps. We stopped here for the last night of our road trip because we couldn't make it home in one shot. I wouldn't stop here again because it was so wet and just a forest.

Fun visit to the park and historic Forestville. We did not see the caves. Camp ground was nice. Adequate shower facilities. Very nice trail system, very will maintained trails all through park. Historic Forestville is a fun stop (additional $). We had some wet weather come through, but because of the sandy soils, things dried out and drained very quickly.

I camped in the A Loop, site 13. Wonderful area, quiet, scenic campgrounds. Vault toilets with one shower house. Many miles of trails, great fishing and scenery!! Definitely will return! Cave was neat! I hadn't been there since I was a kid. Neat formations and knowledgeable tour guides.

I came here to explore the caves and it blew me away. I think the cave was around 12-13 miles long and there was water and different formations. The floor was really wet so bring shoes you wont slip in. This was worth the time and an experience you wont forget

I loved the campground area which nestled in a small valley. On top of that it has this awesome living history 1800's village managed by the Minnesota Historical Society. There's also a very interesting cave with a museum and all the talactites, stalagmites, and underground pools you can imagine.