Great River Bluffs State Park Campground

The park is very easy to get to right off the highway. We were greeted by a beautiful meadow with a very well maintained gravel road, stopped by the info station and bought wood and a parking pass (pass is required and is 7$ for one day, easy online purchase). The sites are a bit of a ways into the park but with that maintained road it was very easy. The facilities are great. Very clean bathroom with nice showers (cold water then warmed up). The campground was quiet but there were still a good amount of people staying as well. We stayed just one night and were very happy with this area! Really pretty

Beautiful area with very nice trails. 20-30 mins to Winona, 20 mins to La Crosse. Not a huge site selection, but very nice sites. My wife and I try to go there as much as we can!

The cart in sites all have a fire pit with a grill, picnic table, and are a short walk from the primitive toilets. There is a water spigot in the parking area. They have 4-5 wheelbarrows to use as carts to get your stuff to the site. Each site could comfortably hold 3 to 4 tents. They are on a path for an out and back hike so expect some passers by. Cart in 1 and 2 are fairly close to the parking area and are less secluded from each other. 3 and 4 are more secluded. Site 3 offers more shade and 4 looks to have recently had some trees cut down and is fairly open air. Overall the trails are well maintained and accessible from the cart in area. They provide some nice views of the river and you can easily hike the area in a day. It’s by no means a secluded area if you’re looking to get away from road noise or other people. All in all it makes for a nice weekend getaway.

Stayed here in the fall. Had a site right next to the bathroom big enough for 2 tents and 2 vehicles. Hikes here offer great views of the river and bluffs and the fall colors are gorgeous!!! site came with a fire pit with grate and a picnic table. I did not use the grate for cooking as I camp with a blackstone as grates tend to be dirty. When I do use the fire for cooking, I always use a cast iron pan rather than cooking directly on the grate. pictures are from before my friend arrived with their vehicle and tent. They parked directly in front of my car and put their tent near the parking barricade close to the bathroom. My dog enjoyed all the room he had at this site!

Stayed here one night on way to YNP.  Very nice and quite.  Clean flush toilets.  There are no hook ups.

The road in is long gravel road, but smooth.  The sites are short and tree branches low.  We have 10 foot high 19 foot travel trailer and it was fine for us.  I think for any unit more than 30 feet will have trouble.

We liked it as overnight stop.

Great trails! Easy to access trails from the campground. Bathroom is decent and offers a couple of showers.

They have gravel on all there campsites with tents horrible on the tent put a hole inn the bottom of the tent with sharp gravel. I would bring a padded floor with next time.

the view was amazing. The campsites were very small. And KEEP BARKING DOGS AT HOME PLEASE.

Got here late. Woke up with 30 bites on my legs and arms. Sites were extremely pretty but I come from dry areas so I wasn’t expecting it but 10/10 would do it again.

Great views of the driftless region. Lots of incredible overlooks just a short hike away. Gravel access road. Sites are small and some are not very level. No electric hookups. Be aware that the only water fill is about 75 feet from the road. The sites close to the water fill as seen on the map, would have closer access. 2 bars of Verizon LTE.

As expected, bugs are an issue in this woodsy campground.  Bathrooms had several issues but they were being addressed as we were there (ie broken sink).  There's some hiking trails and nice overlook of the Mississippi River.  Longish gravel road to get there, no sign of camp host.

Perfect for a quick night away from the twin cities. Several small hikes to the bluffs right from the campground loop. Solid campground all around.

We stayed at cart in site 4, which was the best of the 4 options. It’s at the end of a lookout trail that has amazing sunrise/sunset views. The hiking in this park is really great, with some amazing lookouts. Only downside is that the hum of I-90 can be heard at night.

I enjoy camping away from the hub bub of the family campground and opting for the backpack or cart in sites. Luckily, Great River Bluffs has some of the nicest cart ins I have encountered.

The 5 sites are well spaced out with lots of trees, nice flat tent pads, a newer clean vault and good fresh water both within a short distance of all the sites.

The surrounding hiking trails feature incredible views of the Mississippi River valley, high upon a bluff. The sites are away from the heavy foot traffic of picnic areas and primary hiking trails, though during the day there will be a few hikers walking the trail down the middle of the cart site trail to get to a fantastic lookout site. There weren't tons of people but it might bother those that don't want to see anyone while there.

There are two vault toilets. One at the parking lot and one between camp site 3 and 4. If you want a shower, you have to drive up to the family campground which is a good half mile away.

Small rustic campground with no hookups or electrical sites which is perfect if you are tent camping! Sites are smaller but nice, the outer sites have better privacy with most inner sites backing up to the restrooms. The hiking here is amazing with numerous lookout points to see the river from the bluffs. There are short and long hikes to get to the views, so it’s good for all levels of hiking. Overall this campground has a lot to offer and we will definitely go back!

Campground has a lot of dense undergrowth and trees separating campsites some neighbors are visible but seem far enough away. Nice bathroom/shower facilities

My friends and I have mixed feelings about this place. We thought it was beautiful. Loved our quick hikes (don’t need more than 2.5 hours here to hike a lot of the trails).

We camped one night here at the cart in campsites. Sites were nice with fire pits , nearby vault toilets (2 of them and super clean with TP and hand sanitizer), and an easy path to get to and from car. Site 4 recently had all the trees cut down.

However, two thirds of us slept no more than 4 hours total. Highway noise from the highway running along the river and from I-90 (while not really noticeable during the day) is ridiculously loud at night. [I live on the main street through Uptown Minneapolis—I can sleep through a lot of traffic noise—but this was loud!] Added to this were the half dozen trains that ran through the night (horns going off too) AND the light aircraft flying into Lacrosse airport (which is only 10-15 mins away).

I would never camp here again. Which is a shame because the campsites are great.

Will visit again

I've stayed at this park numerous times in their cart-in sites. The first two are lack luster since the campers in sites 3 and 4 will be walking right by and fairly close to your site. The last site (which I believe is four) is great. Fairly secluded, not a far hike and provides space for a tent and/or a hammock. Hiking in the park in nice but not a full-days worth. I would say this park would be nice for a arrive Friday night, pack up, hike saturday and head home.

What a beautiful & peaceful gem of a place in south eastern Minnesota! Came here knowing that besides the mini hikes and river/valley overlook views and birdwatching, there weren’t much activity, which we were fine with since we were just looking to relax. The views are breathtaking! The sites are a bit too close to each other, but do offer enough privacy. We saw a cardinal and 3 hummingbirds because they came to hang out right in our campsite! The fireflies at night were an added bonus!

Great River Bluff State Park is located outside of Winona, MN. The trails at this park are very easy to hike with hardly any incline. The trail system is well mapped and easy to direct yourself through

I found the campsites to be very simple. Each site did have a picnic table and fire ring. The mosquitos were very bad when I visited. I suggest going in late fall when the weather is cooler.

Spent the whole day hiking the Great River Bluffs. The trail system is very well labeled with maps along each trail. The trail system is mostly level and I would label as easy hiking with rolling hills. The park contains two viewing areas King’s and Queen’s Bluff.

The campsites are spacious, completely shaded, and have a fire pit as well as picnic tables. Since the park is in a heavily wooded area you do have to watch out for the Minnesota state bird (the mosquito).

Tips:

• Bring bug spray
• Bring binoculars; the river valley is a great viewing area for waterfowl, eagles, and hawks.

What's Appealing?

This campground is nestled in the woods above the Mississippi River. There's a beautiful view from King's Bluff Overlook which is about a 2.5 mile roundtrip from the parking area. You could make it about 5.5 miles if you hike from campground. There are also short walks to a few other overlooks.

We were just spending the night but I'm not sure there's anything else to do. The information sheet says there are 7 miles of hiking trails, but there really isn't anything interesting other than the overlooks. It was a quiet place for a one night stay.

I think fall would be the best time to visit after the mosquitoes are gone and when the leaves have turned. Winter would also be good. There are 9 miles of groomed X-country ski trails; you need a MN Ski Pass.

The Basics

There are 31 pull in/back in sites (38 is the highest number but some numbers are skipped), 4 cart in sites, and 5 sites for bicyclists (off the Great River Road bike route below the campground across from the Mississippi River). The sites are spacious and shaded and have a picnic table and fire pit.

Very Basic Campground

There's a bathroom with toilets, showers, and sinks. The showers are push button so you get no heat control and the water shuts off after about 30 seconds. There are also pit toilets that may be closer to your site. Drinking water and trash dumpsters are near the bathroom.

Cost

It's $19 plus the $7 MN state park fee. There was no camp host on site, but I saw a ranger drive through. We have a MN parks sticker on our window and paid online the day we came in because the office was closed. There was no online reservation fee when we paid online on the day of our stay.

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Lots of trails climbing the bluffs. Breathtaking scenery in the wide open areas. Campsites are clean and bathrooms are near by.

I love this area as the bluffs are stunning. It's Minnesota's little Switzerland. The park isn't much to look at and there's only a few look-out point onto the Mississippi but its a nice little campground.