Big Bog State Recreation Area

Big Bog is a beautiful state park and the facilities are great. In October, campers are few. There are flush toilets and hot showers (and they keep their water turned on longer than most state parks in Minnesota who usually close the shower houses on Oct 7). Serene. The rent boats. Red Lake is beautiful. The Big Bog is fascinating. In October there are no mosquitos or annoying insects.

We decided last minute to see if Big Bog had camping spots available during a busy month and on the weekend. They did! And quite a few available. The campsites are very close together so you will have interactions with your neighboring campers. This was fine with us but if you want more privacy this is NOT your spot. They had kayaks, canoes and paddle boards available to rent. The price was very reasonable. We loved kayaking on the water and even found a little peaceful inlet to kayak. It was very peaceful. Excellent place to visit. The Big Bog Boardwalk feels like you are walking amongst the treetops. Don't miss it!

I came across BB by accident a few years ago - last minute camping trip in the summer in MN is never going to work out well. The main campground was booked but there was a weird site between the ranger station and the loop so I took a shot. BINGO. They have a site - 31 - that is perfect. About 5x the size of a normal site (perhaps a group site?). No neighbors. Primitive but the campground only has 31 sites so you’re never far away from water, showers, or the ranger station. Cannot recommend highly enough. The main campground backs up to the Tamarack River which flows to Red Lake. Across the road from the camp is Red Lake recreation area. You can w a l k out into the lake for what seems like miles. Very family friendly. There are sites with docks into the river and there is boat access in the campground. Cabins are available as is firewood and an electric charge port for e-vehicles.

Great Campground, we were 1 of only 2 campers there. We went to the Upper Red Lake Beach, right across the street from the Cabins. We also drive to the upper unit and hiked the Big Bog Boardwalk, which was actually light filtering metal - no boards. The bog land was fascinating and the carnivorous plants were beautiful. Bog walk was about 1 mile, one way.

Anxious to get camping after a Covid winter, we headed to Big Bog for a 3 day RV trip. The campground was nearly empty, which is always a bonus.

The campground has numerous sites next to the Tamarack River. Many have small docks where you can park your own or a rented boat. Our site was spacious and a row of shrubs and small trees screened the site on one side. Due to Covid the showers and toilets were not open. The water spigots were still shut off due to weather that is still dipping down to freezing.

Northern Red Lake beach is across the highway from the campground. Still too cold to swim, but there are two short trails that start at the beach parking lot. We saw Trumpeter Swans, Eagles and Mergansers.

The 500 square mile Big Bog is a beautiful and interesting sight. About 7 miles farther north on the highway is the mile long "boardwalk" into the bog. It is actually a cleverly routed aluminum walkway that goes deep into the bog with info stations giving info about the wildlife, biology and history of the area. Too early for many birds and all flowers, we did see hundreds of pitcher plants along the walkway.

We would like to visit again in late May or June to see the other bog wildflowers like Sundew and several bog orchids like the tiny Dragon's Mouth.

Site 15 was a complete bog. Swamp all around the camper. The entire site, aside from the parking pad, was soggy and wet. The mosquitos were horrid -coming from a MN girl-it was bad. Planned for 3 nights, left after 1. Would be a nice place if you were planning on spending no time by the fire and all the time on the boat.

The water is high right now so some of the amenities and campsites are water logged. Sites 1-7 were in great spots with waterfront but crammed together. They could use two less sites. I was in site three and it is squeezed in by 2 and 4. Loads of boats and people fishing as the lake is 5 min boat ride away. The river is perfect for trolling and catching. I chose to kayak the river for 5 hours and saw lots of people. Lots of people catching fish. I also saw you can rent kayak or canoes from the main office which is nice for younger kids. The DNR told me on windy days the river gets crowded so beware. The river is a no to low wake zone so easy to kayak around boats. Plenty of nature to look at while you are in the water.

The cabins look like a lot of fun for a family. Cozy but secluded from the rest of the campground.

Bathrooms were closed due to Covid but shower houses were nice and clean.

The beach and marina trail were not much to speak up but they are there. Gas state is close for ice and sodas. Not much else is near tho so make sure you stock up prior to arriving.

Quality place to camp. Near the Highway but quiet at nite. Great Showers fish cleaning room and bath rooms, docks with fishing and access to Red Lake with the river and the Fire Look Out Tower that is a Destination that I would recommend. But the Camp sites are VERY close The there is no privacy but is a chance being so near to everyone to make friends but understand that before you go or you will not be pleased.

This campground is great for fisherman and a great place to stay if you are interested in studying rare bog plants. The campsites are pretty good, some are nicely set right on the Tamarack River with their own dock, but some are set right on the edge of nearby Hwy 72 which would be a real drawback. There are also 6 nice camper cabins set off in a more secluded spot by the river. There is an interesting visitor center and fire tower, and a decent beach across the way on upper Red Lake. For fishermen, this location offers fishing on the big Red Lake, or on the Tamarack River, but otherwise thete is not a whole lot to do here. The Big Bog itself is actually 10 miles north, it features a mile long boardwalk into a very unique bog and muskeg, which is very interesting, there are some associated short trails, this location is good for a day trip. For providing a camping or hiking experience, this park campground is ok, but probably not a good spot for an extended vacation, unless you are coming for the fishing in which case it would be a 5 star opportunity

I stayed here one New Year's in a camper cabin equipped with space to sleep 5 or 6, a propane stove, and warm, clean bathrooms and showers at the visitor center. A short walk through the bog was beautiful!

I just learned about this gem a few days ago, so we made a reservation and ended up with a site right on the Tamarac River which empties into Upper Red Lake just outside the campground. It is a fairly new state park, so the amenities were very nice ~ a clean and fresh shower/restroom building, a very nice fish cleaning building with multiple cleaning stations, and many docks along the river to tie your boat, fish off, or just sit in the sun and read a book. We enjoyed climbing the fire tower, renting a canoe and paddling the Tamarac River, and going for a morning run on the Big Bog Boardwalk. I give it 4 stars for 2 reasons; it is the only state park I know of that doesn't sell ice, and I wish our site had been mowed more recently. However, we had a great couple days and will definitely go back!