Buffalo River State Park Campground

Hiking enthusiasts will find over five miles of trails winding through prairie and woodland at Buffalo River State Park Campground, located 30 minutes east of Fargo near Glyndon, Minnesota. The campground features two distinct loops: a larger electric loop with 50/30/20 amp hookups accommodating RVs up to 50 feet, and a smaller non-electric loop that appeals to tent campers and hammock enthusiasts seeking tree coverage.

Sites along the electric loop's even-numbered side back up to an open prairie meadow, providing wildlife viewing opportunities and expansive views. The odd-numbered sites face mature woodland, offering more shade and privacy screening between campsites. Road access proves straightforward with wide paths that accommodate larger RVs without tree interference, though campers report consistent highway and train noise throughout the night from nearby transportation corridors.

The campground's trail system connects directly from campsites, allowing hikers to explore both prairie wildflower areas and riverside woodland sections. Patrick M. notes hiking options ranging from "15 minutes to two hours" with his preferred route taking "about an hour, half in the prairie and half along the river." The swimming area remains closed seasonally, but the Buffalo River provides fishing access for those willing to hike the trail system.

The bathhouse receives consistent praise for cleanliness and includes hot showers, flush toilets, and a dish-washing station. Cell coverage runs strong with Verizon showing three bars, and Starlink satellite internet works despite the tree canopy. The dump station and potable water fill sit conveniently at the park entrance. Firewood costs $8 and ice $3 at the office.

Reservations can be made online upon arrival until 10 PM, though campers should budget for both the camping fee and the $7 daily park entry fee. The campground operates April through November, with October offering cooler temperatures for those seeking relief from summer heat and humidity.

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Location

Public Campground

Buffalo River State Park Campground is located in Minnesota

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Moorhead, go 14 miles east on U. S. Highway 10 and follow the signs to the park.

Address

565 155th Street S.
Glyndon, MN 56547

Coordinates

46.86427682 N
96.47009666 W

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Connectivity

  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 4/24/26
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 14 users
    Last on 4/24/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 12 users
    Last on 4/24/26

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Connectivity

  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 2 users
    Last on 4/24/26
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 14 users
    Last on 4/24/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T5G
    Excellent Coverage
    Verified by 12 users
    Last on 4/24/26

Access

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Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Showers
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • 50 Amp Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Drive Time


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Reviews

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4.0

out of 5

43 Reviews

Many campers appreciated the spacious, well-maintained sites with clean bathhouse facilities and helpful hosts. Train noise and mosquitoes were occasional complaints, but most found it a peaceful base for prairie hiking near Fargo.

Reviewed Aug. 28, 2025

One nighter

Easy access, must have state recreation pass for vehicle. Mosquitoes galore. Electric hookups at site.

Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2025

Pretty but mosquito city

Spent all of an hour outside. It's impossible to enjoy this pretty place . The mosquitos are absolutely ridiculous. Constantly swarm you. We had 2 thermacells out and we were covered in ranger ready repellant. My 2 go tos when it comes to mosquitos. While they worked somewhat, some of these mutants didn't seem bothered in the least. There were some hovering barely 6 inches above the thermacell fog. My husband is dumping the tanks as I write this and they are literally swarming the truck. Were out of here thankfully. Such a shame we couldn't enjoy this pretty park.

Site14E
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2025

Clean Green

I chose Buffalo River based on the previous reviews and it did not disappoint. This being a quick overnight, I couldn’t hope for anything better!

While I got in late, the registration was all online (open til 10pm) and the reception was strong. There were plenty of spots to choose from with a good amount of space. However, the website on this app is not correct and I ended up waiting until I got here.

Luckily, it all worked out! I was grateful to end up here. Especially for a hot shower in a generally clean/well-maintained facility. It was an added bonus waking up under a green canopy and sunshine.

Site39
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Maddy T., August 26, 2025
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Maddy T., August 26, 2025
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Maddy T., August 26, 2025
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 20, 2025

Spacious spot, with water and toilets nearby

The campsite was spacious and nicely kept. There was a water filling station and toilets and showers near by. It was great. To s of mosquitos though make sure you have spray

Month of VisitAugust
  • the drive out
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  • nearby
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  • this was a great market nearby
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  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jul. 4, 2025

Meticulously Maintained Campground Along a River

Spectacularly well-maintained campground along the Buffalo River in western Minnesota, half an hour east of Fargo, ND.  Two small loops of campsites, one with electrical service and the other without.  We stayed in the larger loop with electrical service: half the loop backing up against the prairie (lower numbers) and the other half backing up against the woods (higher numbers).  Well spaced sites, with some screening between sites.  Very clean bathhouse (appears new) with flush toilets, hot showers and a dish-washing station.  Several looping hiking trails start in and around the campground, so you can put together a hike from 15 minutes to two hours.  Ours was about an hour, half in the prairie and half along the river.  Friendly and helpful staff/rangers.

Site26E
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Patrick M., July 4, 2025
Reviewed Jun. 21, 2025

Plain, but overall a nice place to stay

Great facilities, a nice state park close to Fargo, but overall plain and skippable unless you want something close by.  I wouldn't go out of your way to check out this park.  The river access requires a .5 mile walk and there really isn't much to do or anything unique to see.

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 18, 2025

A Quiet gem 💎

If you want the best kept state park I have seen this is the place. Beautiful, quiet, well maintained, and wildlife give this park a perfect 10 for me. Not a scrap of trash the restrooms clean and well stocked. You don’t have a pothole in site- heck not even a weed on the road. Sites are large and come with picnic tables and a fire pit you can also grill on. The sites are covered with lush live well manicured trees and they’ve taken the time to make nice. Greenway breaks between each campsite.

Site35
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by StaceeQ  Q., June 18, 2025
  • Nice walk to the bathhouse
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  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by StaceeQ  Q., June 18, 2025
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 1, 2025

Nice campground

Nice campground some hiking trails around this area. Dog friendly, and really nice camp host.

Sitesite number 28
Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Jul. 8, 2024

Brrrrrr

Coldest shower ever other than that nice place quiet

Site25
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Oct. 15, 2023

Nice Little State Park

This campground(CG) was easy to find. Because it was a Tuesday during the off-season, the check-in gate was not open, so we proceeded back to site 24, which was electric only(50/30/20 AMP) for our two-night stay. This small state park has many trees, but with the road being wide enough, the trees weren't in the way, and with no ditch this was an easy back-in. The sites here are also nicely spaced. A park ranger came by later and gave us our post and vehicle tags. There was highway and train noise. There are mature trees in the CG, but we were able to get enough north sky for Starlink. On Verizon, we got 3 bars. There is potable water at the dump station, which is at the park entrance. The shower/restroom facility was in good shape and clean. We enjoyed the trails, some interpretative, around this state park. As the nights were cooler, we opened our bedroom windows and noticed that trains ran almost continuously through the night. Overall, we had a good visit and would consider staying here again.

Site24
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by MickandKarla W., October 15, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by MickandKarla W., October 15, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by MickandKarla W., October 15, 2023
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2023

Everything you need

Good state park campground with everything you need. You can make your reservations online once you get there, and it’s nice because there’s no online transaction fee. But watch out that you pay the $7 daily state park entry fee as well as the camping fee, because otherwise you'll get a friendly visit from a ranger! 

 There are two loops, one slightly larger one with 50 and 30 amp power (no water or sewer) for $34, and one smaller one with no power for $24. We stayed in a power site because we couldn’t handle the heat anymore, otherwise the smaller one looked a little nicer and quieter and we would have stayed there. 

Showers were nice and clean and free. Bathrooms were nice. 

Very nice walking trails all around the campground and throughout the park as a whole. Trash dumpsters here as well as an assortment of segregated recycle bins. Good cell reception with Verizon and ATT. Firewood available at office for $8 and ice for $3. 

Group camp is off from the main campground a ways, but connected via a little walking trail. There is a dump station and potable water fill at the campground exit. 

No drinking allowed at any Minnesota State Park campground!

  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Laura M., October 5, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Laura M., October 5, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Laura M., October 5, 2023
  • (20) View All
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2023

Cleanest Bathrooms / showers ever

Easy access from freeway. Level sites, though some close together. Beautiful quiet peaceful place. Dump station, electric hookups.

Site26
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Dan M., August 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Dan M., August 2, 2023
Reviewed Jul. 7, 2023

Lovely campground

Nice and clean campground with the best bathrooms we have been too...

good trail system with a walk through the prairie and/or by the river..the weather was perfect when we came, 75 and a breeze...

We had an incident with our cat. Cat got loose and everyone worked as a team to get him found. People were walking and looking for him. Posters went up around the grounds. We left our # with two campgrounds and as soon as they saw him 8 hours after he went missing, they called us and kept him contained. We appreciate everyone and their kind acts...

Site22
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Kristi D., July 7, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Kristi D., July 7, 2023
Reviewed Jun. 25, 2023

Quiet campground

We feel like we scored the best site in the campground by sheer luck. The even number sites along the open field side give you great views to be able to bird watch and wildlife viewing. . The bathhouse was clean. There is a dump station and a couple of places to fill your fresh water tanks if you are in a RV. . I do wish there was better access to the river from the campground. The trails didn’t really take you to the river.

Site16
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Shana D., June 25, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Shana D., June 25, 2023
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Shana D., June 25, 2023
  • (20) View All
Reviewed Jun. 14, 2023

Nice Park for a short stay

We stayed here for a weekend to try out our new camper someplace close to home. The park was nice and clean. The campground host came over and introduced himself and let us know he had firewood and could get ice if we needed it. There isn't much to do aside from some hiking and that's mostly grassy field area. If you are looking for a nice place to kick up and relax this is a good one.

Site27
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed May. 18, 2023

clean, many shaded sites

$24 for non-electric site + $7 for car permit.

Spacious site (#39)

Very few other campers on May 15, 2023 and we enjoyed the quiet.

Enjoyed hiking the easy trails with our dog.

Black flies just starting. 

Tics found us and dog.

Site39
Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2022

Nice state park

Great place for an overnight stop. This is as consistent as a MN state park can be - nice sites, mostly well spaced and accessible, with some hiking trails, dump station and brand new shower/restroom building. The night we were there had races going on at the nearby speedway - made it hard for campfire conversations. Good AT&T coverage.

Site28
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Deb M., August 29, 2022
Reviewed Aug. 16, 2022

Nice place - dont forget car permit

Few complaints. Shaded/well maintained campsites. Clean bathrooms, nice showers.

Just make sure you have a permit for every vehicle. $7 daily or $35 annual

Site40
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Aug. 14, 2022

Spacious sites

Our site was very spacious and easy to back into. There is a dump station and a fresh water fill station by the entrance to the campground.

Site33
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Aug. 12, 2022

Nice quiet campground

We camped here one night at the end of July as our first stop on a trip to Oregon. It was quiet on a Thursday. The swimming hole is closed this year so that probably kept some folks away.

We stayed in the electric loop as it's nice to charge things up for the next leg of the trip. They have non-electric tent sites as well.

Nice mature trees for shade. There is a large meadow with wild flowers and a trail next to the main campground. There were milkweed in bloom, wild roses and more.

Lots of trails and Buffalo River to explore.

Site2e
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by MARY K., August 12, 2022
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by MARY K., August 12, 2022
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by MARY K., August 12, 2022
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2022

Perfect in every way

Well maintained park and facilities. Smallish campground with electric hookups and nice sanitation station and water fill station. Everything from large class A to tents can fit in back in camp sites. Beautiful native prairie and river forest. Spotless and new shower house.

Site4e
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by mary F., August 4, 2022
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by mary F., August 4, 2022
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by mary F., August 4, 2022
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Mar. 31, 2022

Really nice campground

This was a really nice campground. It just has power at some of the sites and no water/sewer, but there is a dump station on the way in to fill up with water. The sites were nicely spaced and we had some shade. There were nice trails right from the campground. It was really quiet at night. This was one of our favorite campgrounds of our trip.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Tina , March 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Tina , March 31, 2022
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Tina , March 31, 2022
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Sep. 18, 2021

A classic campground

Pretty standard campgrounds in a state park. Not too crowded and everyone was friendly and respectful. Showers and toilets (we didn’t use them but they’re there). We just stayed for a quick overnight but it was mostly pretty quiet and pleasant. No real complaints.

Site40
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Jul. 29, 2021

Great Atmosphere

The camp host and fellow campers were all very nice!

Site17, 28, 34
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Apr. 7, 2021

Several decent hammock camping sites

As primarily a hammock camper I am often frustrated with trying to find sites online. So I wanted to say that Buffalo River State Park, in addition to some very good prairie and woodland trails, as some excellent sites for hammock campers. Specifically those in the non-electric sites. This park has nice bathrooms, a unique swimming area (when it is open) and nice flat sites. Also, prairie hiking is something every hiker ought to try. The plant bird and insect life is really accessible. It also makes you appreciate those shaded woodland walks. This park has both plus an interesting geological history and a sweet river.

SiteI have stayed in several
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Laurie , April 7, 2021
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Laurie , April 7, 2021
  • Review photo of Buffalo River State Park Campground by Laurie , April 7, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 23, 2020

Clean, cute and well located

This was an overnight while on a cross country trip. Even though the site is close to highway, it felt like we were in a more isolated campsite. The campsite was clean and shady. There is a swimming pool (closed for season) that looked like a nice place with a sandy bottom. There was a playground and some walking trails. I would stay here again. Bathrooms very clean.

Reviewed Sep. 19, 2020

Convenient, clean, and nice

The north campground loop is more RV-oriented, while the smaller south loop attracts the tents. The sites are fairly close together but those on the outside of the south loop have some vegetation to separate them so they feel reasonably private. Nice bathroom facilities, including an outdoor dishwashing sink, perfect for the COVID year. Several nice hiking opportunities leaving directly from the campground. This was one of the buggier campgrounds we experienced during our August trip, though. In all, a nice campground but nothing so special that you need to go far out of your way for it.

Site40
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Sep. 12, 2020

Great little campsite

This is a very well kept camping area. The sites are nicely situated. We stayed in the tent are (#39) and were very private from our right and left neighbors but others are directly across from us. The bathhouse is newer and extremely clean. Yes, the mosquitos are plentiful but it is because the woods and river which also make this place nice. Our only complaint was the nearby train traffic that came through all night. Definitely would use this as a stopover again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do visitor reviews say about Buffalo River State Park Campground?

Buffalo River State Park Campground offers a peaceful getaway with both wooded and prairie settings. Campers appreciate the quiet atmosphere, well-maintained trails, and stargazing opportunities away from city lights. The swimming area is a popular feature when open. Many visitors note the campground is ideal for beginning campers due to its flat terrain and accessible sites. While the natural setting is beautiful, mosquitoes can be abundant, so bug spray is essential. Some campers recommend sites along the tree line or those facing the prairie for the best experience.

What amenities and facilities are available at Buffalo River State Park Campground?

Buffalo River State Park Campground features electric hookup sites, a clean bathhouse in good condition, and well-maintained hiking trails. The park has a swimming beach (though it may be seasonally closed), separate RV and tent camping areas, and sites situated near the Buffalo River for water access. The north campground loop primarily accommodates RVs, while the smaller south loop is better suited for tent camping. Though there's no playground, the park offers open areas for lawn games and nature activities in the prairie landscape.

Where is Buffalo River State Park located in Minnesota?

Buffalo River State Park is located in western Minnesota, approximately 15 minutes (or about a 15-minute drive) from Fargo, North Dakota. This convenient location makes it an ideal nature getaway for those living in or visiting the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The park is surrounded by smaller towns where campers can pick up forgotten supplies. Its accessibility from urban areas combined with its prairie and riverside setting creates a perfect balance for those wanting to escape city life without traveling too far.

How do I make reservations at Buffalo River State Park Campground?

Reservations for Buffalo River State Park Campground can be made through the Minnesota State Parks reservation system. For best site selection, book early and consider requesting spots on the outer loop, especially those along the tree line or facing the prairie. These sites tend to offer more privacy and better views. Before finalizing your reservation, check if the swimming beach will be open during your planned visit, as this amenity is sometimes closed seasonally. Contact the Minnesota DNR for the most current reservation policies and fees.