Buffalo River State Park Campground

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.

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.

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.

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

Coldest shower ever other than that nice place quiet

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

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...

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.

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.

$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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lots of grass, near woods, clean bathrooms, free shower!

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.

The camp host and fellow campers were all very nice!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Overnight stop! We stayed on outside by prairie and the quietness, and beautiful wildflowers are great! A train goes by in the distance every few hours! Not bad! Reminds us of home..

Buffalo river is not our favorite State Park but it is close to family and friends in the Fargo Morehead area. For the most part it’s just really mosquitoey. Make sure you bring bug spray. The campsites aren’t quite as spread out as some of the other state parks and it’s not as wooded as you’re in the plains. some of the sites have more trees than others.

We will go back because it’s convenient. You are also fairly close to the Detroit Lakes area. That is a fun place to visit and do some shopping.

Nice, small campsite. We stayed a couple of times late summer/early fall 2019. Bummer was the swimming beach was closed for the summer. Some trails that were nice to check out. Electric hook-ups. No playground. Definitely recommend sites on the outer loop, especially along the tree line. Great colors in the fall!

• This was my first time seeing a prairie. It was a really neat experience.
• This Minnesota state park is just outside of Fargo,ND, so it makes for a great get away in nature just outside of the hustle and bustle of the city.
• I recommend camping in one of the sites beside the Prairie.
• Extremely clean bath houses.
• Beware of mosquitos!

It looks like improvements are underway! We plan on going back when the weather is warmer.