Lake Carlos State Park Campground

The lower campground has electric sites and is situated along Lake Carlos but there is little privacy between sites (126 and 127). We camped with another family so it was nice to have the open space between our sites where the kids could play and run. The boat launch was quite busy and there seemed to be a lot of people not staying in the campground who use the park for the day. The hiking trail along the lake was busy but once we got a little farther out the trails were quiet and peaceful. The highway outside the park was loud at night, it sounded like people were drag racing the Friday and Saturday nights we stayed.

Busy park with great lake access

I camped here during an MEA weekend in October and even though we woke up to snow covering our tent, it was a great experience! The campground itself was located very close to the lake and offered nice amenities and privacy between sites.

Beautiful, even with the snow

Lots of sites with and without electricity. Sites are spacious with close access to the lake from any of the lower campground sites. Large beach area for swimming and pylons to tie up boats. Good trail system and a great swimming area. Nature center is really good and all of the staff are great and friendly. Definitely worth checking out.

Wonderful place for families. 

This is a great camp ground with upper and lower sites ! Great bathrooms and nice size camp sites. Enough electric and primitive sites :). Nice trails for hiking :)

Family fun!

One of our families favorite spots! 
make sure to get the lower campground my the water, it’s magical.. 
the only downfall is that the rangers take all rules very very very seriously. no hammocks on trees (hurts them), no picking up stray firewood, no clothes lines, on and on. 
with that said - we still come back year after year, just read all the fine print so you don’t expect one thing and the bust you for that tree killing hammock. 

the best - but ya gotta follow the rules 

I am from a suburb of Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota and we wanted to go camping with my in-laws who have horses. We needed a park that was close and had equestrian camping so we decided to go to Lake Carlos State Park. 

Lake Carlos State Park is roughly 2.5hours from the Twin Cities and is a beautiful getaway for a weekend trip. You can leave after work on a Friday and still have time to make it to the park, set up and still be able to cook dinner and enjoy a s’more or two. 

We booked site H3 in the equestrian campground which was a VERY open site right off the main loop in the equestrian campground. It was very sunny and barely any shade for the horses. The site were in was electric and there were only three non-electric sites in the equestrian campground. The other sites were awesome for shade but were still super open to everyone. 

There were great trails for hiking and horseback riding. They also allowed mountain biking on the trails. 

The staff at the office were super friendly and they talked to us for about 15 minutes. Their store in the office was pretty great and they had everything from toys for the kids to s’mores stuff and stickers specific to the park. The firewood was pretty fast burning and cost 6$ a bundle so it was pretty spendy since we cook only over the fire. 

The main campground was VERY  busy and jammed packed. The sites were too close together and open for my comfort. 

The beach was very dirty and there were army worms everywhere crawling on everything. 

We took a little bike ride to the group camp which was an amazing area with a very nice shelter with electric. 

All in all, this is a good park to go to if you are looking for a park close to the twin cities metro area. 

Beautiful but a bit crowded

Leap Day 2/29/20-3/1/20 Frog Pond

We headed to Lake Carlos for their candlelight ski, this was our first visit to this state park. Tent camping wasn’t available and we were able to reserve a camper cabin - Frog Pond. It was a nice change and a warmer option, the cabin is gorgeous!  Frog Pond sleeps 6 with heat and electricity.  There are 4 cabins that share 2 vault toilets. 

It was a beautiful 38 degree Leap Day and we took advantage of it. They offer a large number of ski trails so we xcountry skied before dark. The trails were icy, but still enjoyable.  At dark we headed to the candlelight event. It was very busy and a huge turnout. We hiked 1.2 miles and then snowshoed 2.4 miles. There are ponds and bogs that they create snowshoe trails on, so there are even more trails to explore in the winter. It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed the wooded trails and starry skies.  We had a fire and enjoyed a normal outdoor cookout before bed.  

We did more skiing on Sunday and checked out the 2 campgrounds as they were on the ski route. One campground is on Lake Carlos and very open. Sites have beautiful lake views. You can apparently drive your boat right into a sandy shore and dock it. They also have a swimming beach. The other campground is a bit more wooded and more suited for tents.  This campground is near the camper cabins. The trails are very wooded and pretty. We enjoyed skiing the hiking club trail and ended up hitting almost every trail in our stay. I assume this park would be equally beautiful in the summer. What a beautiful state park!  

Beautiful camper cabin

Lovely lakeside spot

Excellent hiking trails away from the lake. Lake Carlos itself is fairly developed and busy with motor boats.  The campground was nearly full and clean.

Busy

Lots of screaming kids the weekend we were here, but we found the quiet trails. Lower campground offers no privacy, but a newer shower house and views and access to the lake. Upper campground has a handful of sites that are tucked into the woods and are really quite lovely.

Busy park, quiet trails

I came the end of June 2021. It was extremely low cost to camp, however you need to pay the $7 entry fee per day as well (yearly pass is $35). There are showers and bathrooms available. Camp site 16 was amongst trees and added privacy and shade, however this is a busy campground so expect people walking through. People did quiet down and respect quiet times 10 PM- 8 am. I went into surrounding towns during the day and my campsite was left alone, so it was very secure. 

Carlos State Park

Outstanding! Not hesitate, this place is fabulous. The bathrooms/showers are clean.  The sites are huge. The price cannot be beat for camping. 

Oustanding!

We have been camping here in the middle of October for about 5 years now. The views in the fall are amazing! There are awesome trails through the woods and the chance to see plenty of wildlife. I only gave it 4 stars because the park rangers were rather rude this year compared to years passed. The bathrooms and shower houses are very well kept and the water gets hot enough too!

Beautiful Place to Stay

There are plenty of campsite in the lower area that are very close to the water and good for RV people who do not care for privacy (like camping on a golf course).  If you want privacy, go for the upper area which is completely forested with plenty of trees and brush between sites.  I was in site 17 and was totally pleased... With one exception.

  

I paid full price for this site.  But, the restrooms. showers, and water were shut off.  If I am paying full high season rates, I want full services!!!!!!  I appreciate there is no padlocked gate keeping people out in the off season.  But, if it easy to turn off the water, showers, and bathrooms, it should also be easy to create a reduced rate for reduced services.  Some other County, State, and Federal campgrounds charge nothing for no services off season camping.  What is Minnesota's problem?  Give people what they pay for!!!  

  

This is purely a ripoff.  It left me with a very unpleasant memory of this area and Minnesota.

Nice campground with one problem.

Nice larger sites, usual campground stuff. I stayed across from the lake and it was great. Fire pits, wood for sale, showers, water, etc. 

On The Lake

End of October, Stopped for just one night, probably about a 20ish minute drive from 94. Was able to purchase firewood after closing, and the campsite were easy to find after (7$)entry to the park. Campsites are reserved through an online system. We found the top campsite completely empty and plenty of sites had good tree coverage for privacy/ way no protection. Nice level sites with soft ground. Each site had a fire ring and picnic table. The only bathroom in walking distance to the upper campsites was a vault toilet located amongst the cabins. Seems like a great place to stay any season. 