Washington County offers two beautiful campgrounds for a relaxing getaway, one located within Lake Elmo Park Reserve and the other within St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park. Find a campsite that suits your needs, from sites with electric and water hook-ups, to group sites, to rustic hike-in sites. Enjoy all the other amenities the parks have to offer, including hiking, fishing, boating, and more.

Washington County Campgrounds are open for the season. Online, in-person, and phone reservations are now being accepted. 

Group Campground Features
Three sites available for groups of up to 50 people
Wheeled cart available for check-out at park office
Group Site #2 includes a small picnic shelter
Picnic table and fire ring/grill provided at each site
Vault or portable toilets available
One-day reservations allowed
Pets are not allowed

Hike-In Campground Features
Five hike-in tent sites - one tent per site
Hiking distance from parking lot is approximately 100 to 300 yards
Wheeled cart available for check-out at park office with a refundable deposit
Modern bathrooms and water available at the Nordic Center
Pets are not allowed

Modern Campground Features
Eighty campsites, suited for tents, trailers, or motor homes - most sites are back-in
Sites 1-58 have 20/30/50 amp with water. Site 59 is 50 amp only (no water).
Sites 60-80 are 20/30 amp
Camp Host/Work Camper sites include sewer hookup
Picnic table and fire ring/grill provided at each site
Modern bathroom facilities with flush toilets and hot showers
Trailer/RV dump station
Play area
Handicap accessible
One camping unit per site
Pets are not allowed

Lake Elmo County Park Reserve

Lake Elmo County Park in Washington County Minnesota is a great park for families. There are a bunch of things to do including hiking, horseback riding, swimming in their filtered pond, boating and an insane playground. Our modern site 40 was in a great open location with a shaded edge. We had plenty of room to play, park the camper or set up tents. I can imagine in the heat of summer the lack of shade trees may be a hindrance to avoiding the noon day sun but there's always the amazing filtered swimming pond to go cool off in. Directly behind the site was a hiking trail that led us through woods, fields and prairie. The water source was just a couple campsites down but the bathrooms were a little farther so when coming with just tents you may want to search for a closer campsite. Overall clean and open.

Modern Campground with Room

I went here for our annual church picnic for years. We camped only a couple times, but it was a nice experience. Huge campground, at least much bigger than I expected! Sites are rather large and there is a decent amount of space between sites. I checked out one of the nature programs and it was very informative and enjoyable. The hiking is wonderful. This park is so unique because it’s definitely a nature experience but is so close to the suburbs and downtown St Paul.

close to the city

Campsite was nice, pretty private with trees and it was near a walking trail. There is a lot to do in this country park reserve: hiking, walking, horseback riding, playgrounds, swimming, fishing, etc! There is a HUGE area for hiking, it's so large that you rarely come across another person during your hike. It varies from prairie to wooded area. The lake is good for fishing, and there is a pool for children next to a playground.

Lots to do!

For a County Park, Lake Elmo has an impressive list of amenities. Before we even get to the campsite let's mention the filtered swimming pond. This man made pond is a sandy bottom and surrounded by a nice sand beach. Large built in umbrellas are available for sun coverage and there is a concession stand and bathrooms with showers. And yes, as I mentioned the water is filtered! No gross goose poop or green algae to deal with! Next to the swim pond is a giant playground with fun for the big and little kids. Other amenities include archery, horse trails, paved and grass trails, camper spots, rustic spots and hike in camping spots. In winter the xc ski trails are lit for evening skiing. Or let's be honest early afternoon. It is Minnesota and the suns down by 4 In the Winter! They also have a newer Nordic center that's open all year round and includes a locker room with showers. The hike in camp spot we chose was on a small lake so it had a nice breeze and made it easy to bring a kayak or paddleboard and hop right in. There is also a boat launch for your larger toys! The trails in the park are quite impressive for its size. We enjoyed a 5 mile loop off the Nordic center and right past the camp spot. A picnic table and fire pit as well as nice flat tent pad were provided. If you're coming in from out of town then you're just a 5 minute drive from Woodbury and all the amenities you'd ever need but the park feels miles away from it all.

Great for the kiddos

Our campground was on the outer ring over looking the prairie. It's a very beautiful prairie too! Me and my friends stayed here for the Cotopaxi Questival and it was a perfect location. The campsite was nice and clean and ground was leveled.

Pleasant experience! 

We had a wonderful stay at Lake Elmo at the rustic site. There was plenty of flat space for our tent. They provide a fire ring and picnic bench. We arrived after 8pm and the check in processes was a little unclear and they were out of maps, which was only challenging because it was dark and we had not been to the site before.

Field Fun at Lake Elmo

I’m going to begin with the biggest problem - I know not everyone is an animal lover but who goes camping and doesn’t expect to take their furry friend and family member? The no dogs allowed is a bit much but you will find many trails for walking/biking/hiking + an amazing swimming pond that is man-made &amp; awesome for all ages! 

a good time for your human family

This county campground has a little bit of everything - electrical and primitive camp sites, playgrounds for the kiddos, a man made swimming beach, fishing, horse riding trails, hiking, skiing, snowshoe trails. For my son and I this has been our main camping location for years! Very family friendly. If you are wanting a quieter place to lose yourself in nature, this may not be to your liking, but is great for day get-aways and longer weekend trips without having to deal with hours in a car.

A breath of natural wonder minutes from the Cities!

We stayed only one night at this campground during our summer travels. We did not explore much of the camping area. The site we had was plenty big enough. It was a back in site and kids had plenty of room to run and play in our site. This campground was the Modern area with electricity. Some sites had water and some had full hook ups. We knew we didn’t need much for one night so we just got one with electricity. Check in was easy and there was plenty of room to maneuver around. This campground is in a great location if you want the perks of a city. It’s quiet at night. We visited the Mall of America while we were here. It was about a 20 min drive from the campground. Access to the interstate was very easy.

Jewel near the City

We stayed 12 nights here in April to May. It was so peaceful and quiet. Saw deer almost every day. My toddler loved going to the campsite playground as well as going on a nice walk to a giant playground in the main part of the park! Just fyi, no sewer or water hook-up. Electric only. But they do have a dump station. And have to pay for parking a vehicle. $7 a day or $30 for the year, and you can go to other parks in the area with that pass.

Beautiful!

Such a beautiful place and well maintained.  Lots of hiking trails, a lake for fishing, playgrounds, and a man made lake for swimming.  Two weird things: no alcohol and no dogs in the campground (yet they are allowed everywhere else in the park).  We go here as often as we can

So awesome

Used the walk in sites. Very quiet and private. Took my 4 year old son and he loved it. Truly felt like you where going off into the middle of no where, but was close to everything Incase something happened or my son had to tap out. Ended up being a great trip. 

Awesome place to camp!

Great campground with new playground and lots of families. Sites are spacious and have privacy. We were in site 70. It had more space on the opposite side of our door which was a tad annoying but very nice campsite with lots of nearby paved trails. Will be coming again! 

Great campground with private sites 

Stayed two nights with four kiddos (ages 4-13) and had a great time. Nice, clean, and private campsites tucked into trees. We stayed in the Modern Campground and had water (non drinking) and electric at our site. There was a very nice playground for the kids to hang out at, as well as a nice bathroom with flushing toilets and showers for free. On the same property are fishing spots, hiking paths, biking paths and a GIANT playground. The swimming pond was closed due to Covid, so we drove about 30mins to get to Square Lake Beach to go swimming. Would stay again for sure. Mosquitos were KILLER as soon as it got dark, no matter how much bug spray you use! 

Fantastic and Clean

Lovely back in lots, beautiful in fall.  2 playgrounds, one massive!  Lots of trails, wildlife and close to the drive in movie theater.  Quiet and peaceful with amenities we will be back to enjoy in the summer.

Really one of the best places for small families

Nature surrounds, spring is a great time to visit too!  The birdsong and birding is awesome, nice and quite this May!

Always a treat

The camp office was so east and friendly! Well placed sites nestled near lovely walking trails - Very nice water hook ups and electric- well maintained! Loved this Camping Site!
Conveniently located between Wisconsin and Minneapolis/St Paul airport .