Savanna Portage State Park Campground

Wonderful weekend with family and friends, park was well maintained, and park officials were courteous and genuine!

Beautiful Stay!

This park is a nice one but we went in Mid-July and the bugs were terrible!!!  So bad that we actually went into town to eat dinner at dusk to avoid the worst of it.  

But back to the good, the back pack sites are GREAT!  Totally private and there is a little shed on at the site (pictured) that came stocked with fire wood!  I couldn't believe it.  The hike to the site was a relatively easy under 2 miles, so you can go with a little more luxuries than other backpack sites.  I will make a trip back next year during the fall.  

Great Backpacking Site, but July is Rough for Bugs

First off everyone says the bugs are terrible. I'm from Florida so we're used to billions and billions of bugs.They weren't that bad. The hike to see the continental divide was really cool. We saw a fox and a deer which was cool. Then spent the evening canoeing one of the lakes listening to Loons. The camp sites were a little too close but that's really the only negative. We enjoyed our visit there.

Continental Divide

We did one overnight at Savanna Portage State Park with my young children. The sites were smaller than we had hoped and we ended up moving to a new site, which they typically use for a group site and was much better to allow us to spread out and they even allowed us to park two vehicles up there. We enjoyed renting canoes for a bit in the afternoon and borrowed a kids activity kit. The bugs were pretty intense, a lot of mosquitoes, flies, and several wood ticks, so we recommend a screen tent for eating.

Nice but buggy

This state park is definitely off the beaten path, with the Savannah Portage itself almost as it 200 years ago when Americans explorers came trekking through. It is worth a visit to the park to experience and learn about 1) the physical geography of the important continental divide that occurs here, dividing the Great Lakes watershed from the Mississippi watershed, and 2) to hike the Savannah Portage to experience and learn about expedition history along this old historic fur trade route. The opportunities for hiking and nature study are really good here.For canoers, there are a couple small lakes within the park, but you can also easily get out to the very large Big Sandy Lake just to the west, and even on to the Mississippi River nearby. As for the camping experience, I would agree that the campsites are a bit small and crowded in, which is a bit on the down side. You might like one if the hike in sites or canoe in site if you want ti be more secluded. On my most recent trip in very early June it was surprisingly bug-free, but it is often really buggy later in summer due to the myriad swamps and marshes in the vicinity. If it is available, you might want to consider the camper cabin! Also, autumn is a spectacular time to visit, lots of color and no bugs, and I have friends who come here in winter, the camper cabin and guesthouse are open year round, I havent stayed with them overnight but did visit for the day one weekend in February, and being in the park in winter for snowshoeing was beautiful and amazing!

Savannah Portage for a trek through time

This would be a great place for anyone wanting seclusion and to disconnect. No wi fi signal. I was stopped here overnight in site #29 during a 4 day cache "-"! It simply fit my timeline for this excursion. However, next year it will not be a destination. Marsh areas and mosquitoes are prevalent.

Very quiet...

Following the winding pathway you will come to the campground. It’s situated near four lakes and loads of biking/hiking. There is a lot to do in the area from fishing, hiking, biking, and nature watching. Loon lake has a nice little “park” with a beach so that is great for families. 

The campground itself sits next to the lake which is nice and while no site has true waterfront claim several can see the water. I stayed in 22E which was next to a trail head but close to the water spigot and showers. Sites 62/3/4 would be great for a large family as they have loads of space. Showers and restrooms were super clean! 

Yes it is buggy but it’s minnesota so you deal with it. There is lots of nature. We saw a bear while hiking the continental divide trail so nature is out there. 

Perfect blend of nature! 

We were frustrated as a family with 2 young kids to find that the “playground” on the map is just a green (actually weed) space with no playground, no volleyball net, literally nothing. The trail around shumway lake is apparently closed which I take to mean unkept so we stayed off of it. Not much to do with kids unless you drive over to loon lake. They have a small beach and small playground. The trail around loon lake is nice and ok for kids 6+. Frustrated that the map is inaccurate as we always choose sites near a playground for the kids and this one is nonexistent even though it’s listed on the map. 

The other thing that was extremely annoying is that the flies and mosquitoes are completely out of control. We literally couldn’t sit outside. It was the RV or the gazebo. And this was all day, not just at night. 

The grounds are beautiful but would not come back. 

Map not accurate

I have stayed here in the past, but that was a couple years ago. I stayed this time to go hiking and kayaking in the area. There are several trails near the area and some connected to the campsite. I tried to hike around the lake but ran into several impassable spots bc of a recent rain. I really do like the variety of this camp ground as you can get both electric, non-electric, group sites, and smaller sites all right close. I have hiked several of the trails and always see lots of wildlife. It is a great place to go and get lost in the woods...on some trails of course. I would highly recommend.

Little Crowded But still peaceful

Savanna portage is gorgeous with serene lakes and some nice hiking! We loved the continental divide trail. The campground is a little cramped and rustic. My main complaint was the water was full of iron- it was a little brown and didn’t taste very good. Overall, a perfectly great experience though- beautiful nature, not many people, what more could you want? Mosquitos are terrible- come prepared!!!