Zippel Bay State Park Campground

I'm primarily a hiker, and there were just very few hiking trails. I have a feeling. It's gorgeous in the fall with the turning of the colors, but the weather was poor cold, very windy. You couldn't do the hike on the beach, even because the waves were too high. So in rough weather, once you've done the hiking trails which took about 2 hours. You were kind of done there was nothing else to do. Even boating would have been questionable and probably not any fun at all. Last, I don't see anybody say it, but the signage was really poor coming into the park. You couldn't really tell which way to turn to get to your campsite. And as evidenced by everybody who drove past me trying to find their camp spot even though I was the only one in that campground I have a feeling others struggled as well. I might come back in the fall. I drove through town before I left. And there were a lot of ice fishing Jacksontown, so my guesses it's more of a winter spot. Or a boating spot than anything else. And last we did see a bear, it's remote. There were probably all of ten people camping there, So not surprising to see wildlife, but the just about walked up on the bear.

Camped at site #31 in the Ridge Campground on Oct 16, 2023. Nice primitive campground in the state park. Wooded and open sites. Beautiful Fall color on birch trees. Spacing between sites is pretty good with limited privacy. Back-in dirt/gravel sites. Trash service. Clean vault toilet. Hand pump for water. Metal fire ring, table and lantern pole. The state park is beautiful with hiking trails & walks along Lake of the Woods. There is no direct access to hiking and the lake from this campground. Enjoyed camping here; would stay here again.

Vault toilets were not clean and low on TP. Sites were not well maintained Ed- garbage in fire ring. Lots of mosquitoes.

This is a gorgeous park with lots of birds and wildlife. The lake is beautiful and the campsites are all shady and well maintained. The sites vary a lot in size, but most are level and relatively private. There's a shower house and pit toilets that are very nice. The boat launch and beach are awesome.

However. Have you seen the movie 300? Or any other movie where a small force faces an unthinkably massive foe? Well, that's you and the mosquitoes here, and I regret to inform you that you are the Spartans. You are vastly outnumbered and though you may fight bravely, you will not win this battle. Seriously, there were so many mosquitoes that people were walking around in June in full sweatsuits with netted hats. We were here two nights and went through two entire bottles of bug spray. These things laugh at citronella candles and want you and your whole family dead and drained of blood. If you can hold them off, this park is well worth it. But don't come here thinking you'll just be an efficient swatter and get by.

The beach is lovely with a magnificent lake view. There's a light house at one end along with some large rocks that are apart of the Canadian shield.

This state park is really nicely located for those that wanna get away to the north. Northern Minnesota has a lot to offer for wildlife and fishing. Zipper bay is pretty easy to get too and has a lot do from hikes, canoeing, kayaking, boating and fishing. You can easily get to garden island by boat for a wilderness adventure or you can just stay in the campground. Bugs are too bad till July so it is good to come sooner. Loads of birds to see.

Campgrounds are simple the one closest to the boat dock was pretty full when we checked it out. Very closely packed and generators can be hear almost everywhere. Best to get a site near the back and have it back into the forest as they are a bit bigger. Put toilets are found centrally with water pump and trash bins.

Compared to other Minnesota State Parks, Zippel Bay is a bit more rustic. There are no electrical hookups, and showers are a significant drive from campground. The bathrooms are outhouse style with no running water. The campsites were not quite as secluded as we typically like, but it was quiet, and the views along the lake-shore are well worth the trip.