I would stay here again. Nice and clean facilities
Campsite provided what we needed for the night we stayed. Had enough hiking trails for a day to a day and a half of hiking.
Small, not far out of the cities. But far enough you feel away from the cities Full hook ups. Bit on the higher price side.
Friendly owners. Small bar Lots of fun
We pulled in later and pick it based on a previous review. Easily found a spot by the lake and woke to a pleasant midwestern vista. There are 3 tiers of sites, most are hook up sites for larger RV's. But they do have primitive sites for $15. Which we couldn't find in the dark lol. Showers and toilets well maintained- good safe feeling spot to pull in when you are putting in the miles.
We stayed here for one night before taking our camper to a local dealer to have work done. The campground is right on the Mississippi River with great views. The sites are somewhat small, but decent. The only thing that took us by surprise was that we were right in the middle of a mobile home park, which we weren't expecting. The price was decent and the bathrooms were outdated but clean and nice to have a code to get in.
This is a beautiful campground right on the lake. We stayed in the lower campground and had great views of the lake and was able to beach the boat. The lower campground is less private and is busy.
This was a small park right on the lake. The toilets and showers were not very clean, but everything else on the campground was wonderful! I believe the camp office closes at 6 every night so make sure you purchase your wood or ice before then.
Campground is a little disappointing. I am used to MN state parks being kept up better. There were no signs pointing to where the campground was. Kind of frustrating when towing a large camper (don’t want to make a wrong turn). I had to drive around a bit until I found it.
Crow Wing State Park is a good choice if you are looking for something close to the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. with this park being just under two hours away from the Twin Cities metro area it’s an easy choice for a nice weekend getaway. If you’re looking to stay for a long extended time it’s also a good choice as it offers electric and water. The electric sites are pretty open and close together so if you like to be secluded and not see other campers from your campsite I wouldn’t use this park. The electric sites are really on top of each other and don't feel like you are camping to me. The non-electric sites are pretty nice and secluded from each other which would make this park a park I would bring my tent to instead of my travel trailer. There is also a group camp That is separate from the main camping area.
The park office offers ice and firewood for sale. Firewood is 6$ a bundle at the park office. The only firewood you can use is the approved firewood in the local area or scrap lumber. See the Minnesota Firewood law. Canoe rentals are offered at the park office for $15 for a half-day and $25 for a full day. There is also a water fill station and a dump station for your travel trailer or RV. This is a good park for hiking and exploring.
If you wanna stay close to the Twin Cities metro area this is a good park for you!
Spacious peaceful campsites in a wooded area near lake Ann. No elect or showers. Vault toilets. Drinking water was not available when we were there
Most spots were shaded by mature shade trees. A nice beach, especially for kids. Technically, no booze it there but if you keep it in concealed and don’t cause a problem, you’re golden.
I am from a suburb of Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota and we wanted to go camping with my in-laws who have horses. We needed a park that was close and had equestrian camping so we decided to go to Lake Carlos State Park.
Lake Carlos State Park is roughly 2.5hours from the Twin Cities and is a beautiful getaway for a weekend trip. You can leave after work on a Friday and still have time to make it to the park, set up and still be able to cook dinner and enjoy a s’more or two.
We booked site H3 in the equestrian campground which was a VERY open site right off the main loop in the equestrian campground. It was very sunny and barely any shade for the horses. The site were in was electric and there were only three non-electric sites in the equestrian campground. The other sites were awesome for shade but were still super open to everyone.
There were great trails for hiking and horseback riding. They also allowed mountain biking on the trails.
The staff at the office were super friendly and they talked to us for about 15 minutes. Their store in the office was pretty great and they had everything from toys for the kids to s’mores stuff and stickers specific to the park. The firewood was pretty fast burning and cost 6$ 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.
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.
We had a site at the Oak Ridge campground. Each site was very enclosed by trees & it made it really cozy & private. We went down to the lake to see it, but didn’t go swimming so I have no opinion of it. The Lakeside campground looked nice too so I’ll have to try to reserve a spot on that side sometime in the future. We were only there one day so we didn’t explore a whole lot.
Every site is a hike in site, including the three camper cabins. The trails are groomed enough that if you have a cart, you can pack your gear in that way too.
My wife and I stayed at camper cabin 1 on this Mon-Wed trip, and it is secluded and beautiful. You have to take a little bridge to get to it even.
There was a major storm that came through Sun-Mon, and this being a wetlands, things got muddy and buggy quick. The area around the cabin itself was good though as a breeze coming off the lake kept the bugs at bay.
The cabin itself is very cozy. Two bunks with queen on the bottom and twin on the top to sleep six total. A couple of good spots outside you can hang hammocks from too. Bring lighting as the cabin solar light only gives you a couple hours (assuming it could even charge up that day and it didn’t our first day) and it’s so wooded it gets dark very quickly. Everything is sealed up nice and tight too, so no bugs in the cabin unless you tear the screens or leave the door open.
All the necessary items to clean up the cabin were provided, broom, dustpan, spray bottle, cloth, bucket, so that made cleaning up easy.
I rated 4 stars based on three factors.
Park office is only open Friday through Sunday. Makes sense seeing as that if it’s not that busy of a place during this week of July 4th, I can’t imagine other weeks getting busier.
Rain can get things boggy quick, possibly closing the trail to your site even.
State website says fire wood is provided, and two cords were at the cabin when we got there, but nothing said we had to pay for the wood. It’s fine, but I’ll have to run into town as I didn’t bring cash with me to leave in the envelope at the office, since the office is closed during the week, which also means if I needed more than these two cords, I have to run to town… As of this review, cords were $6 at the park and $5.50 at the truck stop up by I-94.
Otherwise the place is great and I can imagine coming back again with friends and trying out the hike in tent sites too.
TLDR version: Great place, quiet on these weekdays during a holiday week, bring firewood, use a cart if you have one to bring things to your site.
Nice campground. The water in the lake is nice and clear. The swimming area isn’t awesome, but I have seen much worse.
Went on a busy summer weekend. Beautiful rustic campsites but even sites that you can’t drive directly up to were still too close to all of the RVers with loud generators.
On the outskirts of St Cloud, this campground was very well maintained and clean. They have a pool, lodge, bath house and laundry facilities, the sites were pretty large, much larger than data KOA, but not so big or private as some campgrounds we’ve been to. If any thing- the only weird thing is that the campground is situated under some very large high tension power lines…didn’t affect our stay whatsoever, just worth mentioning.
You must own an Airstream-manufactured RV to rent a lot. Owners of non-Airstream RVs must be a relative or friend of a current Airstream Park member to stay
Great campground. Very clean and nice. Good fishing, nice lake and and good staff.
We stayed here last year and it was fun although if you like quiet nights I would not recommend it. It does get loud into the night. It has a swimming beach that is ok. You can spend extra money to go horseback riding on trails. The sites are very close together not much privacy.
We stayed up on the hill where they had full hookups. Lots of full season residents. Nice campground
What a beautiful park and great camping spaces. We saw the cabins and they looked amazing. The activities around the were plentiful such as snow shoes and sled hill and plenty of trails. Well kept. Beautiful area
This is a typical small town municipal campground that is part of the city park. The main community ball park is located here, along with several playgrounds, volleyball fields, picnic shelters, and a Veterans memorial. There are several camspites with hookups that are very suitable for RV's, and also a tenting area. While not a place to go for a camping vacation destination in and of itself, it would be a great place to stay if visiting the area, attending local events such as the Lake Woebegone Marathon or local fairs etc. However, it happens to be adjacent to an official trailhead of the SooLine spur of the Lake Woebegone Bike Trail, and as such is an awesome place to overnight if on a multi day bike or hike trek on the trail! many people do day trips on this beautiful trail, but having a really nicely set up overnight camping stop for cyclists and hikers makes longer trips possible, which is really great. There is a modern, well kept bathroom facility in the campground and another right at the trail head, and the main street in town in adjacent to the campground so cyclists can easily get to cafes, hardware store, get groceries, whatever. One of the most beautiful covered bridges in Minnesota is also on the bike path over the river adjacent to the campground. A major shout out regarding the local bike rental place in town: if you are an elder or in anyway disabled, they have bike-peddled surreys that seat 2, 4 or 6 people, and the RENTAL IS FREE to groups peddling together with a friend or family member who is disabled or can not bike on their own due to illness, handicap, or age. This is an awesome, awesome policy! So, lots of good reasons to take advantage of the camping opportunity offered in this small, pretty, friendly small town!
This is a nice community campground tucked away into the city park of the small town of Clarissa. While it might not be a vacation destination for most campers, it would be a really great place to hold a family reunion or similar local camping event. As a Scout leader, I think this would be an ideal place to introduce young campers to camping. The park isnt huge, but it is very scenic, has a great playground and picnic area and ball fields, and has a scenic walkway with foot bridges on a switchback trail along a pretty meandering stream. The park is clearly a centerpiece of the community, and would be a nice waypoint for tenters or RV campers travelling through the area
This is a quiet and fairly small but impeccably maintained campground located near the town of Long Prairie. It would be a nice family friendly destination for an easy lical get away. There are weekly, monthly and seasonal site rentals with RV hookups, plus they do have a fully furnished on-site RV available to rent for those who dont have their own. The owners clearly take pride in maintaining the campground and in building a friendly camp community for families
This state park uniquely showcases an ecologic transition zone between hardwood forest, savannah, and prairie. There are also local history connections. As a bird watcher, I was very excited to see birds here that I dont usually see at home in northern Minnesota, and to learn a bit more about glaciation in this area and about prairie and savannah habitats. The park has self guided hikes, educational nature programs, and learning kits for birding and more that you can check out at the ranger station. The lakeshore is pretty, and the lakeside campground is green and leafy with mature trees but the campsites are very close together, and the beachfront and bath house are currently closed for renovation which puts a damper on waterfront activities. Away from the lake is another campground in the oak savanna section of the park, and this campground seems quieter with more spacious sites, although they are more open. The park’s camper cabins are located here and are in a very pretty setting tucked into a little hill, though a bit of a walk to the bathrooms and showerhouse. At both campgrounds there are nice ADA sites which are level, spacious and accessible, and also close to the bathrooms. I was at a conference in nearby Willmar, and this park is a good alternative for lodging if you need to be in the area. If you are really into learning more about prairies and local glacial geology, the nearby Prairie Environmental Learning Center is fantastic to visit, and lots of prairie pothole WMAs are also closeby for waterfowl watching
This may have been a former campground, but the property has been recently sold and it appears that a new private lakehome is being built or renovated. The property is located next to the Henderson Lake public access, which has warnings that the lake is infested with invasive species so maybe this affected the campground’s popularity?