Best Cabin Camping near Alden, MN

Stayed in a camper cabin during the winter and it was lovely! The park was so quiet and trails were great for both hiking and snowshoeing.

40 site Totally renovated 2 years ago nestled along the little Cedar river above the dam. New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall. Volleyball and walking trails with primitive camping across the road. Cabin with air conditioning and fully furnished further up the river on 200 acres of county land. Fishing above and below the dam. Picnic table and fire ring at every site.

We biked the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail from Faribault, MN to Mankato, MN (39 miles). The whole trail was paved, which was really nice and runs through hardwoods forest. We camped in Sakatah State Park and then explored the City of Mankato. Sakatah Lake is a relatively calm lake and seems like a great place to kayak.

They have 5 bike-in campsites near the trail. Other campsites include drive-in sites, electric sites, group sites, and camper cabins. The campsites are secluded just enough so that one feels like they are camping in the woods by themselves.  Unlike a lot of campgrounds, Sakatah State Park has its fire pits above ground. Very nice for keeping warm. Amenities at the campground include showers, flush toilets, vault toilets, dump stations.

Great place to camp and get away from the cities without a long drive. Firewood is available at the office and a fire ring is at each site as well as picnic table.

We visited Minneopa state park because a) I love hiking b) I’m trying to get as much state park time in before the summer hordes descend and c) my back is dying from working at home out of a dining room chair so I preordered an office chair for curbside pickup at an office store which is on the way home from this park. 

Minneopa is a unique state park. A River Runs Through it. So does a train(choo chooo). And a neighborhood(kind of). If you have never visited the park before you need to decide what you are going to prioritize first because all of a sudden there are two different park road signs pointing you to either turn left or right depending on what you want to do. 

One direction is the waterfall part. It is a nice waterfall. The parking lot is right by the waterfall- so it is very accessible for people who are unable to hike to a lot of waterfalls. However, because the parking lot is RIGHT THERE it isn’t the most rewarding waterfall that I’ve been to, it’s kind of like a less impressive Minnehaha. On this trip we didn’t visit the waterfall because it’s plague time and I figured that it might be busy. Tip: On the weekends get to state parks as early as possible during social distancing time! Most people don’t roll out of bed at 6 am like we did, so it will be fairly easy to socially distance yourself. We got there at 8 and only encountered 4 other hikers that were just heading out when we were almost back to our car. 

The other direction is the BISON DRIVE. Yes, you can actually drive amongst bison if the road is open. It wasn’t on our trip on 4/10/2020 because the road conditions are still gross from the winter thaw. Instead we hiked the entire loop(I think it’s 3.3 miles) because it goes around the entire bison enclosure, and I wanted to guarantee that I would see me some bison. 

Other highlights about this section of the park are the views of the magnificent Minnesota river, an old windmill(the blades are gone), and the campground is also situated here. This section isn’t as popular as the waterfall section, as evidenced by the relatively small parking lot. The hike was enjoyable while we were there- if it is a hot hot day you might want to just do the Minnesota River Bluff Trail for the shade- the Seppman Mill trail is exposed and you can drive and park at the mill. 

As I mentioned before there is also an access point to drive into the bison enclosure. We were able to see the bison herd once we got to the mill area, unfortunately for my photos the bison were just far enough away that I didn’t get a quality photo. 

Now onto the campground. Loop A is superior for tent camping in every which way, unless you happen to want electricity or want to rent the cabin which is in loop B. Loop A has trees, large sites, a bathroom, and several sites have awesome views of the river. One thing to keep in mind is that the sites on the outside of the loop are much more private and have way more trees- the inner loop is relatively open in comparison and would be good sites to choose if you are group camping. I would be prepared with lots of bug spray and a screenhouse if you are camping here in the worst of mosquito season- there was quite a bit of standing water and swampy pond nearby. 

Site notes(see pics/videos): A2 is nice and spacious, but next to the swampy water 

A4 is the immediate neighbor and is distinctive because it’s up on a hill 

A3 is on the inner loop and is visible to the road, but I liked it anyway 

A5 is a nice spacious site on the inner loop that is less private, I’m pretty sure A19 butts up behind it if you are looking to get a few sites 

A12 is the type of site that I would love to camp at- view of the gulley and of the river 

A14 is the site that you need to reserve a year in advance if this campground were more popular- amazing location with a spectacular view of the river 

A24 also has a good river view 

A26 is large and has some badass oak trees 

The B Loop is weird- a lot of the campsites don’t seem to even have space for a 2 person tent unless you are ok with not having a campfire(or burning down your tent). If you have a tiny scamp you might be ok? 

Site notes: B3 is a good pull-through site for an RV 

The cabin is here! It has a screen porch and a propane tank for heating it in cold weather! Also has a decent view of the river- inside is just some bunk beds and a table. There is a pit toilet next to it that I’m guessing other campsites use too. 

B20 is definitely the best site in the loop for tent camping- I actually would camp at this one. 

There are also 4 group campsites that could probably fit 2-3 tents on them that are only a short hike-in from the parking area. Nice pit toilets are nearby. Minneopa is definitely either a nice day trip or camping trip from the Twin Cities! I was extra pleased that the drive down 169 is interesting- the terrain is beautiful, there are some really random touristy places and showrooms(giant yellow barn/extended structure that is without a doubt indeed Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store), and driving through Saint Peter is a nice old-timey experience.

This campground has a TON of sites!  There are close to 60 sites in all, about a third to half of those are electric sites.  If you like open spaces, this is a wonderful place to camp.

Beautiful, clean, and recently updated bathrooms and showers!

So much wildlife to see at this park.  Seeing large groups of deer was a daily/nightly thing!

The park has 20+ miles of hiking trails through prairies, woodlands, and along the lake too!  PLus the park offers geocashing (and free GPS rental), as well as canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, and a small fishing that can be rented!

A lot to offer here!

Everything was beautiful. We camped for a week in southern Minnesota state parks, but this one is our favourite.

Beautiful, small state park less than an hour south of Twin Cities. Sites are wooded and shady but some are close to neighboring sites. Not too many mosquitos or flies for August in Minnesota! Sakatah Singing Hills paved trail runs through the park.  It was pouring on Saturday so most of the other campers checked out and we had the campground mostly to ourselves. Super friendly and helpful staff, clean restrooms. Faribault is 15 minutes away so we went antique shopping at Keeper's Antiques downtown and had cocktails at 10,000 Drops Distillery for rainy day activities.

This is a decent park but the sites aren't too far off the road and many back up to rail tracks with the sound of passing trains day and night. There is an active herd of bison on the park grounds. They are fenced off from the rest of the park with enough prairie land that you don't always see them.
There are surrounding parks and bike trails that make for nice day trips along the Minnesota River Valley. For a newer park, I would have hoped that they would have taken more care to lay out the campsites to offer a quieter and more private camp setting.

We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available.

$34/night plus Minnesota State Park pass @ $8/day.😩

Not super spacious but very comfortable distance between spaces. Well maintained dirt road in campground. Grassy and mowed. Nice big trees! Water spigots. Very nice individual, clean rooms for showers.

Two separate campground loops in the White Fox area and another couple loops half mile down the road

The lake is gorgeous but just a few places to get to the water. Saw a sign on the park door saying kayaks and canoes available to rent.

Six miles of paved, but badly in need of care, is a bike path that meanders through thick forest and open grassy fields. Follows the lake and heads close to the town of Albert Lea.

We saw a guy setting out electric scooters that were available to rent which looked like fun!

Birds and deer abound.

Walmart 2 miles away!

We tent camped at Myre-Big Island State Park in Minnesota from September 30 to October 3, 2022. The weather was warmer than usual at this time of year, and the fall color development was a couple weeks behind normal. It was cool but beautiful during the daytime (light jacket/sweater weather). The temperature dropped at night but didn’t require anything more than our sleeping bags to keep us warm. The earlier sunset meant meal cooking and cleanup needed to be a bit earlier, but it also meant longer time for beautiful campfires in the evenings.

The trails were in great shape and beautiful with past-peak grasses and developing colors in the trees. Most of the wildflowers were done for the year, but some were still in bloom. Deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and lots of birds were active near the trails and campgrounds.

We have camped here previously, in early summer. Then the bugs were abundant and aggressive on the Big Island trails. During this fall trip, there were very few.

After reading all of the wonderful reviews, I was a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it is because we arrived after a rainy period. Many of the sites in the A Loop were flooded or muddy and there was only one site occupied. B Loop was a bit better and there were a few more people there. Some sites in the A Loop overlook the river valley through trees but they are directly over railroad tracks so you will hear loud trains. No flush toilets but for pits (A Loop has sinks and a shower), reasonably clean. However I would not choose sites closeby because the fans are quite loud. Bison viewing road was cool and leads to the rebuilt granary (all that remains from a mill). Waterfall (across the street and about a mile from campground) is nice. Unless you hike the Minnesota River Bluff trail, you could easily see the bison, granary, and waterfalls in half a day, making this good for just a one night stay.

We visited in early April so the sites were quite exposed, I can imagine they would be more private in the summer. Water and showers were not open yet as it was too cold but the vault toilets were well maintained.

The wife love their shower ,beautiful lake, going back again this year,

Reserved a site here as a pit stop on a long road trip out west. I did not have high expectations, but was thoroughly surprised. A bald eagle flew over the car on our way in. Things were already looking good. Very nice ranger at the front told us we could return whatever firewood we didn't use for a full refund. Got back to our site on the island and there was hardly anybody else around. Our closest neighbors were 7-8 sites away and around the bend in the road. Couldn't even see them. Great trails throughout the island. When we pulled up, there were 5 deer on our site. I will definitely go back here. I highly recommend the island campground over the main campground.

The facilities and space are beautifully kept. If you are looking for a swimming destination it might not be in my top ten, but they have tons of availability of watercraft! Most impressive part to me is their accessibility! They have a trek chair/track chair? Which for anyone wanting to hike with mobility issues it offers a lot of access.

I've been using this as a night over stop before going on to the Black Hills or on my way back home. The first time I stayed the night over there it was a nightmare just because of this family or group of people showed up late and didn't comprehend quiet hours. So needless to say I had little to no sleep.

The other times I've stayed there it was quiet and not too many people around. Kind of buggy but that's expected with the water and all the shade.

Took the further spot out away from everyone that you can in a pull in. Couple big piles of wild animal poo but decent and for the most part quiet. Definitely alot less traffic than stating on the island campground. Plus this one closes for winter soon so tried it out.

Great spot for nature seekers. Great bike trails. Well spaced, quiet sites. Electric hookup for RV and easy dump station. Showers were what you can expect but good pressure and hot water. No where to swim in the lake.

Stayed here one night, halloween, last night open for the season. Only trailer in the whole park. Site required a little bit of leveling but a little muddy. Part of pad was gravel and part of pad was mud. Electric site only, no water or sewer. Water spigots and dump were fairly conveniently located with good trailer pull through but it was shut down for the season.

This state park was a wonderful surprise! We first selected a site on Big Island however it wasnt for us. Due to the dense foliage there was little sun able to peak through, no grass for our dog to lay in, but it is beautiful if you like seclusion.

We moved to site 60E in the White Fox campground which is a perfect mix of sunshine, tree cover, wildlife and mowed grassy area. We have seen deer each night out the back of our rig. They offer Electric only sites but in White Fox there is water available between some of the sites. We have a hiking trail directly behind our site that we can hike for miles on. The hiking/biking trails are a mix of mowed grass, asphalt or through the dense forest - you can choose. Cell service has been very good just a bit slow at times. Shower and restroom facilities are extremely clean and well maintained.

We stayed on the mainland campground White Fox in site #78, bordered on 3 sides by trees and shrubs for privacy. The bathroom/ shower facilities were very recently done. This park is unique as you can drive across a causeway and get on the Big Island which has more trails and another campground. We were here in May and the bugs were awful (I get it, they're part of being out in nature). At one point I just had to yell "RUN" at my partner as I fled with our dog because the may flies were swarming so thickly that it was all you could hear and see. Great park with lots of history, check it out and enjoy.

This is a nice well-kept campground. That is a mix of primitive and electric only sites.. sites are spacious with most having trees between each of the campsites for privacy. And her in number of water stations in each camping loop where you can fill up your RV as well as an RV dump station that has a separate spigot for water fill also. There are a couple of primitive vault toilets as well as a restroom and shower facility in between both loops. The reservation was $24 a night but when you get to the office to check in you also have to purchase a $7 per day vehicle permit so that you can drive your personal vehicle and the park. So with I told vehicle and the additional vehicle it was an extra $14 per night. Oh no it's a really nice campground I'll be a little pricey for primitive camping. We're averaging 10 to 12 Mbps on T-Mobile and probably about the same for Verizon.

Facilities are top notch and private. The nicest showed and restroom you can imagine. Large tent pads and a quiet area. Not busy when we went. There is a small hiking trail as well. The lake isn’t anything spectacular, it’s quite dirty but we were only there for a night.

My best friend and I camp all the time with our pups! This park was lovely, it's on an island and we had a pretty amazing view!! We did a little hiking and enjoyed the semi empty campground only 10-15 people!! We saw a ton of wild life many many many deer!

We stayed in White Fox Site 97 from September 13-15. No one was nearby until late in the evening on the 14th, so it felt very private and quiet. Although I know that is because the people in the campground were quiet... thank you! Tons of trails; paved, gravel, or grass; you can explore the entire park. We had a bit of rain and then it got hot again so it was super muggy. Of course that is the weather, not the park. The ranger was friendly and helpful. Great worry free trip, just like camping should be!