Join the fun near Alden. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Alden. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Alden and user-submitted reviews.
This park has something for everyone. The trails take visitors around wet lowlands, oak savanna, and grasslands. Albert Lea Lake and park marshes draw hundreds of waterfowl during migration. Oak savanna and prairie landscape, including wetlands, dominate most of the park. One of the more unique aspects of the park is the 116-acre Big Island, covered with maple/basswood forest. Another is the glacial esker located in the northeast section of the park.
$16 - $22 / night
Clear Lake State Park offers diverse activities on one of Iowa’s most popular lakes. The 3,000-acre lake is a draw for boating, fishing and windsurfing. The park features 50 acres of open spaces and mature oak trees along with a highly popular campground. Several acres of picnic grounds with tables and grilles are available for day-use. The nearby town of Clear Lake is a summer tourist destination with numerous stores and restaurants.
Camp in one of the most popular campgrounds in Iowa’s state park system. The campground contains two modern restrooms, shower facilities and two dump stations. A quarter of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and advanced reservations can be made online through the online reservation system for Clear Lake State Park.
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!
Standard site without electric was only $10.00 a night which includes a nearby water spigot to fill your tank with. Put toilets and showers available. The friendly hosts made a point to come by to chat. Two fawns were born there, under one of the picnic tables and they were around all weekend. I’ll be back !
Large campground with a play park and other sporting area. Lake to swim in - no lifeguard offered. Large sites with water/electric hook up - some full hook sites and big rig friendly. The site we were put in was not set up well for the connections however it was a large site. Very muddy site but they offered to let us use a rug so we didn’t get ours all Muddy.
Nice campground with grassy pull thru sites. But very close together. If full, you would have no privacy. Fortunately, it was 1/4 full, so no problem. Bathrooms clean, nice warm showers! Nice beach, lots to do. Would be a fun place if you don’t mind camping next to neighbors!
Roomy gravel sites. A mix of electric and non-electric sites. Commercial fire rings. Electrical needs refreshing. We had an issue with the 30A breaker not resetting on site 46E; eventually relocated to 47E. Park employee Noah was very accommodating and pleasant to deal with. He came out to the site to discuss options with us and eventually made some site reservation changes to resolve the situation. Close to town, nice historic district.
The owners Jan and Brian are super nice. The campground is a ways from their home and quite secluded and quiet. There weren’t any kids when we were there though, I imagine they could change the quiet aspect. The bathrooms and showers are very nice as are the sites. Well worth the $25 we paid!
Arrived Sunday evening and found the campsite mostly empty, (season pass members had campers here but there was only one other active camper). Staff was very friendly and helpful. TOILETS FLUSH! Showers clean, basketball court, horseshoes, and volleyball all provided. Could see the sites being kind of close and it being a little pricey but more than worth it in my mind. Site 6&7 were perfect for hammocks
Beautiful large sites along the river so you can fish as well as has a pond that you can swim in with three beach entry areas. Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites. Nice walking trails on the east and south side of the park. Very creative natural play park for children to play on. Full hook up sites with a very reasonable nightly rate. It appeared that some of the campsites were seasonal but couldn’t confirm that.
We were here mid week and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Beautiful old growth forest with lots of shade. For July the bugs weren’t bad. After traveling across South Dakota and dealing with 100 plus temperatures with no shade this was a welcome change. The rangers and hosts were welcoming and helpful. The bathrooms and showers are ultra modern and clean. We are planing on stopping back here on our way home.
Closed
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.
Ok cell coverage for Verizon, no issues web surfing. Site 7E was larger with a good size and distance from others. Not the fault of the campground, bugs were in full force. Tons of tree coverage and very humid making it a great place for the little buggers. Would probably visit October/November when cold gets rid of them and the tree coverage. Hard to see the amazing views in the summer. Again, no fault of campground, just a consideration. Also, no real potty spots for pups. Either weeds/woods or muddy spots attempting to be grass/weeds. Best was around the showers/restrooms. Those were by far the shining gem of this campground. Fantastic bathing facilities. We’re self contained, so didn’t need it but my spouse did go use the restroom there instead of waiting. We peeked in the showers and they were really nice looking.
Very quiet and clean, goid WiFi. Gary was very helpful. This campground is just beautiful. There is a lake you can fish,swim,rent kayaks and canoe. Laundry and showers.
This is a great spot with numerous sites along the river. Small trails for car/ tent camping. Not trailer friendly. Small vehicles only. At the foot of the road in there a small food/ice cream shop with friendly staff.
We arrived after dark last night so we weren't able to see the gorgeous view until the sun rose! Luckily we woke up early and went for a walk right as the sun was coming up. It was quite cold, a little over 20°, but that meant the lake was frozen solid so we got to walk around on it! Tons of fun. Unfortunately the bathhouse, water spigots, and dump station were closed. That is not a super big deal since we have a camper. And it was publicized on their website about the dump stations being closed. The sites were spacious, the one we were in was non electric and a back-in site. But for $24 a night it was pretty nice! Especially would be worth it if more of the amenities had been open, but with how cold it is, it's very understandable that they would have them closed. There was still an outhouse with a vault toilet that was open. Unsure if there is a working sink because we did not use it. We had to call to make a same day reservation which was a tad bit annoying but the man on the phone was very helpful and nice so not bad at all.
This camp ground is great. Beautiful location in the woods witha stream next to it. There are a few water pumps and some outhouses. All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. Restaurant onsite is fantastic.
This is a great campground with lots of shade and spacious tent pads! The large oak trees throughout the campground made for beautiful scenery and nice spots to string a hammock up. My site was right next to the bathroom building which did have a light on all night, but I had an eye mask so that didn’t bother me. $25/night for a tent site
We stayed at the Big Island Campground in the beginning of August. The sites seemed pretty large to us. My kids loved skipping rocks at the little shore at the entrance to the big island. You cannot swim in the lake but there are canoes and kayaks to rent. We really enjoyed our time here. Rangers were super nice and helpful. We hiked about 5 miles, saw a few deer and other animals. Bathrooms were very nice and clean. All of us that remembered to reapply bug spray didn't have any bites.
Good campground location for the bike trail and for going to places like Mankato, and Faribault. No swimming beach, but that's good because the lake is nasty in late summer.
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.
Well maintained campground with fishing piers and a swimming beach. A lot of seasonal/permanent sites. Transit spots were a little tight but owners did what they could to space you out. Very accommodating.
There are two campgrounds in this state park. We snagged the last open site on the island. There are a mix of families, older folks and even a youth group. Our site is fully shaded as are most others. There is a central shower house and a couple vault toilets in the two loops. The trail heads out around the edge of the island. It’s a little over 1 mile long. There are a bunch of small trails leading to some spots to sit along the water. We headed down each offshoot and enjoyed our visit. A paved trail leads back and ends up right across from our campsite. The weather is cool so we stayed an extra day. The place cleared out on Sunday night. We are the only ones in this loop. We would stay here again but not in the middle sites. We feel too much in view of everyone which causes some distraction for the dog.
This is our second time camping at the Clear Lake State Park. The park is clean, the shower house is nice. It’s hard to control the temperature in the showers, too hot for little kids to stand directly in the water. The playground was fun for the kids, nice beach access! Limited full hook up sites. I wish there were more full hook ups that you could reserve. Paved roads are great for bike riding. Great shaded spots. DNR cruises the park daily which is nice to see.
Nice campground out in the woods. Not many sites but they are very roomy. Water and electric hookup only. They offer a dump station as well. There is only one road through the grounds so when leaving it can get backed up at the dump station. Small playground and bath/shower house in the center of the grounds. Seemed a little costly for the amenities offered. The owners are very interested in everything at the campground from guests to any traffic in or out. Seemed almost overbearing.
Not a terrible campground, fairly quiet, and woodsy.
Biggest problem with the campground is gates in and out lock every night at 10pm and don't open again until 8am. So our first night we got locked out and had to sleep in the vehicle.
Also, you're packed I like sardines, hope you have good neighbors.
Overall nice place to stay. We stay each year with family so there are about 4 of our campers all there together.distance between sites can be wide or narrow depending on which site you’re on.
Pros: Clean/well maintained, easy short path through the trees to get to the beach, sturdy picnic tables all around, long “driveway” for campsite
Cons: pads are gravel and not very level, pads are very narrow, beyond the trees on one side of the campground is a major road so you’ll hear cars passing by, not a lot of restroom/bathhouses
We spent 4 days here and the park is a busy place! Very clean!!!!! Dump station was easy access! We were right by the shower houses. Check in and out was simple. We made our reservations online. The park had paved roads, great for bike riding, playground was a hit! The sunset was gorgeous in the evenings at the beach! We will be back!
Camping near Alden, Minnesota, offers a great mix of outdoor fun and relaxation. With several campgrounds in the area, you can find the perfect spot to enjoy nature and make lasting memories.
Camping near Alden, Minnesota, has something for everyone, whether you're looking for adventure or a peaceful retreat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Alden, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Alden, MN is White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park with a 4.6-star rating from 21 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Alden, MN?
TheDyrt.com has all 19 glamping camping locations near Alden, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
