Best Tent Camping near Annandale, MN

Recent Tent Reviews near Annandale, Minnesota

338 Reviews of 18 Annandale Campgrounds

• 

  Zach H.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 27, 2019

  Minneapolis Northwest KOA

  Large sites and large bugs

  We tent camped here for a night while passing through. It’s a basic KOA with a few amenities. The lots were really big and we had no one near us, so it was nice and private. Most of the lots near the front were occupied but the back was almost empty, which is where the more wooded lots are. Only 1 bath house and it’s not close to most of the tent sites.

  Staff was nice and helpful. It has a small pool and game room but not much else for kids. The bugs are aggressive here, especially near the tent sites which are located near a swampy area. Definitely more of a place to stay as you are passing through, not really a destination campground.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 14, 2018

  Two Rivers Campground

  Pleasant family camp

  This is a well kept and well run campground tucked in between the Mississippi River and the outlet of the Platte River. The emphasis is on RV camping, and a large percentage of the sites are for full season May to October rentals. However there are nightly and weekly rates with both full and partial hookups, and some basic tent sites in a nice location right on the river. Daily and weekly campsite rentals are a bit expensive, however the campground offers many resort amenities that arent part of usual campgrounds such as a full service lodge, large beautiful pool as well as a beach on the river, mini golf, canoes and kayaks, and their specialty: river tubing. The pluses at this location include nice river setting, great amenties, secure family-friendly grounds, and a variety of on site services. The monthly RV site rental is about $800 a month for a bluff side site which might be a nice retreat for families or retirees. The minuses are primarily that the nightly rental is not cheap, especially if you want to tent camp, but fir some folks the amenities might be worthwhile. Summer is peak season if course, it is quieter and cheaper in the fall and spring.

• 

  Jessica M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 5, 2018

  Minneapolis Southwest KOA

  Definitely caters to rvs

  A couple weeks ago we spent some time at the Northwest koa...that one had private tent sites surrounded on 3 sides by trees, quiet spaces etc. Looking at the Southwest koa website they advertise as the tent sites back into the woods. So imagine our surprise when we were shown our site. It did indeed back up into the woods however the woods were 20ish feet behind a rope and we were told all set up had to be done in front of the rope. Our tent was inches from the road and wide out in the open. Other then the tent site itself this koa is wonderful...the staff were very friendly, the pool was clean and heated, the grounds were kept clean etc

• 

  Andrew K.

  Guide

  

  May. 25, 2024

  High Island Creek Park

  Very close

  Very close to other campers, but no one bothered anyone. Dog didn’t go nuts, got a good spot. Would recommend. Tent camping on the way to Alaska and filled all needs. Has a Porta-shitter and trash. Decent spot, windy.

• T

  Tom D.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 14, 2021

  Country Camping RV Park

  This one is a gem.

  Love this place.

  Close to the Twin Cities, right on the Rum River.

  Great tent sites right on the river.

  Tubing! They have a bus that takes you into town float back to the campground, love it.

• S

  Shell L.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 21, 2024

  Sauk River City Park

  Lovely, new, accommodations in small town

  Rolled up in the middle of the night. $10 cash in the box for a tent site. Clean bathroom with shower. Felt safe and fell asleep quickly with the sound of the creek next to our site. Would definitely stay again.

• 

  Carol H.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 22, 2023

  Country Camping RV Park

  Fun Fun Fun

  We’ve stayed at Country Camping for years! Great variety of things to do for everyone. Group sites, tent sites, covered wagon sites! Floating on the Rum River, swimming pool with splash pad, little camp store, Golf cart rentals! Our grandkids love it too!

• B

  Bill E.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 13, 2023

  Masonic West River Park

  Tent camp too high priced

  $20 tent sites and have to pay online. There are No showers only toilets at the 2 buildings. If you get here at night you better have spot lights. No maps on their website. I was on North side huge area. No campground host to be found

• 

  Emily H.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 7, 2018

  Lake Maria State Park Campground

  Hike in sites and cabins. Beautiful hiking trails.

  Lake Maria State Park has great hiking trails for the whole family, the camper cabins are spread throughout and are hike in only. Each cabin is pretty secluded and on a body of water. The cabins themselves are very basic, but the setting is awesome.

  I haven’t stayed in the backpack tent sites, but I bet they’re fantastic.

• 

  Travis A.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 28, 2024

  Oak Leaf Park

  Wonderful city park

  I stayed two nights. The city park has private restrooms. Check in with the park host and he will provide you the code to access the restrooms/showers. The park has 13 rv sites with 30/50amp and water, four tent sites. Fishing pond, two baseball fields, basket ball court, playground, disk golf, and aquatic center/swimming pool. Little town has a lot to offer. Great place to camp

• 

  Jessica M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 30, 2018

  Minneapolis Northwest KOA

  Wonderful experience

  The hosts at this campground were very nice. We had a tent site with no hook ups. The site was spacious and private-surrounded on 3 sides by trees. The bathrooms were clean. The pool area was clean and without issue. There were no extra walk ways or special features in those regards but the roads had enough of a country feel that they were fun for walking around with my kids and dog

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 8, 2019

  Games Lake County Park

  Nice family campground

  This is a nicely forested family-oriented campground on the shores of Games Lake. Though not quite as nice as the nearby Sibley State Park, it has easy access to it as well as the Glacial Lakes bike trail, plus is set on a nice lake with fishing, boating, and swimming available. There is a nice community center too. The campground is owned by Kandiyohi County, and rates for tent camping or various levels of RV camping are very reasonable but only offered for weekly rentals.

• 

  Dan R.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 30, 2022

  Birch Lake

  Quick rest on cross country drive.

  I pulled in at like 11pm and went straight to find an open spot, which was pretty easy.

  I had decent privacy but was in eye-shot ( through trees ) of 2 other occupied camps.

  Registration is easy & self service. They have envelopes at the entrance you just fill out, so you can use any payment method including card if you’re comfortable with that.

  I was only solo tent camping and got there way late & had to leave way early, so I can’t speak to much else.

• S

  Shone

  Scout

  

  Oct. 4, 2021

  St. Cloud-Clearwater RV Park

  Perfect get-away

  Just stayed for the weekend and we had a wonderful time. Shaded lot, much quieter than other sites I’ve been too. Many lots seem to be seasonal owners, but all were very well kept. Would definitely return in the future and even consider a seasonal spot some day. Restrooms and laundry available on site. Although from a sign posted, they wanted the restrooms to be used by those in pop-ups or tent camping only (just an fyi). Gift shop/office had a pool table and lots of games to borrow/use. Pool & mini golf also available.

• 

  LaMina H.

  Traveler

  

  May. 13, 2022

  Ann Lake

  My favorite spot in MN!!!

  Lake Ann Campground, located in the Sand Dunes State Forest north of Big Lake, MN is great for a weekend getaway with the family or a solo walk in trip. There are RV sites, tent sites, handicap accessible, walk in sites and group sites. Camping here is primitive with few amenities you get a fire ring and a picnic table, its great camping too be one with nature. There are several water spickets located around the campground along with outhouse type restrooms. There are no hookups or electric. Camping is on a first come first serve basis and you register at the kiosk located at the front of the campground acrid from the camp host site. There are several trails and Amaya something to do.

• 

  Emily H.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 7, 2018

  Ann Lake

  Nice Rustic Campground

  This campground is on a first come, first serve basis. There are no reservations for the regular sites (although I do think they might take reservations for the equestrian and group sites).

  I highly recommend the walk-in-sites for the most private tent camping experience. The walk from the car isn’t far, but the sites are off the road and in the pines. If you like to have your car at your site, you’ll find some sites with nice long driveways that can accommodate multiple cars, or even a truck with a boat/trailer. The beach is nice and private, but it’s a bit of a hike from the campsites. I’d recommend just hopping in the car and driving over if you’ve got young kids with you.

  There is no store or firewood sold at the campground, so you’ll have to haul your own in from an approved vendor.

• 

  Andrea S.

  Guide

  

  May. 19, 2018

  Oak Ridge Campground — Sibley State Park

  Sibley State Park

  I went early in the spring for camping at this park and ended up staying in the cabin – it was sort of a, I wanna get out of the city, let’s go camping, oh the campground is still closed sort of last minute trip. I can’t comment on the facilities, as the water wasn’t even back on for the season yet (March 30). The park has two campgrounds from what I saw; one with cabins and tent sites near the wilderness center and one on Andrew Lake. The lake was BEAUTIFUL at sunset. I drove all the way around and took pictures. Lots and lots of wildlife around at this one too! Fun little café in New London (Middle Fork) – delicious French toast and friendly service; seemed like a place the locals went!

• A

  Alexandra T.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 18, 2020

  Baker Campground - Baker Park Reserve

  Beautiful Grounds, Campsites a Bit Close

  We stayed here with two young kids tent camping. We stayed in site A20 due to the close proximity to the bathrooms. The grounds were very well kept and groomed. The sites were pretty close together with no trees in between, but only around 25% of sites were occupied when we were there so it wasn’t a problem. I would imagine it would be very cozy and not much privacy when full, which could be the only potential drawback. There were a fair amount of RVs- we were one of only a few tents I saw. There were some nice looking cabins on our loop as well. It was a very short walk down a path to the beautiful lake which was deserted when we were there. The bathrooms looked new and were very well kept. There was even one family restroom with a shower which was so awesome for trying yo get two small kids cleaned up. Loved that. Overall this was a great campsite when not full and we had a great time.

• D

  Deanna J.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 7, 2022

  Oak Ridge Campground — Sibley State Park

  Weekday Retreat

  We tent camped at Sibley State Park from August 31 through September 3, 2022, in drive-in campsite #91 of the Oak Ridge campground. It was a last minute trip for us, right before the Labor Day weekend. We had the non-electric loop all to ourselves from Wednesday through midday Friday, and then the campground was a non-stop hub of activity as more campers arrived for the holiday weekend.

  The park has two campgrounds. Oak Ridge is mostly wooded with some prairie sites and is more private. Lakeview is very open without privacy between campsites, but it has some mature trees for shade and is close to the beach and picnic area.

  The reservation website mostly does not include tent pad dimensions, so we took a chance on a site not knowing whether our 10x14 tent would fit. Luckily, it did. Site #91 was spacious and wooded on three sides. We walked both campgrounds to check for non-electric sites that would accommodate our tent. If you have a large tent, consider these campsites: Oak Ridge 77, 78, 81, 83, 84, 87, 88, 90, 91, 93, and 94; Lakeview 46, 66, and 70.

  The park is beautiful. There are lots of trails, a very nice beach and picnic area, and lots of wildflowers. We saw a lot of wildlife, including deer, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, song birds, butterflies, and frogs.

  The high point in the park is Mt. Tom, and there is a trail to its peak. If you don’t want to do the hike, you can drive most of the way then walk a short, paved, moderately inclined path to the top. The view is lovely.

  The biting bugs weren’t too bad during the day, but they were plentiful and aggressive in the evening. Remember your insect repellent!

• 

  kristin C.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 9, 2018

  Ham Lake Resort

  Well Rounded RV Park and Campground

  My partner and I scheduled a 3 day / 2 night stay in a new Vintage Cruiser RV for $39.99, in exchange for attending a presentation on private membership.

  We checked in Wednesday evening, and the nicest staff I've ever met helped us acclimate to RV living. We are new to this game. They patiently described how to utilize the grey and black water tanks, as well as encouraged us to check-out the canoes, row boats, bikes, horseshoes, ladder golf and many other entertainment items - for FREE!

  The map provided was accurate which made locating the cruiser a breeze. There were further instructions inside as well. The RV was immaculate. Provided for our use were all linens (a public very clean bath and shower was just across the road), dish soap, dish towels, paper towels, flat wear, plates, bowls, mugs and pans.

  The campground has a couple of ponds, as well as access to Ham Lake where the watercraft is launched. There is a petting arena with goats, ponies, and a llama who gave my partner the stink eye, but fell in love with me rubbing the fence and giving me all googly eyes!

  The clubhouse sells bundled wood, ice, snacks, cold drinks, ice cream and provides 24-hour fresh coffee. There is also a small resupply area, and gift shop.

  There are pull-through sites, back ups, 50 and 30 amp hook ups, and tent sites, covered pavilions, picnic tables and fire pits.

  The campground itself seems remote, secluded and peaceful, however, you are conveniently located to two well-stocked convenience stores, as well as Wal-Mart about 15 minutes away. It's also only about 45 minutes from the Minnesota Twin Cities.

  One note: We visited in August and needed gallons of bug spray.

  We very much enjoyed our get away!

• 

  Chris O.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 2, 2019

  Lake Maria State Park Campground

  Quiet getaway

  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.

  1. 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.

  2. Rain can get things boggy quick, possibly closing the trail to your site even.

  3. 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.

• 

  Krista T.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 1, 2021

  Bunker Hills Regional Park

  Hidden gem!!

  I went to this park for the first time last weekend, and I spent the entire time just saying“wow”. I had never been here before, despite it only being 20 minutes away, because I always prioritize going to state parks. It would never even occur to me to camp somewhere if it was less than an hour away. That is no longer true, as I immediately made reservations for this park when I got home. You might want to as well.

  If you simply look at the list of amenities this park has, nature lovers would be quick to turn their nose up at it as an overly-commercialized playground. It has a golf course, a restaurant is on the grounds, there is a stable with horses/ponies that you can take guided trail rides on, a water park(it is called The Beach, which was very confusing for us when we thought we were taking the trail to an actual beach), several playgrounds, archery, an event center, frisbee golf, and yes a campground. I’m probably forgetting something, check out their website for more. Basically, check this place out if you want to get out of the house for some outdoor pandemic family fun.

  Despite many of these things not being anything that I have a slight interest in, this somehow works for the park and it feels like a hidden paradise. I was immediately enthralled by the scenery as we drove into the park. There is an automated self-service station that accepts cards, or you can put cash in the drop box, a daily pass in 2021 is$6 and an annual pass is$30. It truly felt like a state park, and it’s definitely bigger than some of them(for instance it is 8x larger than Carley State Park).

  The lower loops are definitely better for tent campers, even though quite a few spots could support an RV. The campground map does a good job of providing visual indicators of what a site provides. The upper loop(sits 45-64) is definitely more geared towards RVs, so not what I would consider an ideal tent site. See picture of site 47 to get a feel for what this one is like. The bathrooms were locked up, so no feedback on those at this time. They looked relatively modern though. Also there are two camper cabins, they look more utilitarian than atmospheric though. Sites that I loved: 3, 8, 10.

  Overall I had a great time walking the trails, it was always kind of exciting to see what random feature was tucked seamlessly into the next bend. Based on the lack of Dyrt reviews and the overabundance of weekend availability for this campground, it might be a nice option for you to get camping even if you are a state-park-loving metro dweller like me. My reservation for a rustic site wound up being$30 for one night.

• 

  Henry L.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 11, 2025

  Games Lake County Park

  Games Lake County Park – A Perfect Camping Getaway

  Games Lake County Park, near New London, Minnesota, is a great spot for camping. With tent, RV, and cabin options, it suits all campers. The park offers electric hookups, clean facilities, and friendly staff. FR Legends recommends this park for its peaceful atmosphere and great amenities. Located near Games Lake, it’s perfect for fishing, boating, and family fun. A playground, beach, and boat launch make it a great getaway. Open May to September, it’s ideal for outdoor adventures!

• 

  Joe R.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 1, 2018

  Baker Campground - Baker Park Reserve

  City camping gem.

  Baker Park near Minneapolis Minnesota was a our camp choice for inexpensive camping on the last leg of our Minnesota vacation in 2017. After reading a lot of Pinterest reviews I’m glad we stayed at this camp. Managed by ThreeRiversParks.org (make your reservation here) this is one of the cleanest camps I’ve ever stayed at. It was crowded with RV’s and tents alike but it never seemed loud or cramped. The shower house was very clean and roomy and an easy walk from the camp sites. We didn’t take advantage of the nearby lake or other numerous activities because we used it as a base camp for the Mall of America. You’ll need to book for at least two nights and book as soon as you can. There are 200 sites but on the July weekend we stayed, I’d say almost all of them were booked. The camp staff are very friendly and you’ll need to get checked in before 9pm I believe because they close it off to paid guests after that. The camp was pretty quite for as full as it was. I did notice that local law enforcement did patrol the camp a couple of times each night but it felt very safe to me. I’d definitely recommend this camp and the next time we stay we will check out the hiking trails, lake, and playground for sure.

• 

  Jason S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 29, 2016

  El Rancho Manana Campgrounds & Riding Stable

  Campging & Bluegrass

  This is a small campground in the middle of Minnesota that plays host to the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association' two annual festivals. There's a separate campground for traditional campers but there's various designated camping spots for the festivals.

  These festivals are one of the most laid back, fun music festivals I've been to. You get to watch from the comfort of your own lawn chair while sitting under the trees. Can't beat it.

• 

  Carter N.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 19, 2017

  Bunker Hills Regional Park

  👍

  Campsites were nice, good tent pads too! Very clean. Respectful neighbors

• J

  Jeremiah S.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 15, 2021

  Lake Maria State Park Campground

  BP11 with kiddos

  Site was great. Good shade cover, room for 4 hammocks and a small tent. Closer to other sites than I was hoping but overall a great oasis less than an hour from Minneapolis.