Best Glamping near Apple Valley, MN

Minnesota State Parks have just started to build Yurts for 3 campgrounds around the state; Afton, Cuyuna and Glendalough State Parks. These have some great amenities and are perfect for family camping, especially in Fall, Winter and Spring.

I have stayed multiple times in the hike in camp sites and also in the yurt! The hike in sites were beautiful with a view looking over the St. Croix River. It was a shaded site perfect for our hammocks, it was quiet and very secluded. The Yurt was very cool! Very comfortable beds and plenty of space for the 6 of us to stay and sleep. The fire pit and picnic table wasn't far from the yurt which made it nice to not have to walk too far since we camped in the winter. I highly suggest the expeeience of the yurt!

Super simple camping cabins. They each have 4 spots and have contactless entry as you get sent a code to use. There is no cooking inside the cabin so you have to use the fire ring outside. Shower facilities are really nice and match the cabins. Plan ahead as these are hard to come by.

The cabins in the woods are great in winter with snow on the pine trees. I would probably prefer the prairie cabins in the summer, especially with mosquitoes. The prairie cabins have significantly less privacy though with trails on either side that have good views into the heavily windowed cabins.

The cabins are well-built and heated. The wooded cabins have what seems like full-sized mattress bunk beds built into the wall. Each bunk has its own reading light. The storage in this place is amazing. Storage under the bed, one counter with ample storage under it, and even the windows are so deep that I was able to store most of my food on the sill.

The biggest downside is the middle-of-the-night trek to the bathroom. The bathroom is heated and open year round. There are two year round showers as well, but don’t plan on a long shower to unwind unless you like cold water. There was maybe 2 minutes of hot water. Basically enough to wash your body quickly, it was easy enough to avoid getting my hair wet. The shower room is also set to a cool 58 degrees in the winter. I do suspect that the floors are slightly heated though. You will need to dart across to the bathroom to blow dry your hair if you’re washing it in the winter. 

You can use a slow cooker and a coffee pot in the cabin. Otherwise you can cook over the fire as well. They have potable water in the bathroom for washing your dishes in the cabin with.

Close enough to town if you need something, far enough away for peace and quiet.

Super nice area very scenic great bathroom facilities. Cabins are nice and have great woods and trails around them.

We always stay at the Cleary point group camp and we love it. It used to have toilets but last year only had a port-a-potty which was less than ideal for a group of 40 people. We would end up driving to the main building sometimes. The camp is great though, 4 or 5 hookups and a private dock and the whole site is private and on a little point so the lake is surrounding you. Only caught a few catfish and bass there but still a great view fishing.

I went with Boy Scouts

I can't really speak for any of the other sites here, but 13 is the only one right on the water and it's HUGE with lots of trees and absolutely beautiful scenery. I imagine in the middle of summer, it might feel slightly less secluded as there are 3 other sites relatively close by, one of which you have to walk through to get to this one, but in early September, no one else was around and it was PERFECT!

Lots of good trees and space between campgrounds which isn’t always the case at the regional parks. The access to water is really nice and a couple sites were perfect.

The hike in sites are super close to the car so it doesn’t even require much work. Plan to come here again!

We camped here last minute when the rain held off and we could only find this campground with availability. We haven’t done much camping at Regional Parks but this park did not disappoint! Our “hike in” spot was very close to the car but hidden in a forest. Gorgeous spot. We walked around and looked at all the other sites and each was unique and pretty. I would have liked staying at any of the sites. Cleary Lake is a good size and a kayakers delight! The park also has a golf course and is very well kept! We really want to use one of the large group camp sites for a weekend party!

I really like the hike in sites. Short walk from the car and right by the water yet spaced nicely for privacy.

This is a great family campground! Camping spots are rather close, but we have two little ones so they made friends quick with other children. We didn’t get to swim at the lake because it was shut down due to a chemical spill at the time, but we did walk over and check it out. The views are great! We stayed in a RV spot next to the lake which had water and electric hookups. The playground is a short walk to the tent area, which was a big hit with our kids. Our girls didn’t want to leave! We stayed for two nights during the 4th of July. We were able to see fireworks all around. Our site was also right next to the office which was also the location for bathrooms and showers. The girls loved going inside for ice cream treats when the weather was a little too hot to handle. We had fun going on a short hike and finding wild blackberries to eat. We had a great time and hope to be back soon!

Nice showers and restrooms. Paved RV pads. Near lake and excellent bike path. Great brewery and winery close by.

We really liked this campground. The paved trail around the area is really nice for walking the pups. Very clean and well kept campground.

The campground gets booked up fast, so book early!

The sites on and close to the water are long, but not very wide. The sites further back have alot more room at each site.

I have organized car camping weekends with friends for years at this site. The staff is great, the grounds are well kept.

The campgrounds were beautiful and well kept. The bathrooms were immaculate. I love it!!!! I will be back!!!!!

Very nice water front sites, clean, clean restrooms and showers, dump station. Plan on coming back. They’re adding a bunch new sites. Should be ready for next season.

It’s a nice park, sometimes hard to get into on weekends. The lake is right next to the campground with RV sites right on the water. The only thing disappointing is the lake becomes green with algae as the summer goes on.

Very nice county park. Water and electric hookups. The lake is nice for fishing, boating or swimming. Has a small store.

This campground is clean and well maintained. It has a boat landing; indoor and outdoor bathroom facilities; playground and large tent sites.

I will do the best