Best Tent Camping near Austin, MN

Recent Tent Reviews near Austin, Minnesota

316 Reviews of 9 Austin Campgrounds

• J

  John C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 10, 2019

  Maple Springs Campground

  Peaceful and beautiful

  I arrived midweek around 8:00 PM and the office was closed. I was tent camping on motorcycle and easily found my site way back on the property. Andy came out to my site in the morning to say hi and ask if anything was needed. He definitley cares about the people staying here. With the gravel roads and very soft grass site, it was easy to manuver a large bike. Out in the tent sites there was very little light, which made star gazing amazing. If it wasn't for the store and well done shower room I would have thought I was in the wilderness especially in the tent area. Great place for quiet midweek, not sure what the weekend is like. The only reason it is not 5 stars is from my site I had to walk out to the field for wifi reception. With no Verizon cell service, not sure if others did, I needed to comunicate with family.

  John Carpentier Coon Rapids, MN

• C

  Cheryl W.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 8, 2021

  White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

  Nice state park

  This is a rustic state park with limited amenities. There are no water or electric hook ups. However clean water is available in the park. The park does have flush toilets and showers. We found these to be in good condition and clean. The showers had warm water. The water stream is on a timer and so are the lights. The shower stalls are Individual stalls. The interior roads are dirt roads with a few potholes they are very narrow. The camping sites are nice sized and relatively private. There is a gravel pad on each site and some have a tent pad. Each site had a picnic table and a fire ring. There are plenty of walking and biking trails and there are walk-in tent camp sites. However, you cannot see the lake from the campground and there is no access to the lake from the campground. We were able to drive through the campground with our 40 foot fifth wheel. But just barely, be careful! 

• L

  Lexi E.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 23, 2020

  Rice Lake Campground — Rice Lake State Park

  Lame

  All RV and ridiculously expensive for tent camping

• J

  Jake L.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 24, 2017

  Sylvan City Park

  Close to bike trail and downtown

  Stayed here in a tent while on a bicycle camping trip and it was adequate. It is located in a city park within a couple minutes walk of the downtown area. The bike trail crosses the south end of downtown so close to that too. This would not be a good place to camp if you'd like to be out in nature

  Biggest gripe is the slope of the tent sites. The majority of the tent sites are on an incline around a pond. There are also a lot of ducks that aren't very afraid of humans. None got into my gear though. There are fire rings at the tent sites. No picnic tables at the individual sites but there are some nearby in the park and there's also a covered picnic shelter. Hammocks would be difficult to impossible as the tent area is a strip of grass between pond and bluff, which has mostly brush or too whimpy of trees to hang from at the base. There are a couple huge oaks but none in pairs.

  Quarter showers and clean restrooms are available. $20/night/tent which seemed a bit steep to me considering how slanted the sites were and quarter showers. It is cheaper than the other places within immediate biking distance which were $25/night.

• 

  Nichole M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 24, 2020

  Rudd Eastside Park

  Super fun and kid friendly !!

  Loved camping here, we have 4-5 times already this year! We tent camped but they’ve got lots of spaces for campers and tents as well, bathrooms are close, there is a nice lake near with play equipment located at the lake and at the campground, the campground has old bikes for the kids to use, everyone there is so nice! We love it

• S

  Scott G.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 27, 2020

  Rice Lake Campground — Rice Lake State Park

  A nice small park but nothing special

  A nice small park but nothing special. Sites are good sized and nicely spaced. Facilities are primitive. Nice walking trail around the property about 2.5 miles. The trail does cross some of the tent sites. Maybe once the lockdown is over things will be better there.

• S

  Sydney

  Scout

  

  Aug. 29, 2023

  Oakwoods Trails Campground

  Lovely campground with lots of trees!

  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

• M

  Melissa R.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 13, 2020

  Shades of Sherwood Campground

  Family Fun

  Great tent sites some along river lots of activities for children and adults tubing down the river, man-made lake with blowups, scooters, swimming poolAnd jumping pillow. Mini mart has many items from camping necessities, rain gear as well as groceries and ice cream. Bathrooms with showers are very clean.

• 

  Katherine T.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 1, 2024

  Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

  Nice weekend get away

  Nice distance from the twin cities for a weekend away with some nice hiking trails. The tent pads have been upgraded to pea gravel by the friends association (which seems to be quite active based on signage around park improvements). Showers and bathrooms were clean. Wi-Fi near the park entrance and spotty T-Mobile service throughout. The outside of the loop is good for tent camping but could be a little noisy if the campground had been fully booked.

• P

  Peter K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 20, 2021

  Sylvan City Park

  Small campground next to city park.

  This is a convenient small campground next to a city park. The touristy shops and biking trails are within a few blocks of the campground. The RV campsites have water and electricity. We found the sites to be rather close together. The sites are first come first served (no reservations). There are also numerous tent sites, as this seems to be popular with the bicycling crowd. This really is a beautiful area of southeast MN.

• 

  GoWhereYouAreDraw N.

  Legend

  

  May. 30, 2019

  Forestville Mystery Cave State Park Campground

  Great experience!

  We tent camped here and loved it. We were able to do a lot of trail exploring and had a great time on the “scenic” cave tour. The trails were well maintained but difficult to understand in some places as signage was lacking.

  There is a primitive loop with pit toilets, a tent loop with no electricity but access to showers and flush toilets, and a trailer loop with all accommodations.

  There are great cold water trout streams that are shallow enough to wade in and play in if the weather is warmer. Hiking trails of varying skill levels but all in mostly wooded areas. Forestville townsite is closed during the week but you can wander around the outside of the buildings and site. No gates or posted restrictions.

• h

  holly

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 3, 2022

  Bluff Valley Campground

  Awesome place

  I have stayed here a couple times before memorial day and after. I tent camped by the river. #67 is extra large and perfect. Electric and water was $35/night for electric and water for a weekday. Bathrooms near by need updated. But brand new showers by main entrance. Very clean, nice staff. They have a little restaurant that I saw but didn't eat or see open.

  This is the prettiest campground I've been to so far in this area. But there is a lot of construction so watch your maps. 1 mile was 15 miles bc of an important road closure. Get everything you need before you settle. A gas station alone is a trip.

• D

  Deanna J.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 14, 2022

  White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

  Delayed Autumn

  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.

• 

  Renee H.

  Ranger

  

  May. 23, 2024

  Sylvan City Park

  Small city park campground right in town

  Walking distance to downtown and easy access to Root River Trail. RV sites were close to each other with little privacy. Many tent sites around the perimeter. Short walk to bathhouse. Showers are not free, 4 quarters for 5 minutes. No laundry available. Campground is first come/first serve and doesn’t take reservations or online payment. Payment is made at adjacent city office.
  Sites are gravel, fairly level. Water and electric available at rv sites.
  Nice park nearby with stocked fishing pond. There is some noise due to the park being tucked into the city. Garbage and dump station free for campers. They ask for a donation for dumping if not camped there. Tight access at dump station might make it difficult for larger rigs. Strong Verizon signal.

• D

  Deanna J.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 13, 2022

  White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

  Woodland/Prairie/Wetland

  We spent four nights tent camping at the White Fox Campground of Myre-Big Island State Park in June 2022. This park is a combination woodland/prairie/wetland setting. The White Fox Campground is on the fringes of a woodland. Our campsite was grassy and open with trees and shrubs curving along the back of the site. The site had the usual fire ring with grill and a large picnic table.

  There are some nice trails for hiking through woodlands and prairie and alongside wetlands. We saw a lot of wildlife: several deer, red squirrels, chipmunks, a raccoon, a woodchuck, lots of different birds, and several different types of butterflies. In the mornings the birdsong was pretty amazing, loud and long lasting.

  There are two freeways and a rail line near the park, but the noise from them was only bothersome on one morning of our stay.

  There is a second campground on the Big Island portion of the park. Big Island is wooded and has some beautiful trails that we enjoyed.

• 

  Allison K.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 1, 2019

  Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

  Enjoyment for every age!

  The winter was a long one last year and we were itching to take our new 30foot Jayco Eagle bunkhouse travel trailer out for its maiden voyage! We decided that my birthday weekend was the perfect opportunity to do just that. To be on the safe side, incase we had issues, we decided to stay close to home so we decided to hit up a new park, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park just outside Northfield, Minnesota. This park is only an hour from the twin cities and very convenient for a weekend getaway after work on friday.

  We stayed In campsite 27 which was an electric campsite that was pretty open to all the other campsites. Most of the campsites there were really open and you could see and other peoples campsites so if that’s not your style of camping I wouldn’t go to Nerstrand big Woods. There is also water hook up at the park in that site and some of the other sites but that wasn’t listed when we booked the site.

  The park office was just a short walk or a bike ride from the campsites and had a very nice gift shop and bathrooms there. There is also a really nice shower and bathroom building right next to the campground host site. Just off the campground was a really nice playground for the kids that utilized tree stumps and tree branches as the playground. There was a really large picnic area and picnic shelter also.

  Along with electric sites there’s also just tent sites without electric if that’s your style camping.

  Nerstrand Big Woods Is very well known for its beautiful waterfall that you can walk on and the trail leading to the waterfall was also a great hike.

  All in all I think Nerstrand Big Woods was a good choice for a weekend getaway for a little family of four. And it gave us a lot to do because in The little city of Northfield there was a lot of little shops and cute little restaurants to eat at the shop at. Northfield is also home to the Malt-o-meal Museum and production. My husband and I are big craft brewery fans And we’re pretty stoked to find out that there were three breweries around the park. We visited Tanzenwald and Chapel brewery and tried flights at each one. Out of the two we thought Tanzenwald was the best for staff friendliness and prices. Each flight we got a 4 5ounce pours were only 4$. There was also a restaurant at that brewery with really good cheese curds.

  We decided that Nerstrand Isn’t our favorite park but it’s a good option for us to be able to get away in short notice close to home with a lot of activities around for us to do.

• s

  sandra

  Guide

  

  Jul. 14, 2021

  Albert Lea-Austin KOA

  Peaceful

  In the middle of corn and bean fields..very peaceful! Open camp sites some shaded and pull through. Big rig friendly. Pool was closed for repair on our visit but looked like nice sized pool. Staff was welcoming and grounds were clean.  Drive over to Austin and visit the Spam Museum...who knew?

• 

  Elissa W.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 1, 2019

  Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

  Nice campground, good trails

  We got a last second site and stayed for just one night. The sites were great for tents and relatively shady, but an RV had some trouble in our loop and had to move to another site. Where we set up our tent was pretty rocky and hurt the feet when you stood barefoot in the tent even with an extra tarp, so be careful where you set your tent.

  There is no swimming beach, but the ranger gave us directions to another beach nearby. Next time we visit we'll be sure to check that out. Early June is good as the bugs there aren't bad at all.

  The trails were nice, wish we had brought our bikes to hit the Sakatah/Singing Hills trail, looked lovely! The fishing dock was fun for the little kiddos to visit.

• R

  Rodney A.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Lake Louise State Park Campground

  Nice Little Park

  This is a great family park where the kids and grown-ups can have fun!

  You can go fishing at the pond without having to purchase a Minnesota Fishing License!

• 

  Fitore M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2019

  Sakatah Lake State Park Campground

  A perfect getaway

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

• T

  Tom

  Ranger

  

  May. 15, 2023

  Oxbow County Park

  Beautiful Campground & Park & Zoo!

  The campground Host Sherry and John are great!

  The campground is well maintained and right by the river. Nice RV spots and nice tent spots along the river. #10 is nice tent spot we like. #20 is good RV spot we use. There is Firewood in a shed for sale.

  No cell service but able to text.

  Nice clean bathrooms! Great shower heads in men’s bathroom.

  Trails are super nice and well maintained, many different levels of hikes going along the River to hikes up on the prairie tops. Some nice overlooks.

  Zoo and nature center are great. Animals are all rescued and given a home. Bison herd and elk and deer too.

  We will be camping there again!

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 21, 2023

  Crystal Springs RV Resort

  Nice Campground

  As the campground(CG) is right off the interstate, it was easy to get to. Our check-in package was ready when we arrived at the little self-registration building at the entrance. We had requested site 40, where we had stayed two years ago, but they gave us back-in site 41 instead on the little lake. The utilities are in the middle of the site and worked well with water pressure near 45 psi. The sites are decently spaced for this type of CG. They have WiFi, but their info packet states it's not good enough for streaming but okay for email, etc. We got 3 bars on Verizon and used our MiFi since we were only here for two nights. The CG is right off I-35, so you do get some highway noise. This CG is very well kept, with mostly seasonal and permanent parties. We came in with two other 5th wheels and had no problem getting sites, but we did reserve well before our arrival. There was not a formal dog park, but there was plenty of area to walk your dog. We noted that this CG was featured in RV Life’s 2023 Discover The Best RV Parks& Resorts In Every State with this narrative:"This family-owned campground prides itself on cleanliness; there is an owner on-site around the clock to ensure it stays in top condition. The park is beautifully landscaped and has both pull-thru and back-in sites. All sites(some are waterfront) are level and offer full hookups and free Wi-Fi. There are onsite restrooms and laundry facilities that are kept sparkling clean. They also offer a lending library of books and movies. There is a large pond on the property that is perfect for fishing, kayaking, and other water sports, and there is a walking path that circles the pond." Check out the Spam Museum in Austin, MN. We thought the museum would be cheesy, but it was a nice facility and a great experience. The CG deserved this praise, and we again enjoyed our stay.

• 

  Brady J.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 8, 2022

  Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

  Overall an enjoyable stay

  Not my favorite park but the trails were leisurely and relatively scenic. Campsite had a large tent pad but our site was not very large. Sites are close together and the use of large campers seemed to far outnumber those staying in tents. Office staff very friendly. Main trail to waterfall is conveniently located right next to the campground which was great for us as we were there for just one night and ended up being in the park for less than 14 hours total. Bathroom house was clean and relatively new. Not as quiet/secluded as we like, but overall we enjoyed our time here

• S

  Scott G.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 6, 2018

  Nerstrand Big Woods State Park Campground

  Nice campground middle of Minnesota

  This is a Nice campground middle of Minnesota. Surprising place in the middle of farm country. Very nice campground and lots of walking trails. Great for leaf peeping.

• K

  Kyle M.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 3, 2019

  Zumbrota Covered Bridge Park

  Camping when I lived on top the hill in Zumbrota!

  Tent and rv camping, with a public pool close by, oldest covered bridge in the state, close to town, playground and miles of trails fir skiing, hiking and biking.

• 

  Troy L.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 21, 2021

  White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

  Awesome Site

  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.

• 

  Hannah H.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 10, 2021

  Lake Louise State Park Campground

  Lake Louise Summer

  Good time! It rained and was a little muddy, but it was nice. Site 11 is kind of small for a large tent like we have. The group sites are close by and they were quite loud, but the rest of the park was nice and quiet. There is horse camping here, and the lake is nice for swimming.