Best RV Parks & Resorts near Balsam, MN

What a treasure! I was the first person to stay at this campsite and loved it! I am a full-time solo camper in my 5th year. I love off-grid camping. My rig is a GMC Yukon and 17' Casita camper. 

Directions:

Address for house just beyond campsite is 8214 E. Stone Lake Rd. Forbes, MN 

Coordinates are: N47.286675, W092.549313 

Turn on E. Stone Lake Rd. from Highway 7 and where the blacktop turns to gravel drive 2.5 miles then bear right at the fork to remain on E. Stone Lake Rd. Just beyond the fork watch for the red 8217 address marker. The drive into the campsite is directly across the road and before you get to 8214. Park and walk in to get a feel for the site. 

A big rig could back in as far as they want. Smaller rigs will probably pull in and then back into the site on the side with the lovely clearing. The area has some residential housing but the campsite is isolated and very quiet. There is a fern-filled clearing for the campsite which is surrounded by trees. My suitcase solar panels worked reasonably well. I used my generator sparingly. 

I had deer, squirrel, chipmunks and birds including Pileated Woodpeckers, Barred Owls and Common Loons on the lake. I had less than expected mosquitoes. 

The campsite is very close to the north section of Sax-Zim Bog and about 20 minutes from the Visitor's Center. Further down E. Stone Lake Rd. is the Blue Dasher Bog trail. The lake, left fork of the road, has a lovely picnic area with vault toilets, fire rings, picnic tables and boat ramp. 

This was just the kind of hidden gem I love to find.

We stopped here on our way to north Minnesota. Originally we planned 2 days but really needed to rest so extended it to 4 days. It was a little hairy getting to, the 2 lane winding road with the raging river on one side did slow us down a bit.  The Rangers were friendly and accommodating. The park had taken quite a beating with the winter storm that had been there the previous week, a lot of sites were closed due to trees down and snow.  While we were there they were actively cleaning up, but left in the afternoon so we had no disturbances from saws or equipment noise. The water was not turned on yet for the season, so the bathroom/showers and dump station were not available.  There was a potable water source at the front of our loop to fill our fresh tank and our water storage cubes.  The sites were shaded well, and easy to back into.  We had to work a bit to get our camper level but that may have been due to the snow and water that was on the site so we figured it was par for the course.  We walked to the Welcome Center and the swinging bridge, there were multiple hiking trails accessible by the camping area.  It was relatively busy on the weekend but cleared out during the week.  We had lots of wildlife visitors.  The park is pet friendly.  We found affordable propane and a dump site closer to Duluth.

I love Jay Cooke year round! The tent camping is great, the park is amazing for hiking and geology study, and there are camper cabins that I have often stayed at as well. This was my first time staying in winter, the camper cabins are cozy and fully heated and really nice. People use them when coming here in winter for the terrific cross country skiing or snowshoeing. The cabins are very simple and have beds, table, heat, and electricity, but no water inside (water punps are nearby, so bring a bucket ir canteen) and no bathroom (but you can use the outhouse nearby, and the campground will have a new bath house by early summer, it is inder construction and almost finished!) . You can use the facilities at the visitor center during the day but they arent open in the evening and are a bit of a trek from the campground. But, it you want to camp in warmth and relative comfort, and want to explire this amazing state park, the camper cabins are a great way to go year round! You can reserve campsites too if you have an RV or dont mind winter camping

Right on Lake Mille Lacs, one of Minnesota’s largest. Walking distance from the bakery and bar! Newer, updated facilities. Boat access. Lake side sites (if you book early enough). You can hit Mille Lacs State Park if you want to knock them both out on one trip! This park seems to attract a lot of long term campers, as I’m sure it’s pretty reasonable to stay at the lake all summer. We went mid-July I think and the trees were literally raining caterpillars… it was tough to want to hang out in our tree canopy-covered site. Sooo.. we ventured outside of the park more at this one.

There was a festival going on in a town west of here that had a couple rides and a really fun patio bar. If you do decide to venture out at night, ask the bartender for the limo driver’s number; he’s the city’s “uber”!

The campground is next to a busy road so if you’re looking for peace and quiet you will not get it here. However, we loved that we were able to pull right onto the gravel pad and it was level so we didn’t need to take extra time to level out the camper. The 30 amp electrical and water hookups were nice however they were on the wrong side of the pad which we thought was odd. Everything is on the honor system - even paying for your spot. There is a small box outside the garage that you fill out a form and put the form along with your payment into an envelope and place it in a mail slot. There are 2 sets of primitive bathrooms within the grounds and another standard bathroom with showers underneath the house by the beach area. There is a nice sandy area by the lake to enjoy. The owner was very nice and even pumped out our sewage for us before we left.

This is a great place for winter camping! The campsites are large enough (despite the snow) to set up suitable winter tents, and each site has a picnic table and fire pit. In the park, there's a lot of ice climbing and cross country skiing. If you take a short walk from the main parking area towards the bathroom, and follow the trail alongside the bluff, you'll find awesome spots to climb and likely a lot of dedicated adventurers. Nearby the campsite you have a great water source, and a lot of peace and quiet at night despite being close to a residential area and town.

Red Pine is a great private RV park near Duluth, MN. We stayed 2 nights. Most of the sites are not shady. The campground streets are gravel. The park was clean and quiet, and the staff was friendly. Gave 4 stars on cleanliness only for the gravel/dirt roads and sites. Otherwise, is was very clean. Stayed in back-in campsite#49 which was not shady but level. It was an dirt/gravel site with grass on either side. There was just enough parking for my 34 ft TT and truck. The site included: picnic table on grass and fire ring. Utilities: 20/30/50A electric in back. Sewer located in back and had a non screw-on fitting. Water was located in back, but on door side. Neighbors are close. AT&T had 4 bars of LTE and Verizon 3 bars of LTE service. AT&T Fast.com: 1.5 Mbps down, 5.0 Mbps up. Verizon Fast.com: 190 kbps down, 9.5 Mbps up. Free WiFi Fast.com: 1.5 Mbps down, 3.6 Mbps up. Would stay here again. We camped at Red Pine Campground in a Travel Trailer.