Best Tent Camping near Belle Plaine, MN

If you’re looking for a peaceful escape where the only sounds are rustling leaves, birdsong, and frogs singing at dusk — Site B6 at Lake Maria State Park is the one.

This hike-in site is about a half-mile walk from the parking area, and the journey in is half the magic: winding wooded trails, wildflowers, and glimpses of the lake through the trees. Once you arrive, B6 feels like a secret woodland sanctuary — set up on a slight rise, tucked beneath a cathedral of towering oaks and maples.

The site is private, quiet, and wonderfully shaded, with just enough open sky for stargazing by the fire. The tent pad is level, and there’s a solid fire ring and picnic table. Vault toilets and water access aren’t too far, especially by backcountry standards.

What makes B6 stand out, though, is the vibe. It’s close enough to Lake Maria’s best hiking trails and just a short walk to the lake itself, where you can sit on a log and watch wood ducks paddle past and listen to the frogs in full chorus at night. We saw pileated woodpeckers, red squirrels, and a chorus of chorus frogs. Nature feels close here — in the best way.

Pro tip: Pack light and bring permethrin-treated clothes during bug season. And don’t forget a headlamp — the darkness here is wild and beautiful.

This site is perfect for anyone who wants a little solitude, a lot of nature, and a chance to slow down and breathe. We’ll absolutely be booking B6 again.

Backpack sites only. Love this park as it offers many backpacking sites with some being very short hikes in and some being longer hikes. Some are lake front and some are more woodsy sites. I really enjoy sites 1, 2, and 3 as they are a little more secluded from other sites, however 1 is fairly close to the county road so you will hear some vehicle noise overnight. Site comes with a fire ring, picnic table, and bear locker. Site 1 is my favorite despite the road noise due to the location of the tent pad and being on almost a peninsula offering lots of lake views.

Loved this site! Super peaceful vibes, nice tree cover, flat tent pad, and plenty of space to spread out. 🌳⛺️ It’s tucked just enough off the path to feel private, but not so far that you feel isolated. Clean facilities, water nearby, and the kind of birdsong that makes you forget your emails exist. 🐦📵

Now… the only reason this isn’t a full 5-star banger is the fire ring placement. 🔥 That thing is doing its own thing like 30 feet from the tent pad—felt like I needed a shuttle to roast a marshmallow. 😂 Bring extra lanterns, chairs, and a good sense of humor if you want to hang by the fire after dark.

Still—would camp again in a heartbeat. Great site for anyone who likes a little distance between their tent and their s’mores. 🍫🔥

#TheDyrt #CampsiteC14 #CampLife #FirePitTooFar #GlampLikeYouMeanIt #MNCamping #SmoreDistanceRequired #NatureTherapy #AlmostPerfect

This campground is one of two in the Regional Dakota County Park system. At Lebanon they have two 3 campgrounds rolled into one. East look within the trees has electrical, North Loop in the trees has no electrical, and West look has full hook ups with water, waste, and electrical. It was really a great set up here. The check in was super smooth...they even give you specific bags for recycling and garbage so that is awesome they are doing their part. There are a ton of hiking trails and little ponds near by. This is the ideal place to come to get away from the city even though you can hear the cars a little. Lots of trails, great playgrounds, and perfect paths for kids to ride bikes. 

The campsites themselves range from simple out in the open to shaded lots. I chose site 78 in the east loop and I could not see my neighbors when back by the fire ring so it was perfect. Other sites in the east loop are similar. There is one shower/bathhouse per loop and each contain 2 showers and 2 stalls with 2 sinks. 

This was a great stopover on the way up north.

This is one of my favorite parks to spend a night in when I don’t have time for an extended trip farther from home, living in Maple Grove this is only a 40 minute drive but you feel like you have really gotten away! I’ve found it’s also easier to snag a campsite at the last minute unlike most of the other parks around this area of the state, and especially during the week when you will likely have the park to yourself.

The hikes to the campsites are easy, wide trails without much up and down and most are about a mile hike in. The spots that I have stayed at have good places to set up a hammock, and all sites have a fire ring, picnic table and food locker.

Walking in on the trails can be a little buggy in late summer but clears up around the campsite, just make sure to bring some bug spray. The variety of birds in the park are fun to observe, the owls were hooting loudly all through the evening and there were a few woodpeckers hanging around our site. These sites in specific also had an outhouse really close, just remember to bring your own toilet paper. Sites 1 and 3 are on a little lake, but the water is more swampy so don’t plan on swimming and it’s probably not ideal for cooking or being purified for drinking water. There is a water pump in the parking lot where you can restock. You also shouldn’t have any trouble finding downed wood for fire around either of these sites. It’s secluded and you don’t see any other campers here but easy enough to get to! The view of the water from site 1 is beautiful and the sunset over the lake in October with the fall colors is a must see.

We stayed in the group campground for a Cub Scouting event. It's just a bit of a walk from the main campground and opposite of some very beautiful walk-in sites. The group campground has an open space to play games as well as wooded areas all around. There are vault toilets that are well kept. The hiking trails are well taken care of and far enough away from the Hidden Falls the capture the beauty of the state park, but close enough for a group of elementary age kids to manage. The walk-in sites are nested within the trees, far enough away from group sites for privacy but without a long distance to carry gear. The state park itself is only 10 miles away from a neighboring city with ample shopping resources available. Small gas and convenience store within the town of Nerstrand.

This campground is great especially when compared with state park camping. Full hookups available, quite a few pull through lots and close to the twin cities! No wifi, so make sure you've got decent cell service and hotspot if you need internet/wifi. Verizon gets ok coverage here, T-Mobile does too. Showers/bathhouses are clean and the hot water runs forever and not coin operated or push button like some others I've been to! Bonus! Good toilet paper in the bathrooms not the cheap stuff. The lake is literally out your door and they do have a small swimming beach and boat launch. MN Horse and Hunt club is about a mile or so up a trail access that is Almosy directly across from the camp entrance. There is an ATM there along with a bar and restaurant. Be prepared to hear gunshots regularly but it's not really bothersome unless you aren't prepared for it. The trail to the club is safe to walk though. The campground ONLY accepts cash so be sure to hit the ATM before you get here. They also charge $2 extra per dog if you have them. Nightly rate for the full hookup site I had was $32 with the dog. They charge .50 c per log for firewood. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. The staff are really nice and laid back. It's a really nice little campground!