Best Cabin Camping near Bigelow, MN

Cabin Reviews near Bigelow, MN

158 Reviews of 16 Bigelow Campgrounds

• 

  Katrin M.

  Legend

  Jul. 7, 2019

  Palisades State Park Campground

  A very nice getaway!

  We camped here over the weekend with our dogs. The campground is within 10 miles off of I90.

  The park is not very big so there are not many campsites. Some have electric hook up, others are just for tent camping. All of them provide a picnic table and a fire pit. They also have little log cabins. We stayed at campsite 6 which was a very good spot. Some of the other sites seemed very close together without much privacy or shade.

  The park staff (rangers, camp host and volunteers) was extremely friendly. They always made sure that we had everything we needed. The rangers also offer different programs on the weekend like learning about geocaching or how to make campfire desserts.

  There is one bathhouse for the entire campground. It seemed a little old but got cleaned daily. There are also several vault toilets around the area. From the campground you have access to the water. There are also several short hiking trails from where you can see the rock formations.

  It was just a very short ride to the Devils Gulch (Jesse James historical site) or Split Rock Park. There is also a Dollar General close by. We would definitely recommend the campground.

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• J

  James A.

  Scout

  May. 16, 2018

  Sunrise Campground — Lake Shetek State Park

  Fantastic campground

  Our party consisted of two adults, and three children under 12. The cabin consisted of bunk beds with double beds on bottom and twin bed on top. With our gear for four days we found the cabin had just enough room for our party. Any longer or more kids and the cabin would be too small.

  The cabins are close to the lake. In early October the leaves are mostly fallen and you have an unobstructed view of the lake and surrounding hills. During the day take in the great vistas across the lake, at night look up and see stars that can only be seen in the wilderness.

  The area has several good hikes of 3 - 7 miles in length. If you are looking for heavy wooded off trail hikes you can forge your own way otherwise we found the trails great for family hikes, and a morning run.

  Bathrooms, and showers are clean and better than I have experienced at other state parks.

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• T

  Tyson K.

  Traveler

  Sep. 26, 2025

  Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

  Another overnight stop.

  Just another overnight stop on my drive to Iowa. I spent the night in a non-electric tent site so I can't really comment on the other parts of the campground. It does have nice bathrooms with running water and showers. The non-e tent sites are in a forested section, all shaded. Sites include picnic tables and fire rings. Sites are located a very short walk from the designated parking. I had a great night's sleep as it was relatively quiet. I didn't partake but they do have a Frisbee golf course. Took a short walk on their trail system to the suspension walking bridge. My complaint would be the fees. I thought i was paying one fee for the non-e tent site but then there was an additional fee for non-res and another fee for park day use fee or permit. This fee was confusing whether I was supposed to pay this or not. So what looked like a small fee to spend the night turned into much more.

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• 

  Carolyn M.

  Guide

  Oct. 23, 2019

  Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

  Ok place to spend the night, but could have been better

  I spent the night here and had to pay the entrance fee to the park as well as the camping fee for my tentsite. They had only a few tentsites available amid all the RV sites, but they were right on the edge of the playground, so the families had to walk right through my campsite to get to the play area. Not too big a deal as no one wanted to use the play area at night while I was sleeping, but still.  I also looked over at the power lines. There was a flush toilet facility close by but there was a very bright light on all night. Good for families needing to navigate in the dark but not wonderful if you like sleeping in darkness. And though I was told that quiet hours began at 10PM, the site next to me was quite loud through the trees until at least midnight so the quiet hours are not enforced. Meh. I don't think I'll be going back.

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• 

  Myrna G.

  Guide

  Jul. 24, 2019

  Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

  Beautiful and peaceful

  Heading home needed a one night camp spot. This one fit the bill.
  Located in Brandon not far from Sioux Falls. Clean bathrooms with showers. Firewood available to purchase. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Bike and hiking trails. Plus plenty of privacy. Definitely will return.

• 

  Joe R.

  Legend

  Jul. 25, 2022

  Palisades State Park Campground

  Well Shaded Park

  We happened upon this park during the 50th anniversary of the park so there were lots of park events happening. This is a very clean and well maintained park. We tent camp so much of my observations are geared for the tent camper. We stayed at site 34E, a long but narrow and slanted site. We were lucky to find some awkward somewhat flat place for our two tents. This site would be just fine for RV camping but I’d steer clear for tent camping. I’d estimate that 50% of the sites are flat and suitable for tents.
  Here are some key take aways from our 3 night stay in late July 2022. -clean and well maintained park

  • fair wireless service for Verizon
  • well placed and clean shower / restroom houses
  • nice playgrounds
  • great options on the park for paddle boarding, kayaking, water play as well as additional options at near by Devil’s Gultch and Split Rock parks.
  • Very well shaded park
  • Grocery store less than 10 min away.
  • Mosquitos weren’t a problem during out stay with a little bug spray prevention.
  • Nice aluminum picnic tables at all sites. Standard fire pits with grilling attachments.
  • employees will enforce local approved fire wood use Negatives:
  • lots of biting flies
  • if you like private sites this isn’t for you The interesting:
  • this is easily the most heavily staffed state park I’ve ever stayed at. If you like a constant park employee presence you’ll like it. I found it to be excessive however. During a 30 min time period we counted 8 employee vehicles to two park visitors driving by. It seemed to create unnecessary road traffic and noise at times. Park employees walk the park on foot in the dark at the 11pm to enforce quite time. There aren’t going to be any site reservation mix ups there either. Park employees constantly check sites and make sure reservations are correct. The camp host was very nice and makes the round frequently.

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• 

  Susan L.

  Legend

  Sep. 5, 2020

  Big Sioux Recreation Area — Big Sioux

  Convenient camping near Sioux Falls

  This Recreation Area is large and  located off the Sioux River, which was slow flowing when I visited. It’s not the most picturesque river I’ve seen, so if you’re looking for that look further. However, because it was slow moving it made for a nice round trip paddle. 

  Easy access from 90W, not much road noise and close to the town of Brandon for supplies. 

  There’s a fantastic disc golf course complete with a creaky suspension foot bridge that spans the fiver. 

  Great hiking and biking trails too. I hiked the Valley of the Giants trail, which earns its name because of the many old, “giant” oaks in this river bottom area. It’s an easy hike with one slight incline/decline, but the loop was curtailed by a giant felled oak tree.  The path was completely covered and no matter which way I tried I couldn’t see the trail it had become so overgrown. Sadly it seems that this has been the fate of several the the Giants, perhaps due to the river flooding.

  The campground has gravel pads. My site backed up to the river but there was a bushy berm and the bike/walking bath between the site and the river. No problem to access the river though because there are little paths worn through the bushes. Lots of trees for shade and good space between sites. There’s electric but no water at site. Fill up by the restrooms or before you come. Picnic table and fire ring with grill connected. Fire ring is on a cement pad. I’d never seen that before. 

  There are also  cabins for rent and when I was there the restrooms looked clean and functional.  Picnic shelter and gazebo are on site as well as the Bergeson’s Homestead. It’s always nice to see history being preserved like this! When I’m passing through this area again, I’ll revisit this recreation area.

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• 

  Carrie F.

  Traveler

  Aug. 28, 2019

  Lake Pahoja Recreation Area

  Gorgeous setting, awkward spots

  No hook ups. Gorgeous setting, several spots are not level, small size. Good distance from others, yet close enough for group. Near everything in the beautiful black hills. Several areas.  Clean, comfortable restrooms. Store at entrance to park. Boat rentals available, slip rental available.

• D

  Deanna J.

  Guide

  May. 10, 2022

  Oak Woods Campground — Lake Shetek State Park

  Lovely Park

  We spent three nights at the Oak Woods campground at Lake Shetek State Park in May 2022. The six non-electric campsites are along one edge of the campground, across the road from the park’s four camper cabins. All of the campsites are large and open and grassy. They lack privacy but have good spacing, tall trees, and lake views. One of the two bathroom-and-shower buildings is nearby. We were there in early May and were the only tent campers in the park at that time.

  The park is lovely. We saw and heard many birds including songbirds, woodpeckers, geese, turkeys, pelicans, turkey vultures, and a nesting swan. We saw deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and a mink. We heard coyotes the first night. There are some nice hiking trails. We especially enjoyed the Loon Island loop, which is accessed by a causeway across the lake. There is an observation deck with a viewing telescope at Eastlick Marsh, which is where we saw the nesting swan and a beaver dam. In season there are recreational rentals (canoes, kayaks, etc.), but we were a little too early for them to be available.

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