Best RV Parks & Resorts near Birchdale, MN

This is a combo campground and city park, a joint effort of the Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources and the city of Baudette. While serving the recreational needs of townsfolk, it also provides great access to the famous Rainy River and a good place for out of town fishermen to stay. The campgound has water and electric hookups for RVs, and a separate primitive tenting area for those who prefer quiet tent camping. Clean restrooms and amazing hot showers. Good play areas for kids and family dogs, and access to community recreation areas such as ball park, horseshoes, volleyball etc. The fishing ramp is a beautifully maintained professional ramp with cement apron and docks, for good access for fishing boats on trailers, canoes or kayaks. This section of the Rainy River is a fishermans paradise, with sturgeon and other prizes, so it is great to have a spot to camp right on the river if you want to go fishing. 

There are only two issues, you will need to be careful while fishing as the river marks the border with Canada and you do have to be careful on which side you are fishing. Also, the Canadian Pacific Railroad runs right along the river and the frequent trains are a little noisy. Otherwise, if fishing is your mission, this is a comfortable, convenient and clean place to camp.

We were in Site # 1 which there are only 3 sites must be self contained. They are close together yet was a place to stay in Voyagers National park with Full hook up. Wooden Frog State Forest  Campground is next door to it you can use their boat ramp & swim beach. The Lodge has rooms and a bar & restaurant you can sit in the log Lodge or out on the deck. Mike makes a good Margarita but a little pricey. The food is ok. The owners are so nice working hard to maintain the place.  There is a small playground and a community fire pit. 

Great place to watch sunset is at Wooden Frog day use area. 

They have a dock you can keep a boat at or rent a boat if you don't have one. They rent Kayaks & canoes too. We had out own Kayak you really need to get out on the water to enjoy Voyageurs National Park it's all water based. We launched the Kayak mostly at Wooden Frog and once at Arrowhead lodge depending on the wind. 

We kayaked to Bittersweet Island and got out to stretch in a cove. Took a dip and relaxed. There are some leeches in the water so check you feet if your walking around in it. Got a nice juvenile Eagle picture here on was sitting in a tree. 

lake Kabetogama is big with many islands. It can be shallow in places with big rocks submerged out of the water so know where your going. Being in a Kayak you could really see the rocks. We found a nice Swim area off an Island near the submerged rocks with warnings there was primitive camp sites on the islands some were really nice.

Fishing is great we caught Walleye & big Northern Pike.  They clean your fish for you if you want them to.

There are loons (love the sound they make) and White Pelican's on the lake. Some of the white pelicans had big bumps on their beak which we found out they have that bump till they mate. Then the bump falls off so you feel sorry for the ones with a bump on their upper beak. The white throat Sparrow has a great tune they carry. 

We saw several Eagles on the islands out there too. 

We Like to explore so we check out other campgrounds, visitors centers if open and really enjoyed eating at the Rocky Ledge (great Pizza and Patty Melt). International falls is the biggest town it's about a half hour or so away. We ate at Barajas Mexican Grill it was good. Got some groceries and went to one Antique store there. 

Heading the other direction on the Highway was another Antique place called Rainy days Antique. Nice people & a lot of stuff in there. 

We mostly had good weather yet we did have some rain & some marble sized hail once. Some big trees came down in Wooden frog with this storm that had hail.

Compared to other Minnesota State Parks, Zippel Bay is a bit more rustic. There are no electrical hookups, and showers are a significant drive from campground. The bathrooms are outhouse style with no running water. The campsites were not quite as secluded as we typically like, but it was quiet, and the views along the lake-shore are well worth the trip.

Nice, paeceful campground along Rainy River. Small Rvs can navigate also several nice walk in tent sites on river. 2 sites with electric. All sites first come.

We love to drive around, aimlessly, enjoy the scenery and then find a place to plop for the night.  Our preference is generally State Forest type of places that are self check in, less than $20 and quiet. Oh yes, and pet friendly.

We were pulling our teardrop on this trip, since it gets cold in MN earlier than southern areas. This campground does not have electric, but it wasn't too cold so we were just fine. Upon pulling in, the place appears huge!  Most State Forest campgrounds are small-ish, but this one has 60 spaces!  Two are ADA accessible, the rest are split between two "loops".  The lower seemed quieter, and the upper had more RVs. Many are lakeside, and there is a hiking trail that runs around the camp on the outskirts that's up and down over rocks and terrain...lovely with the dogs!  A small dock provided a jumping off spot for a quick rinse in the lake (dogs too!).

The campsite was tucked in the trees with all the things you expect.  Fire ring, picnic table, etc, and many of the sites (this one too) were so tucked in the trees it was hard to see neighbors.  Lots of space, not too close together!  We visited in September. Water spigots scattered for drinking water, self check in, easy access.

Campground Review

This was the first time our family stayed at Angler's Campground in Zippel Bay State Park on Lake of the Woods. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00284#homepage The Zipple Bay State Park is home to 5 separate campgrounds. We made the decision to camp at Anglers Campground for the reasons of the campground is the closest to the marinia, and it has bigger site sizes to accommodate our larger RV/Boat size, although the campground had mostly tents in it the week we stayed. We took a hike to the other campgrounds (about 1/2 mile between them) and observed that Ridge and Birch Campgrounds can accommodate both tents and smaller pop up style campers, Lady Slipper Campground has more primitive and smaller sites that would accommodate a small to medium size tent, and The Group Camp (there is only one) has plenty of room for many tents and campers with room to spare. Anglers Campground has the largest sites with plenty of room for an RV, Screen tent, Boat trailer, with room to spare. All sites in all campgrounds do not have electric/water/dumps. There are fresh water pumps in all campgrounds and mowed trails to the vault toilets that are clean, there are also metal garbage cans and recycling bins for plastic and glass. There is a dump station and 2 enclosed showers in the Ridge/Birch campgrounds loop. There are signs that clearly mark which direction to go.

The marina and boat ramp area was approximately 1 & 1/2 miles from our campsite, and this area also had 2 very clean vault toilets along with a fish cleaning building, and picnic area. There is a marina where you can also moor your boat for the day, and ample parking spots. NOTE: The handicap accessible ramp/dock/fishing pier was closed due to ice damage from the previous winter with no sign of it being fixed at this time. The boat ramp was easy to use, but we noticed it was very crowded early mornings. Lake of the Woods is considered the Walleye Capital of the World, and we had an incredible week of catching our dinners!!

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. We took our Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy for a product review.https://www.mountainhouse.com/m/product/biscuits-gravy.html The website at Mountain House is very easy to navigate, and they have a pop up window discount offer when you enter their site. When I received the package I was surprised at how light weight the product was, and was excited by their description of Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy with Pork Patty Crumbles. We are a big breakfast family, and I was curious to see if this was a good fit for us.

I gave the task of preparing the Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy to my 14 year old son Hunter. We read the easy to follow directions on the back of the package, and followed them to the letter. (We did not use less water to make thicker gravy) Hunter measured the boiling water into the package, stirred the mixture well, and sealed it up with no problems at all, and then all we had to do was wait 9 minutes. We opened the package (it was hot, but nothing we had to use a hot pad or glove for) and noted that it smelled like the biscuits just came out of a hot oven. We did note the mixture needed to be stirred again, and there was no need to add additional water (the gravy was perfect consistency not to thick or thin) and then each served up the recommended serving size and enjoyed the delicious hot breakfast. The flavors were bright with the sausage coming through nicely with no need for additional seasonings at all. We were all full with our serving size, and stayed content after a full day of hiking.

Being we have never tried freeze dried food before this was a wonderful first experience, and for sure won't be our last!! The lightweight package is going to go well for any trip, and the easy prep makes it a breeze to make anywhere. Our family is looking forward to purchasing other meals from Mountain House, and with the extra long expiration date we can stock up. You won't be disappointed using these meals!!

This park has a lot of sites many are very small so check the size limit. Some nice big sites are 60, 52, 49, 50, 47 and 44. They are private sites with lots of trees yet not waterfront. There are no hook ups and you can not make a reservation. First come first served there are plenty of sites. We did not stay here yet we stayed close by and went into wooden frog almost every days for a few weeks to launch the Kayak and watch great sunsets. 

There is drinking water yet we did not see a dump station. Not sure where the closest dump station is. 

There is an island you can access with a canoe, kayak or a boat that you can fish or just enjoy the view. There's a few little coves on the island to get out & stretch, take a dip and have lunch. We saw a juvenile Eagle in a tree we watched it for a while. We kayaked out to that island a lot & fished along the shoreline from the Kayak. 

The boat ramp is nice has a great spot to launch the kayak. There are White pelicans that hang out between the boat ramp & The Arrowhead Lodge (where we stayed they have 3 RV sites).  The swim beach is nice, has some picnic tables and a restroom. Was quiet during the week busier on weekends.  The Park is laid out nice there is another small dock in the campground area you can launch a canoe or Kayak there too.

The Rocky Ledge Restaurant is close by good food & drinks. Great pizza! You can walk to the Arrowhead Lodge too or drive there and have a drink or food and view the water. Sit outside & watch the boats come in, their catch of the day and the white pelicans flying in & swimming around.

We loved this campground, It is beside the Boondocks Bar and Grill and is owned by the same people. Dez and Kirk were the consummate hosts, friendly and so nice, we could not have asked for better. We cold called them last minute in late April, most of the other campgrounds were not open for the season, but they welcomed us, which saved our butts because we literally would have had to drive hours and completely redo our itinerary. The Bar and Grill is next door and has great food, awesome drinks, friendly locals and bingo on Thursday nights. The campground is easily accessible and the sites are not difficulty to back into, all were graveled and we had minimal leveling, even with the water and mud. I think there are at least 1 or 2 pull throughs but due to the snow and standing water we parked in site #2.  They have 30 and 50 amp, potable water (wasn't on throughout the park when we were there due to the weather) and a dump site at the exit. They are pet friendly and there are areas for walking leashed pets behind the park.  It is conveniently right off the highway and we did not even notice any traffic noises in the evening. International Falls is approx 20 minutes away, with shopping, laundromat and the Canadian Border.  Voyageurs NP, Rainy Lake Visitor Center is approx 30 min. This is now our go to campground when we visit Voyageurs NP.

This is a great little gem on the Canadian border. Minnesota’s smallest state park- but it’s very gorgeous and feels kinda awesome looking out at Canada!

A very cool feature at most sites, is that they have a rustic log overhanging/shelter of sorts. Doesn’t have sides, but some campers strung a tarp on one side to get some actual shelter.

Clean vaulted toilets, running water, garbages throughout the camp and an electric post at the boat launch (doesn’t really seem like it’s an actual camp site, I saw multiple cars pulling up to it to utilize the power, and it’s right in the middle of the boat launch).

Tent pads dry, big, and soft ground. Sites spread out decently, plenty of buffer between most of them. Feels pretty rugged and backwoodsy.

Saw quite a few eagles, the clearest stars ever, and enjoyed a peaceful hike along the river and then through the woods. My site was #4, a walk in site, and for sure the best one in the park! Just about 50 meters from the parking spot, up a little trail to the top of a small hill with great view and bench overlooking the rapids.

Clearly a place for fisher people. The camp boasts Lake Sturgeon fishing and in the evening, I saw multiple boats at the rapids, so something must have been biting!

Ralph, the park caretaker was absolutely amazing, and helped me out with some car trouble. That was a godsend! Nice to know that even in the middle of nowhere, you still got some backup if needed.

Just a fun little kinda secret spot, very basic but still with the necessities and with a backwoods feel, which I definitely appreciate!

Camped here on Oct 17, 2023. Small wooded state park campground along the Rainy River and the Canadian border. Sites were back-in and had tent pads. I don't recommend anything larger than a truck camper. Some sites were small and not level. Campground host was friendly and helpful. Some hiking trails. Fished on the Rainy River and caught a northern pike. Hand water pump. Clean vault toilet with tp. Our site had a covered picnic table, lattern pole and metal fire ring. The site was wedged inside the gravel campground loop road. I really liked this campground.

Camped here Oct 18-19, 2023 at site 43. Large primitive state forest campground. There were very few campers here during our stay. Our site, as well as others, was large and wooded. Spacing and privacy between sites were quite good. The site was level with a dirt/gravel surface. Site had metal fire ring and table. A nice patch of woods behind our site. Clean vault toilet a short walk away. Short trail to lake and boat dock nearby. Did not see a camp host. Hiking trail along lake was really nice. Really loved camping here.

Firstly know that wooden frog is a pretty minimal campground. It is a very typical state forest campground but there are a few sites in the back of the loop (38, 36, 33) that are really nice with lake views and little paths to the water. All sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. Some are not very level and some are TINY so choose carefully. 17$/night. Put toilets and water are available as well. Great jump off point for getting on the water in Voyageur. Several canoe/kayak rental places in the area as well. Lots of deer around, walking right thru our site.