Best RV Parks & Resorts near Birchdale, MN

Woodenfrog MN State Forest: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price 2023: $17 Usage during visit: 50 - 70% Site Privacy: Very private sites are offered Site Spacing: Most are very good Site surface: lightly graveled Reservations: No. First come, first serve Campground Noise: Some inconsiderate groups here during part of our time. I think the hosts were on top of this. Road Noise: None Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes, scattered spigots . Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Pit toilet, moderately maintained. Showers: Out of luck here . Pull Throughs: Most, if not all are back ins. Cell Service (AT&T): Good Setting: Densely wooded
Weather: Hot and humid, bearable Dfor with screened shelter Bugs: Mosquitoes. Solar: No, forest is too dense. Host: Yes, but never saw them. Rig size: 25, is about the largest I saw. The sites are large enough for a large RV, but driving through the campground may be the issue. If you have a large rig, check the website. No problem with our 17’ trailer.
Sites: 30 to 41 contain sites with a lake view. They are less private than others. A short trail between sites 39 and 41 lead to the boat dock pictured below.

61 sites. Multiple loops. All Boondocking- No electric or septic or water hookups. No showers. Very quiet. Two are marked as accessory. Far from the highway- the final turn can sneak up on you. Sights are spacious and most are a far distance apart (50 feet). Lots and lots of trees between sights. Sites are a mix of deep and shallow. Some are one car wide, others are two cars wide. Most 30 foot trailers would do okay. We saw a dozen travel trailers, one fifth wheel, a couple shorter motor homes, and lots of tents. A fire ring and picnic table are located at each site and water fountains/down spouts and vault toilets are located throughout. (Not all spigots have hose attachments.) Bathrooms were clean with a good amount of TP. There is a fair amount of sticks and firewood among the downed trees. A couple of public docks are located along the edge of the campground for guests to dock their boats. The boat launch, beach, and picnic area is very nice and nearby. No weeds when swimming. Dogs are not allowed at the primary beach, but there is a hidden rock beach at the end of the campground by one of the docks were they could swim. There are hiking trails that weave behind sites and between roads. Some sites are closer to the road (shallow) and some are surprisingly deep. A few sites are closer together, but would work well if you had multiple families camping together. $15.00 per night. Dogs are allowed. Unfortunately there are no reservations. We came on a Saturday morning in the end of August and one third of the sights were open, by midday half of the sights were open. We enjoyed our time.

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.

We called ahead and were set aside site #17 because we wanted to be close to the river. However when we arrived that site was taken by a large 5th wheel. We were greeted by the friendly host on arrival and he said that he had overlooked our reservation but he had plenty of room for us still- the entire backside of the campgrounds were open so we took site #11- which was way better as #17 was close to other campsites and we ended up back in a spaced out area among the tall shaded Norway Pines. Someone used a chainsaw to cut firewood at 9:30 at night which was not appreciated, but they were done quickly. Otherwise things were quiet.

Very clean well tended area. Family friendly. Dog friendly on a leash. Porta-potties available while main bathrooms were closed due to COVID. Good power. Electric only sites. Self contained. Longer rigs (25 feet plus) may fit better near the front row and shorter ones (we have a 22 foot trailer) would do better in the back. A few paved sites. Mostly gravel or solid ground otherwise. Donated firewood available (hot and fast burning cedar). Beautiful overlooks of the river. Tourists made stops at the pavilion through the day, so being in the back row was nice and quiet.

Overall a pleasant and calming stay.

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.

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.