Best Tent Camping near Bovey, MN

This is a full service fishing resort with a lodge and cabin rental, but RV and tent camping is also available. The campsites are very nice and wooded, the tenting sites include some very secluded spots back in the woods which is nice for solitude but precludes a view of the lake. There are daily rates as well as weekly rates for camping or cabin stays. This is a top notch place to stay for a fishing vacation, off the beaten path but with full amenities. It can be a destination vacation spot, or can be a great stop-over  for through-paddlers crossing Lake Winnie on the Mississippi River Headwaters Water Trail. Although near the National Forest campground on Tamarack Point, this has many more amenities which is nice when you are so far from the nearest town, especially if you are paddling through and have no vehicle for travel. Amenities include groceries, ice cream shop, full service boat launch and fishing supplies, and more. You might not be into winter camping in a tent, but there are ice houses to rent that you could camp in if you come in winter. More expensive than usual campgrounds, but with more amenities provided and with a stellar location. Pets welcome at no extra charge! Seasonal campsite rental can also be arranged.

I had to call the reservation.gov phone line because the website would not allow me to reserve a site for that night, even though it was available. The bathrooms are good, but they are far away from the tent site. People mostly drive up to the good bathroom. Lots of mosquitos no matter what time of day. Lots of shade, but the 4 strictly tent sites are very close together and right next to a road, separated by trees.

We went on a busy weekend, but the campground itself was in good shape and had several options for individuals who want to tent camp or RV camp. This is the best campground in the area in my opinion as it offers a lot. The hosts were great and very welcoming. The electric sites are not on the water which is fine. Sites are big and offer some privacy. The sites on the water are a little smaller, but that is the price you pay to have the ability to doc your boat at your site. Mostly RVs in the campground but you can easily tent camp and get some peace. It is a popular destination bc of its proximity to other lakes.

Not a terrible place to camp. Great amenities and care taken to clean bathrooms and showers. Walk in tent site was large enough to accommodate a 10x18 tent easily. Raccoons are smart enough to open coolers and non latching totes. Mosquitoes will also sweep you off around 9pm even with bug spray.

The park has a beautiful private lake with swimming beach, a few cabins available for rental, plenty of space for tent camping. A large pavilion with dancehall above and kitchen/dining on the lower level. There are memberships available to the park with sponsorship by a current member. There are fun events held at the park including a midsummer festival.

Check their website for scheduled events to come in and check out the park.

Savanna Portage State Park is a beautiful and peaceful spot for camping, especially if you enjoy tent camping. The campsites are well-spaced, private, and perfect for tents, offering a great connection to nature.

The park features a lovely lake that’s ideal for kayaking, fishing, or just relaxing by the water. There are also several great hiking trails, ranging from easy walks to more challenging routes, giving you plenty of opportunities to explore the scenic forest and wetlands.

One thing to note—there are a lot of bugs in the summer, so make sure to pack plenty of bug spray! Overall, it’s a fantastic place for outdoor lovers looking for a quiet and rustic getaway.

An extremely safe and pleasant location. You can either use the paid campground or stay in the parking lot, say if you had a sprinter travel van or some such thing. Alternatively if you are tent camping there are a couple nearly hidden campsites that you can use for free right by the canoe landing. A large part of the year clean showers are available and are free! although this fact is not publicized and at certain times of the year they are put under code for campground use only. I find that most the time they are open. A bathroom is attached each shower and can be locked from the inside making it great for a couple to use the facilities efficiently together. This is a one-of-a-kind place that does not exist much anymore. Free shower free camping clean bathroom , great walking trails, Great spot to fish. For a stop alongside the highway it has it all.

The quality of this campground is really a 4, however the location is a little  bit out of the way for doing day trips, exploring and access to the Chippewa National Forest. It is not on Lake Winnie, so you have to drive to a boat landing to launch your watercraft, and there is swimming at a nearby beach but it is not on the premises. However, the grounds are meticulously maintained and the camping prices cant be beat--$20 a night for tent camping, and $35 a night for full RV campsite with hookups. There is a playground. laundry facilities, and full bathrooms. There are also many walking trails on the premises. The general store on the premises provides staples and treats. If you prefer, there are also vintage cabins you can stay in here. Best of all, staying here supports a local family business including their painstaking efforts to maintain an hisotric general store and vintage vacation spot that was established almost a century ago and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

This campground is off the beaten path, and very quiet and peaceful. You have a choice of lakeside campsites, or sites tucked into the woods away from the lake. The lakeside campsites are your best bet, if you can get them--beautiful view over lake Winnie, cool breezes, and HUGE campsites that can accomodate large fishing boats and whatever rig you might use to haul such a boat. The campsites away from the lake are much smaller, meant more for car and tent camping. The campground is also an option for paddlers to overnight if paddling the Mississippi River water trail, which enters the west side of the lake just south of the campground. There is a boat launch with several docks adjacent to the campground, water pumps for drinking water, and a restroom building with basic toilets. This is a good option is you want a peaceful out of the way campsite in tall pines, or to go fishing on the big lake, but there arent hiking or biking trails near by so other options are a bit limited. And although the lakeshore is pretty, the swimming experience is a bit crunchy due to the lake having been invaded by zebra mussels, unfortunately

Becker’s resort is a vacation destination for many folks in the summer, with offerings of cabins, RV campsites, and tent sites. The RV sites are not near the water and to me seem a little crowded, but the RV area is nestled in some nice woods. The cabins appear to be modern and recently renovated with new siding etc, and seem to be great for families. There is a nice pool, and a good boat launch and marina with easy access to the Mississippi River and Lake Winnie. Of importance to paddlers on the Mississippi River Water Trail, this is definitely an upgraded alternative to the primitive water trail campsite located just upstream, called Smiling Joe Landing, and I would recommend this one over that one. Not only do you have a nice tenting area close to the river, but you also have access to the pool and showers, flush toilets, etc, and can stock up on snacks. The owners stay alert to area weather, and can give good advice to paddlers about safe routes across Winnie before you launch, depending in weather. They are also paddler-friendly in terms if assisting in other ways, such as letting a recent through-paddler stop and use garage space for a few days to repair a hole in his canoe, which is very kind. I would give this spot a 5-star rating for canoe campers, but a 4 star overall rating for the resort

While at Leech Lake Recreation Area we stayed in site number 33 which was the electric site with our 30 foot Jayco Eagle travel trailer. There was enough room in the site for a travel trailer truck and probably another tent or screen tent. The other sites were close but not too close. if another travel trailer or RV pulled in it would block our view from their fire ring. The pad was all dirt and you can only set up on the dirt and not on the grass around it. The trees around the site were perfect for hammocks, we hung three of our Kammok brand hammocks. Our only complaint about the site was that the fire pit was dug down into the ground making it kind of unsafe if you had children and the fires didn’t stay lit very well because there was no oxygen going underneath them, so you’re constantly fanning it which was annoying because we cook with cast-iron over the fire for every meal.

We were able to go and take a walk to the lake which is super short walk from pretty much any of the sites but really close from our site. The sunset over the lake were stunning and a loon hung around the dock while we fished.

We took a lot of bike rides around the campground looking at each site and going to the park which was absolutely amazing for the kids. They had basketball courts, a huge playground that was amazing quality, shuffleboard, volleyball, badminton, and a picnic shelter that you could rent out with the cooking area inside the picnic shelter. There are pit toilets and bathrooms close to the playground so that isn’t an issue with little ones. The playground area is a great place to hang out with adults and children.

We took a bike ride to the tent sites as well and found that there are pretty close together and right next to a main road that was kind of noisy. They would probably be good if you got all four at once with a group of people. The dump station for the RVs was right next to the tent sites to which would probably be annoying to see all the RVs on a busy day dumping at the same time.

The federal Dan was a magnificent sight but it was pretty hard to fish around that area without a boat going on the leech lake because of the fast-moving water. They’re also wasn’t an area to swim because it would be unsafe which is kind of a bummer but the playground made up for it.

The park is run by the Army Corps of Engineers volunteers and they were super friendly and kept everything clean and sanitary which was amazing. There was even Washers and dryer’s to do laundry for free and amazing shower facilities that they called comfort stations. Everything was borrow on the loan and bring back which included all of the equipment at the park like basketballs badminton shuffle board stuff and rakes shovels and stuff to clean up your campsite.

All in all this would be a park that we would definitely come back to you and spend a week and possibly have a group of people with kids because it’s a super cool friendly kid park.

This is primarily a cabin resort, however camping is also offered for both RV's and tenters. Camping rates are a little hard to find on the website, so check them at this link:https://www.thepinesresort.com/camping/camping-rates

There is a nice swimming area and dock on the lake, a camp store, boat rentals, laundry facilities, etc. I think staying in the cabins might be a nicer experience for a long term stay, as the campsites are rather open and close together, but the lake access and amenities are favorable for a short stay. 

For through paddlers on the Mississippi Headwaters Water Trail, this is the most convenient campsite above the Winnie Dam. The tent sites are only $25 per night, you have more amenities than at the COE or Forest campgrounds on the other side of the dam, and your portage around the dam from the campground to the boat launch below is super easy if you have a canoe or kayak cart--just pull out at the resort boat launch dock, cart your craft a short walk on the paved road across the dam, and put in at the COE boat launch below the dam.Much preferable to scaling the dam on the steep rocky portage that is on the east side of the dam, plus you have a decent and reasonably priced place to camp the night before.  So for that type of camping, this spot is ideal!

This state park that may be well known to locals for its stellar beach and day-use picnic grounds, but seems to be off the beaten path and a well kept secret as a family camping destination.

I would give the beach area a five star rating, as the beach is on Sturgeon Lake which is incredibly beautiful (even on a cloudy weekend like when we were there), the beach is amazing with crystal clear water, shallow depths for kids and family swimming, great picnic spots all along the expansive shoreline, new beautiful bath house, and overall terrific accessibility for folks of all kinds, including families with young kids and folks with disabilities as there are great paved walkways and gentle access ramps everywhere. There is a public boat access onto the lake just south of the beach area on Sturgeon Lake, and also in the campground which is actually across the isthmus on adjacent Side Lake. It is worth camping here if you want a relaxing vacation with daily trips to the beach, or time out on the water of either lake for fishing and boating. There are canoe rentals avaialble if you dont have a craft of your own. There are also naturalist programs,and regular outdoor perfromances by local music ensembles too, so overall there is lots to do in a relaxing and fun outdoorsy location.

I am giving the campground itself just a 4 star rating for a couple reasons. First, there is currently a water issue--testing has found contamination in the campground wells, so there isnt potable water and you have to get drinking water from other locations in the area. The campground also seems a bit cramped, with most sites placed very close together, so you dont get a real quiet secluded experience. An exception are some of the sites at the end of the loop, such as campsite 30, where the neighbors arent so close. Also, the Group campsite, which is located in between the beach and the boat access on Sturgeon Lake, is probably the best camping option in the park, with its own indoor shelter and tent sites for groups up to 40--for your best camping experience here in the park, get a group together and go for the group site!

Scenic State Park has a variety of camping options, including a small lodge, standard RV campsites with hookups, and standard campground tent sites. But, best of all, they also offer numerous remote backcountry campsites that require you to either backpack in for a few miles, or paddle or boat in a mile or two, and a few where you can access the site via either backpacking or boating in. The backpack in only sites are on trails a few miles north of the lodge campground, and the boat-in only site is on Coon Lake about a half mile from the Lodge campground boat landing, and then there are 4 sites on Sandwick Lake to which you can backpack in or boat in. Sandwick Lake is located to the south and east of Coon Lake and is reached by boat or canoe by launching from the main boat landing, passing through Coon Lake , and then down a channel into Sandwick Lake. To me, the regular campgrounds seemed pleasant but pretty busy; the remote campsites, however, are absolutely exquisite and peaceful and quiet and off by themselves.  we camped at campsite #6 on Sandwick, you would have to backpack into it by hiking about 3 miles, or you have the option to boat in which we did. The boat-in campsites do each have a small dock, perfect for accomodating canoes, kayaks, and very small fishing boats like ours; larger boats would have trouble I think, because the docks are firly shor and there isnt much room to pull in alongside them. From the dock at our campsite there was a sloped path to walk up from the dock to the campsite, but the three others on the lake have a small set of stairs. Our site had a three sided log lean-to as well as a bear box, picnic table, and fire ring with grate. Our site had room for one tent, maybe another small one, but we visited site 4 and it had space for maybe 4 or 5 tents so you could had a scout troup or large family at that site. There is a pit toilet off in the woods, "al fresco"  because the site is isolated on its own. The campsite we had was up on a hill with a beautiful view, and faced north for catching wonderful breeezes that kept the bugs away! The lean-to was great for doing food prep, and would be a good shelter if a storm came up. The grill on the fire ring was sturdy, and the bear box looked to be brand new and indestructible. The shoreline had a pretty dense cover of cedar trees, but you can swim by your dock, and the water is crystal clear! If you boat in to this site, then you will be off on your own in a peaceful quiet spot, but you can hike either north or south on the hiking trail that passes nearby, you can paddle or boat acrros the lake to the unique esker where there is an educational geology trail, or you can go fishing, or bird watching, or get back to the main part of the park for nature programs or accees the many miles of trails that have trailheads near Coon Lake. If you dont have a watercraft of your own, the park rents canoes and kayaks that you can use. The state park is in the middle of the Big Fork State Forest, and the Big Fork River Water Trail runs through the area with many access point nearby. if you need supplies, the park's camp store is currently closed due to covid, but the town of Bigfork is about 7 miles from the state park entrance, so you have access to groceries, gas, hardware etc there, as well as a small hospital if needed. All the campsites are currently reservable online, and you must use that system because the main park office is closed to visitors at this time due to covid, though park staff are out and about in the park for cleaning and maintainence and campground supervision. I highly recommend this park, and especially the remote sites, but they are taken quickly on weekends so you need to reserve ahead!

There are countless outdoor adventures that await you at the Leech Lake Rec Area in Northern Minnesota. From fishing for plentiful Walleyes, Northern Pike, Perch, and Bass, to biking on the trails, or spending a day at the playground, this park offers adventures for all ages!!

Campground Review

This was the second year our family spent 9 days at the Leech Lake Rec Area. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/leech-lake-rec-area/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73246\. We were very happy that we picked a site change to #11 this year as this spot offered plenty of tall pine trees that offered wonderful shade, and gave us a great opportunity to test out our Grand Trunk Hang Anywhere Single Hammock!! Again the park was at full capacity when we arrived, so make sure you make your reservations plenty early. (We made our reservations 6 months in advance.) The campground volunteers have done an amazing job with keeping the area full of fun activities for the whole family, and I can't stress how CLEAN the bathrooms are:) This park offers 68 sites with electric hook ups, 5 full hook up sites, and 4 primitive walk to tent sites, and 2 sites being Handicap Accessible within 3 different loops. Each loop has a bathroom with Mens/Womens sides, and the main loop offers a Fish cleaning building, Laundry facilities, and a Shower/Restroom building seperated for Men/Women. There are garbage and recycling cans every 3rd to 4th site. And they have specific check in times, but let you set up and come back later to check in if you arrive earlier or later.

The sites are comfortable with plenty of room for a bigger RV, screen tent, boat trailer, and vehicle with plenty of room to spare. We spent the bulk of our time out on Leech Lake having luck catching some really nice Walleyes!! You have to navigate a channel to reach the lake, but it is easy to find your way. We brought our kayaks last summer and had a blast exploring all the nooks and crannies in the channel. The sound of the Loons calling at night are so beautiful to listen to while enjoying a campfire at the site. (Note only approved firewood is allowed at the park, and can be purchased from the general store for $20.00 for a wheelbarrow.)

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. Last year I won the June West North Central Review contest and won a gift certificate for Grand Trunk https://www.grandtrunk.com/. I was able to purchase 2 items the Parasheet Beach Blanket (reviewed at Fisherman's Point Campground) and the Single Parachute Nylon Hammock. On this trip, I tested the Hang Anywhere Single Parachute Nylon Hammock https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/single-parachute-nylon-hammock?variant=17340207875\. The website at Grand Trunk is so easy to navigate, and their customer service department is top notch in knowledge and support!!

Let me start by saying our family has never owned or used a hammock, ever. I was suprised how small of a item this is when packed in its attached carrying bag. I ordered the hammock in Royal/Kahki, and the colors are gorgeous!! The hammock comes with everything you need to hang it up with instructions that are very simple and easy to follow. The hammock comes with a starter rope kit (Two 5 foot long 5mm rope thickness cords) that you wrap around the tree and knot to the attached carabiners. Even with being a newbie to hammocks, my husband Rich had the hammock hanging up within 5 minutes flat.

I can not put in words how extremely comfortable a person is while hanging out in this hammock!! It makes no difference your height or weight (up to 400lbs capacity for this single) the parachute fabric wraps around your body and has you melting all your cares away. Our rescue pup, Max even loved taking an afternoon snooze (and photo opportunity) with me!! The little storage pouch was super handy for holding my water bottle and phone, and it was super easy to pack the hammock back up in it when we were heading home from our vacation. The super light 20 oz. weight would make it a breeze to carry while backpacking too.

Overall, I have fallen in love with our Grand Truck Single Parachute Nylon Hammock. We have plans on ordering the Double Hammock and Hangout Hammock Stand for our backyard. (Who doesn't need a little hanging therapy after mowing the lawn?!?) The amazing color choice they have are going to make it hard on which one to pick, but my vote is going to Crimson/Charcoal. Grand Trunk offers a lifetime warranty on their hammocks, and that really adds to your peace of mind. I always do my best to review product transparently, and can not find one thing I would change with this product. You will be extremely happy and comfortable swinging your cares away in a Grand Trunk Hammock!!

Right on the Mississippi River, Schoolcraft State Park Campground has easy access from the river itself, so canoers have an option for tent camping, however, even the designated "canoe site" requires you to "pay to stay". Beyond that point, it was incredibly quiet and a good choice for our stay. While I was there, I tried out Boost Oxygen. I wanted to see what the hype was all about.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW:

Overall, the campground was quiet and nice. All sites are "primitive", as there are no hookups available, however, RV's are welcome to stay. They are all "pull in" sites. No showers, just outhouse style bathrooms.

We chose this campground for our first night of camping while canoeing the Mississippi River. Along the river, there are many "free" sites that are maintained by the DNR in Minnesota. This park appeared to have one of those sites, but upon closer inspection (which was not clear on the map nor at the camp itself) it appears that you must pay to stay here, even if you are canoe camping. I wish this had been made more clear all around. A lot of canoe campers don't carry wallets with them because they don't want to lose them on the river, and they make their "sleeping" choices based on the camps they can find that are free of charge. That said, it was a nice campground. Very quiet. I'm not sure it gets used very much, but it seems to be decently maintained, despite that fact. Our site, #16, was on the far side of the campground, closer to the water. It was a short walk (less than 100 yards) down to the riverside boat landing and dock, which made it easy for us to get to our things. Outhouse style bathrooms were nearby, and although they appeared to be fairly clean, there was that classic outhouse odor. There was a beautiful site right across from the bathroom (pine trees, open space for tents, really pretty), but I wouldn't stay that close to the toilets.

There was a pump style water source in the picnic area, which was separate from the campground, but still very close by.

Please note: It's very hard to find a garbage can here. There must have been one, but we never found it.

Overall, not bad, but I would choose differently if canoe camping to avoid a fee. This time of year, they wanted $15/night.

Product Review:

One of the perks of being a Ranger for The Dyrt is that I get the amazing opportunity to try out incredible products for free in exchange for an honest review. This trip, I took along a mini sized can of Boost Oxygen in Menthol-Eucalyptus.

Boost is available in two sizes: 22oz for $14.99 and 4oz for $9.99. It's strange...because it's a can of air...literally...it feels like there is nothing inside. It feels like an empty can, but I swear it's in there! There are four "fragrances": Natural (no flavor), Grapefruit, Peppermint and Menthol-Eucalyptus. They are enhanced with natural essences and have a bit of flavor, but not much. More like an essence on your tongue. There are approximately fifty "bursts" in the 4oz size, and 150 in the 22oz. They measure a burst as a "1 second inhalation". So depending on how deeply you inhale and for how long will actually determine how many times you can use the can.

People use this oxygen for many things, but it seems to have originally been promoted by athletes that needed a quick recovery. Since then, they have suggested use by those that get altitude sickness, those in need of muscle recovery, to combat fatigue, etc. You can refer to their website for full details and suggestions.

I used Boost several times in a variety of situations and here are my thoughts. Please keep in mind that I did not try it as a "professional athlete".

1. It is very portable, especially the 4oz version. It's roughly the size of a travel can of hairspray. Would fit very easily into a tote bag, purse or backpack.
2. All fragrances are very mild and subtle, but noticeable. Nothing overwhelming, so even if you chose the wrong one, the "flavor" is gone in just a few seconds. It does not linger on your tongue. It's more of an essence.
3. They say that eve though it's safe for airline travel, the TSA does NOT allow it on a plane.
4. Since I'm not a pro athlete, I didn't find the need to try it in that capacity, but I did use it in a variety of non-traditional ways and it seemed to work. You know that light-headed dizzy feeling you get after blowing up your air mattress while camping? Ya...that one. Well, I figured it was because my brain needed oxygen, so I tried out Boost and it seemed to help me out a little bit! Not sure that the company ever intended it to be used this way, but I had it with me and decided to give it a go!
5. I also tried it while feeling "tired". I was in the car and got that afternoon sleepy feeling. That one when the sunshine streams through the window and you feel like you need a nap. I inhaled a few times, and it seemed to kick-start my brain. I felt a bit more lively for about 10 minutes, so I'd use it again for that purpose.

I'm sure if you are and ultra-runner or a cross-country skier or Mt. Everest enthusiast, you may have more opportunity to test this out than I do, but in the few situations I decided to give it a whirl, it seemed to work!

This location is actually a duplicate of The Dyrts Plug Hat Point listing which is here and should be merged: https://thedyrt.com/camping/minnesota/plug-hat-point

Also, note that the location needs to be corrected, Plug Hat Point Campground is at Latitude 47.439 N Longitude-94.055 W .

This is a small National Forest camping area with picnicking, fishing, and a boat landing. At present time, there is full boat access, picnicking and parking  available at this location, but the  adjacent drive-in  campsites are closed to vehicle camping during the pandemic due to reduced Forest Service staffing. However, paddlers on the Mississippi Headwaters water trail are allowed to tent here as dispersed campers adjacent to the picnic area while through-paddling. There are outhouses and water avaialble in the picnic area, as well as use of the boat launch which has a nice dock and cement ramp for easy access. From here, paddlers with a canoe or kayak cart can easily portage around the Winnie Dam about 1/2 mile to river launch site below the dam, thus avoiding the  very steep, rocky and difficult portage that is located right at the dam. You do need a good portage cart, however, as the access road from Plug Hat Point is not paved.

To date, this is the best campsite I've ever seen. No joke.

My husband and I like to canoe, and this time, we were on the Mississippi for another adventure. That said, this one is a canoe campsite, so in order to get to this one, you have to be on the Mississippi River in Minnesota. The DNR in Minnesota has river maps (kind of like hiking maps of the major trails) that mark river miles and show where the boat ramps and access points are. It also shows the campsites that are available (most of them for FREE!) to those that choose to camp along the river. This was one of those.

Most of the time, there will be a picnic table (not always), a fire ring and a place to put a tent or hammock and usually a latrine. Sometimes a nice bench around a fire ring, and sometimes not. This one, however, in addition to other lovely amenities, had a pile of firewood in a useful "shelter" with a little roof to help keep it from the rain. There was also a peg hook with a saw! A note near the saw said "please replace what you can". I have never seen that before, but what a refreshing thing at the end of a long day of paddling! They asked that you use what you need, but also put back what you can. How lovely! This site also had a bear box...incredibly rare! It had a donation sign on the front that told who had donated it. So, in addition to an immediate fire upon arrival (which was appreciated this time because it rained very quickly after we got there), you didn't have to hang your food!

The latrine wasn't anything special, but they never really are, are they? Nothing wrong with it though. It served it's purpose and that is all I have to say about that.

There were a couple of lovely hammock trees and two good areas for tents. Except for the mosquitoes (which are to be expected in the summertime), this was the perfect site.

The only thing that was a little difficult was docking your canoe/watercraft and getting on shore. The water levels on this trip were very low (about a foot lower than normal) so it was a steep climb and we had to pull the canoe to a landing, but when you are on the water, this kind of obstacle is something that you come to expect and prepare for. So no complaints...merely and observation.

Definitely would use this site again!