Carlos is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Carlos campgrounds just for you. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Carlos and user-submitted reviews.
"We needed a park that was close and had equestrian camping so we decided to go to Lake Carlos State Park."
"This isn’t a quiet campground during the day but campers were very respectful of quiet hours at night."
$45 - $125 / night
"The facilities are top-notch, with brand-new, spacious bathrooms and showers that were really nice and clean!"
"Spent 1 night, but slept well due to no noise. Golf cart rentals, and trails from the park.
Would definitely recommend."
"- Went on the hiking club trail around Annie Battle Lake, most of it is even paved for biking or groomed for skiing."
"We had a really great weekend exploring Glendalough, in the Ottertail Lakes region where the northwoods transitions out to prairie."
"The trails in the park have nice rolling hills and offer a unique type of beauty. The campground is small, but offers some electric sites as well as some primitive sites."
"Oak ridge is perfect for larger rigs (<35 feet - anything bigger there are only 2 spots that will fit) (no electric or water). Clean vault toilets. Lots for kids to do."
"Not lakeside but nicely secluded. There is a nice beach and the lake is clear. There is a big playground, basketball court, and ball field."
"Beautiful location. most lots are lake front. camper spots are easy to get into and spacious. two primitive areas, one by the beach and the other is tucked back in the trees(super secluded). people at"
"They have electricity, heat, ceiling fans and a private dock on Beers Lake. There is a vault toilet & water spicket nearby. Each cabin has its own fire pit and picnic table area."
"We had electric hook up, fill with water near the dump station. Our site was big and private on Grass lake facing west so we saw great sunsets sitting in our site."
"Games Lake County Park, near New London, Minnesota, is a great spot for camping. With tent, RV, and cabin options, it suits all campers."
"Just got back from a weekend at Games Lake County Park and honestly, it exceeded expectations!"
"Clean bathrooms, nice sized park for kids, pool (not open in Sept), lake with ample docks for fishing or you can rent boats."
"Amenities include: playground, pool, lake, dog park, and store. Each site has a table and fire pit. Keep an eye on your account."
$20 - $35 / night
"This campground definitely caters to seasonal stays although was a convenient location off the highway.
Restrooms were nice and they had a compost area too."
ScoutAmazing, Family-owned campground, just far enough from “the cities” to get away for the weekend, without spending too much time in the car. Clean bathrooms, nice sized park for kids, pool (not open in Sept), lake with ample docks for fishing or you can rent boats. The “general store” has everything you need from souvenirs to wood, to marshmallows for s’mores, and all at reasonable prices. Each campsite has electrical hookup, picnic table and fire pit. Pets welcome.
LegendI am from a suburb of Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota and we wanted to go camping with my in-laws who have horses. We needed a park that was close and had equestrian camping so we decided to go to Lake Carlos State Park.
Lake Carlos State Park is roughly 2.5hours from the Twin Cities and is a beautiful getaway for a weekend trip. You can leave after work on a Friday and still have time to make it to the park, set up and still be able to cook dinner and enjoy a s’more or two.
We booked site H3 in the equestrian campground which was a VERY open site right off the main loop in the equestrian campground. It was very sunny and barely any shade for the horses. The site were in was electric and there were only three non-electric sites in the equestrian campground. The other sites were awesome for shade but were still super open to everyone.
There were great trails for hiking and horseback riding. They also allowed mountain biking on the trails.
The staff at the office were super friendly and they talked to us for about 15 minutes. Their store in the office was pretty great and they had everything from toys for the kids to s’mores stuff and stickers specific to the park. The firewood was pretty fast burning and cost 6$ a bundle so it was pretty spendy since we cook only over the fire.
The main campground was VERY busy and jammed packed. The sites were too close together and open for my comfort.
The beach was very dirty and there were army worms everywhere crawling on everything.
We took a little bike ride to the group camp which was an amazing area with a very nice shelter with electric.
All in all, this is a good park to go to if you are looking for a park close to the twin cities metro area.
RangerWe stayed at Maplewood State Park mid-July. We actually stayed in one of the 3 camper cabins and loved it! They have electricity, heat, ceiling fans and a private dock on Beers Lake. There is a vault toilet & water spicket nearby. Each cabin has its own fire pit and picnic table area. It felt very private although the cabins are rather near to each other. We checked out the campgrounds and they had spacious sites, some more private than others. It had a family friendly feel and was obviously a favorite spot for fisherman and water recreation enthusiasts. I wish we could have spent more time in the 9200 acre park. There is a swimming beach & picnic area that allows you to have campfires, as well as a nice shower house. The ranger was helpful regarding my questions about the lake and potentially renting a cabin for ice fishing this winter. At sunset, sitting by the lake, it was beautiful- nothing but songbirds and the call of loons to listen to.
ScoutWe stayed in the lower campground, site 89. Nice tree canopy above although the sites themselves don’t have much privacy. This isn’t a quiet campground during the day but campers were very respectful of quiet hours at night. Direct access to the lake from the campground with a sandy beach and plenty of lakeshore for everyone. Many campers brought their boats and kayaks. Short drive to Lake Brophy County Park to ride the mountain bike trails or jump on the Central Lakes Bike trail.
LegendLeap Day 2/29/20-3/1/20 Frog Pond
We headed to Lake Carlos for their candlelight ski, this was our first visit to this state park. Tent camping wasn’t available and we were able to reserve a camper cabin - Frog Pond. It was a nice change and a warmer option, the cabin is gorgeous! Frog Pond sleeps 6 with heat and electricity. There are 4 cabins that share 2 vault toilets.
It was a beautiful 38 degree Leap Day and we took advantage of it. They offer a large number of ski trails so we xcountry skied before dark. The trails were icy, but still enjoyable. At dark we headed to the candlelight event. It was very busy and a huge turnout. We hiked 1.2 miles and then snowshoed 2.4 miles. There are ponds and bogs that they create snowshoe trails on, so there are even more trails to explore in the winter. It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed the wooded trails and starry skies. We had a fire and enjoyed a normal outdoor cookout before bed.
We did more skiing on Sunday and checked out the 2 campgrounds as they were on the ski route. One campground is on Lake Carlos and very open. Sites have beautiful lake views. You can apparently drive your boat right into a sandy shore and dock it. They also have a swimming beach. The other campground is a bit more wooded and more suited for tents. This campground is near the camper cabins. The trails are very wooded and pretty. We enjoyed skiing the hiking club trail and ended up hitting almost every trail in our stay. I assume this park would be equally beautiful in the summer. What a beautiful state park!
GuideThe lower campground has electric sites and is situated along Lake Carlos but there is little privacy between sites (126 and 127). We camped with another family so it was nice to have the open space between our sites where the kids could play and run. The boat launch was quite busy and there seemed to be a lot of people not staying in the campground who use the park for the day. The hiking trail along the lake was busy but once we got a little farther out the trails were quiet and peaceful. The highway outside the park was loud at night, it sounded like people were drag racing the Friday and Saturday nights we stayed.
RangerWoah love this park! Has so many things to do.
Went on the hiking club trail around Annie Battle Lake, most of it is even paved for biking or groomed for skiing.
The yurt and watercraft sites are secluded and so awesome with great views, right on the lake, firewood and water back there available specifically for that area... so cool.
The cart in sites and camper cabins are in a little old growth forest area right on the lake up in a little hill area. Spaced out quite well, all have views of lake (even though on a hill so for swimming/boating access you gotta go to appropriate spots). What a site for camping!
Very clear and calm lakes, sandy, and the little creeks/rivers betwixt them are just begging to be canoed or kayaked.
Great swimming areas and picnic tables and fire pits everywhere. Vast views and also pretty wooded areas.
Shower and rest rooms very modern by the trail center.
All in all so cool that they kept it so rustic has a cool history! Big views and wooded views which I love. Various walks, streams and lakes. Campground is the real deal and good for anyone who wants a wilderness experience without actually backpacking! Great for kids, for sure!
LegendWe stayed 7 nights really wish we had booked a few weeks. Our site was #16. We had electric hook up, fill with water near the dump station. Our site was big and private on Grass lake facing west so we saw great sunsets sitting in our site. Our bump out was facing the water when we backed in so sitting at the dinette in the camper we had a great view of the lake. Our table & fire pit were behind the camper with a great view of the water & sunset. The small birds were amazing, the sound of the Loons and an occasional muskrat will swim by. Every morning we had a Chipmunk warm itself up on a tree behind the camper when the sun hit that spot. The big Maple trees everywhere is nice very lush campground. When the sun set we kicked up a bonfire and took it all in.
There are several docks on grass lake and a big dock on Beers lake you can fish from. We launched the Kayak at the boat ramp on Beers lake it's a nice ramp and not busy. We didn't get on Lake Lida it's much bigger and lots of go fast boats we prefer no wake. The bigger fish are on Lida.
There are 8 lakes in the park which 3 or 4 have easy water access to launch a canoe or Kayak. Each lake has different fish in it. Our favorite was Beers lake it had some calm coves in it, we caught some Crappies, pan fish & Bass on this lake. They say it also has Walleye and Northern Pike. Lots of beavers & muskrats swimming interesting to watch. There is a hike or boat in site on Beers lake it's nice.
Grass lake has Pan fish, crappie, Northern Pike & more it's a smaller lake. Bass lake has trout, imagine that!
There is a 5 mile drive in the parks around some lakes that was nice we saw Swans with babies, Loons, and beavers. We loved this park. There are so many trails and so much to do.
There is a fish cleaning station, restrooms, boat ramps, canoe rentals, a swim beach and picnic area tat Lake Lida just a great place. We will go back & spend a few weeks next time were from Florida so it's a ways to go but will do it again.
The ranger that would drive through in the evenings was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, the area & 2 other parks he works at. Someone had 2 campers in one site he told them it wasn't allowed (I think we all know that) he made one book a spot & move. It was the only noise we heard was their dogs in that site when no one was there they barked the entire time. Glad he made the one camper move it got quiet again. We did have some people try to walk through our site we asked them not to. They had to walk between the camper & the truck I would think it was common sense.
There is an Equestrian campground there and trails around the lakes to ride your horses on, a few water access spots for them to wet their hoofs.
There is a town close by Pelican Rapids, the drive there is nice and it's a small town but a nice grocery store (Larry's), Liquor store, a drug store a few gift shops & good ice cream.
I'm so happy we found this campground we will return.
Traveler⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had an incredible stay at Andes RV Park! The facilities are top-notch, with brand-new, spacious bathrooms and showers that were really nice and clean! The park offers a fantastic range of activities, including golf cart rentals, volleyball, horseshoes, disc golf, pickle ball, etc…and in winter, cross-country skiing and tubing—there’s something for everyone! The laundry room, the firewood and the ice delivery service were a convenient touch, and easy as a quick phone call or text. The owners were exceptionally friendly and accommodating, making us feel right at home. Highly recommend this gem for a fun and relaxing RV camping experience!
Side note: if coming in summer make sure to bring plenty of bug spray!!!
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Carlos, MN is Lake Carlos State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 28 reviews.
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