Family-friendly RV parks near Champlin, Minnesota cater to visitors seeking outdoor recreation along the Mississippi and Rum rivers. Most campgrounds in this area sit at elevations between 850-950 feet with generally level terrain suitable for camping setups of all sizes. The camping season typically runs from early May through mid-October, coinciding with Minnesota's warmest months when daytime temperatures average 70-85°F.
What to do
River recreation: Country Camping Tent & RV Park on the Rum River offers tubing, canoeing, and kayaking opportunities. "Tubing! They have a bus that takes you into town float back to the campground, love it," notes reviewer Tom D. The Rum River provides clean water with a sandy bottom making it ideal for swimming too.
Mini golf and games: St. Cloud-Clearwater RV Park features family activities beyond typical campground amenities. "It has a 9 hole mini golf, shuffleboard, salt water pool, and a lobby/gift shop. They also offer a nice seating area for those hot or raining days with free arcade," according to reviewer S L.
Hiking and biking: Baker Campground - Baker Park Reserve offers extensive trail systems. "There are nice paved trails around a couple of lakes/ponds for biking, and easy access to the shower and bathroom facilities," says ERolf P. The park connects to longer regional trails, making it suitable for extended rides.
What campers like
Spacious sites: Many campers appreciate the generous spacing at Country Camping. "HUGE sites! You can either relax in the pool or even take a ride down the rum river in a rented canoe, tube, or kayak," writes Spencer C. Sites accommodate large rigs up to 70 feet.
Clean facilities: Dakotah Meadows RV Park maintains high standards for its amenities. "Sites are paved and have well-maintained grass," says Chris F. The park features cement parking pads with full hookups and "shower rooms and laundry room require hotel card entry. Cards are $5 with $3 returned at check-out," according to James and Susan K.
Pool and splash pad options: Cokato Lake RV Resort Cooperative Association offers water amenities beyond lake access. "Heated pool, lake with beach, boat launch area just block away, tennis/pickle ball, mini golf, resort store with ice cream, goat park, paved roads and much more," notes Alan V.
What you should know
Reservation timing: RV parks in the Champlin area fill quickly during summer months. Baker Campground requires advance planning: "You'll need to book for at least two nights and book as soon as you can. There are 200 sites but on the July weekend we stayed, I'd say almost all of them were booked," advises Joe R.
Connectivity varies: While some parks offer WiFi, quality can be inconsistent. At St. Cloud Campground & RV Park, "wifi is not great, less than 1MB download speeds from our site, and our Verizon service was pretty poor in our spot, max 2 bars," reports Chris F.
Site-specific considerations: Individual sites can vary significantly at the same campground. At Dakotah Meadows, one camper noted, "We would be willing to try the campground again, but would probably chose a site further from one of the main roads into Mystic Lake Casino. We heard a lot of traffic coming and going well into the wee hours of the night."
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Country Camping Tent & RV Park on the Rum River offers dedicated children's areas. "It's has a heated pool, splash pad area, BIG playground area, indoor game room," notes one reviewer. Another adds, "I stayed here 3 weeks ago with my wife and 2 young children and it was fantastic great playground and heated pool... A ton for the kids to do!"
Pizza delivery option: Some campgrounds allow local restaurants to deliver. At Country Camping, "You can even get pizza delivered by the local Chanticlear Pizza!" according to Barbara B., making meal planning easier with children.
Swimming alternatives: During hot weather, kids appreciate water features. St. Cloud-Clearwater RV Park has a "pool was nice and store too. We stayed here to visit the nearby quarry park and that was a blast!" shares Teresa O., highlighting off-site options as well.
Tips from RVers
Level sites: Most RV parks near Champlin feature level sites with varied hookup options. At Love's RV Hookup-Rockville, "These are a great option for a stop halfway through a trip. You have clean bathrooms in Love's, Hardee's for food, Love's for snacks and drinks, and gas is right there so you can fill up before you head out," notes Tori K.
Power considerations: During peak summer months, electrical systems may be strained. One camper at Country Camping noted, "Had one issue with power dropping so we had to pull the surge protector off... it was fine. Also very hot and humid so everyone was running AC to the max."
RV washing facilities: Dakotah Meadows offers unique amenities for RVers. "There is a RV wash bay available for a fee and the campground even has gasoline available 24 hours a day using a credit card," reports Jim M., making it convenient for maintaining your rig during longer stays.
