Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Comfrey, MN

Tucked back along a winding road past a cemetery, you'll find this cozy site, a well-groomed park with a handful of drive-in sites, picnic pavilions, and lots of open spaces. There's also an absolutely gorgeous lake and a small footbridge over an artificial dam/waterfall. 

Lime Lake County Park's drive-in sites feature picnic tables and fire pits, along with electric hook up sites. There's no camp host, so after you drop in your $17/night fee in the strong box, you can settle in for the day, or perhaps launch your boat from the provided dock and ramp. 

Leashed pets are allowed, and I highly recommend the walk to the back, over the footbridge where you can listen to the relaxing sound of the lake draining into a creek.

The toilet area features one stall, but it does have plumbing.

We visited Minneopa state park because a) I love hiking b) I’m trying to get as much state park time in before the summer hordes descend and c) my back is dying from working at home out of a dining room chair so I preordered an office chair for curbside pickup at an office store which is on the way home from this park. 

Minneopa is a unique state park. A River Runs Through it. So does a train(choo chooo). And a neighborhood(kind of). If you have never visited the park before you need to decide what you are going to prioritize first because all of a sudden there are two different park road signs pointing you to either turn left or right depending on what you want to do. 

One direction is the waterfall part. It is a nice waterfall. The parking lot is right by the waterfall- so it is very accessible for people who are unable to hike to a lot of waterfalls. However, because the parking lot is RIGHT THERE it isn’t the most rewarding waterfall that I’ve been to, it’s kind of like a less impressive Minnehaha. On this trip we didn’t visit the waterfall because it’s plague time and I figured that it might be busy. Tip: On the weekends get to state parks as early as possible during social distancing time! Most people don’t roll out of bed at 6 am like we did, so it will be fairly easy to socially distance yourself. We got there at 8 and only encountered 4 other hikers that were just heading out when we were almost back to our car. 

The other direction is the BISON DRIVE. Yes, you can actually drive amongst bison if the road is open. It wasn’t on our trip on 4/10/2020 because the road conditions are still gross from the winter thaw. Instead we hiked the entire loop(I think it’s 3.3 miles) because it goes around the entire bison enclosure, and I wanted to guarantee that I would see me some bison. 

Other highlights about this section of the park are the views of the magnificent Minnesota river, an old windmill(the blades are gone), and the campground is also situated here. This section isn’t as popular as the waterfall section, as evidenced by the relatively small parking lot. The hike was enjoyable while we were there- if it is a hot hot day you might want to just do the Minnesota River Bluff Trail for the shade- the Seppman Mill trail is exposed and you can drive and park at the mill. 

As I mentioned before there is also an access point to drive into the bison enclosure. We were able to see the bison herd once we got to the mill area, unfortunately for my photos the bison were just far enough away that I didn’t get a quality photo. 

Now onto the campground. Loop A is superior for tent camping in every which way, unless you happen to want electricity or want to rent the cabin which is in loop B. Loop A has trees, large sites, a bathroom, and several sites have awesome views of the river. One thing to keep in mind is that the sites on the outside of the loop are much more private and have way more trees- the inner loop is relatively open in comparison and would be good sites to choose if you are group camping. I would be prepared with lots of bug spray and a screenhouse if you are camping here in the worst of mosquito season- there was quite a bit of standing water and swampy pond nearby. 

Site notes(see pics/videos): A2 is nice and spacious, but next to the swampy water 

A4 is the immediate neighbor and is distinctive because it’s up on a hill 

A3 is on the inner loop and is visible to the road, but I liked it anyway 

A5 is a nice spacious site on the inner loop that is less private, I’m pretty sure A19 butts up behind it if you are looking to get a few sites 

A12 is the type of site that I would love to camp at- view of the gulley and of the river 

A14 is the site that you need to reserve a year in advance if this campground were more popular- amazing location with a spectacular view of the river 

A24 also has a good river view 

A26 is large and has some badass oak trees 

The B Loop is weird- a lot of the campsites don’t seem to even have space for a 2 person tent unless you are ok with not having a campfire(or burning down your tent). If you have a tiny scamp you might be ok? 

Site notes: B3 is a good pull-through site for an RV 

The cabin is here! It has a screen porch and a propane tank for heating it in cold weather! Also has a decent view of the river- inside is just some bunk beds and a table. There is a pit toilet next to it that I’m guessing other campsites use too. 

B20 is definitely the best site in the loop for tent camping- I actually would camp at this one. 

There are also 4 group campsites that could probably fit 2-3 tents on them that are only a short hike-in from the parking area. Nice pit toilets are nearby. Minneopa is definitely either a nice day trip or camping trip from the Twin Cities! I was extra pleased that the drive down 169 is interesting- the terrain is beautiful, there are some really random touristy places and showrooms(giant yellow barn/extended structure that is without a doubt indeed Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store), and driving through Saint Peter is a nice old-timey experience.

Our party consisted of two adults, and three children under 12. The cabin consisted of bunk beds with double beds on bottom and twin bed on top. With our gear for four days we found the cabin had just enough room for our party. Any longer or more kids and the cabin would be too small.

The cabins are close to the lake. In early October the leaves are mostly fallen and you have an unobstructed view of the lake and surrounding hills. During the day take in the great vistas across the lake, at night look up and see stars that can only be seen in the wilderness.

The area has several good hikes of 3 - 7 miles in length. If you are looking for heavy wooded off trail hikes you can forge your own way otherwise we found the trails great for family hikes, and a morning run.

Bathrooms, and showers are clean and better than I have experienced at other state parks.

Beautiful lake setting. LARGE well maintained walking trails, most are flatter so easy to walk.

Easy access to fishing, kayaking and canoeing.

3 different campgrounds in the park. Sunrise campground is newer, electric, water and sewer hookups. Sites are very level, open with newer smaller trees. Sites are spaced apart really nicely. Oakwoods campground is nicely shaded underneath many large oaks.

Bathroom/shower buildings are VERY CLEAN, well maintained and showers work great and have very warm water. The bathroom/showers are in the Oakwood campground.

FLUSHING toilets in the Sunrise campground!

Swimming beach was clean and nice sand.

Park is located at a Historical site, read up about the area before visiting to get a good understanding about the area.

Nice clean RV DUMP station.

Nice little restaurant just outside of the park called Trails Edge. Also have LP tank refill. Located right on the Bike Trail