Best Campgrounds in Minnesota

Recent Reviews in Minnesota

4244 Reviews of 1231 Minnesota Campgrounds

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  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Jay Cooke State Park Campground

  Great park! Will come again!

  This is a favorite of mine. I have been here tent camping twice and will be staying at a camper cabin later this summer!

  My favorite part of this park is the swinging bridge. I'm in awe of the view every time I come. I sometimes stop here on my way up to the north shore just to sit out on the rocks and enjoy the view.

  The campground is huge. There's multiple loops for both primitive and electric hook up. There's a very nice shower building located very centrally. There's camper cabins too.

  Beware last year there was a bear that frequented the campgrounds, but we didn't really have any major issues with him. Just keep your food secure.

  Lots of great hiking. The superior hiking trail runs through this park as well. Close to Duluth where there are so many fantastic recreational activities. I had great cell service everywhere in the campgrounds too.

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• 

  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Moose Lake State Park Campground

  Cozy little campground!

  I stayed here last minute because on my previous camping trip my gear was soaked, and I can't dry out my gear in my apartment. So I chose to come here and I'm so glad I did!

  The park itself is smaller. The campground only has three loops. There's one loop that is primitive, while the other two have electric hook up.

  My favorite part of this campground is the gorgeous trees.

  I saw lots of deer and a turtle laying eggs!

  It has a small beach and a fishing pier (i think a spot to launch boats too but I could be remembering wrong).

  Campground host was super friendly and came by to say hi. At one point, there was a tornado warning and she literally drove to my campsite to let me know and made sure I got to the shelter. (there didn't end up being a tornado, just a gnarly storm).

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  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Father Hennepin State Park Campground

  Cozy little state park right on the water!

  I stayed here last summer (2025)and am planning on staying here this summer as well.

  The park is smaller than it's sister park Mille Lacs Kathio, but it definitely has some things that are better about it!

  I stayed in the Maplewood campground, which I recommend if you like quiet and privacy. The sites are further apart and give you a more "in the woods" feel. The other campground (lake view) is more traditional RV style camping where the sites are fairly close. However they have some sites (small and close together) that have views directly of the lake, if that's your thing.

  I stayed at site 96 which was verrrrry deep and felt pretty private. It's backed up to the woods so you don't have anyone behind you. It has a nice tent pad, and plenty of space for canopies or other equipment. It's a short walk down to the water too, where there's a fishing pier really close by, and a large beach a little further down. I went in very early June and the mosquitoes honestly weren't terrible yet, but the caterpillars were everywhere! There were caterpillars all over my tent, in my sandals I left outside my tent, on my car, etc. When I found one I just relocated them to a safer area in the woods. Lots of deer, you can hear owls at night, squirrels etc. It is bear country, but I didn't see any bears. I kept my food locked up in my car.

  One night it was kind if windy and you could hear the waves on the lake from the tent, so that was kinda cool.

  I have t mobile and had decent service here as well.

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• 

  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Camper Cabins — Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

  Beautiful cabins, excellent staff!

  I had a very...interesting experience at the camper cabins this week! I stayed at the cabin #3 this week, Monday through Thursday (3 nights). Monday and Tuesday were awesome. I was the only one there on the whole side of the road, and it was soooo peaceful.

  Early Wednesday morning (around 3am)is where things stopped being peaceful. A really bad storm developed (that I had no idea was coming). It was probably the worst storm I had ever experienced in my life. Five trees fell in the yard, one small one hitting the cabin. One tree even fell a couple of feet behind my car, blocking me in. After taking a short walk when the sun came up, I realized the damage was everywhere in the park. I was seeing downed trees all over every single trial and road. I emailed the park office which opened at 8 that I was trapped, and they cleared all the trees from the office to where I was (almost three miles away) and was getting me out by 9:30. I was so impressed with how fast they worked. Amazing job! They offered to give me a refund if I wanted to go home early (I didn't, because I was still really enjoying my time there). I will definitely be back!

  Without the whole storm fiasco, here are some pros and cons:

  Pro *the cabins are gorgeous and cozy. *they have electric and heat (a gas burning stove heats the cabin, how cute!) *there's a screened in porch allowing you to enjoy the weather without bugs. *the vault toilet is really close, but there is also flush toilets with a shower in the campground, which is like a five minute walk, or a very short drive. *the mattresses on the bunk beds appear to be newer than some cabins I stayed in, that being said, a foam mattress topper isn't a bad idea if you struggle to sleep *the trails are gorgeous. The cabins aren't far from the lake either. There's a visitor center that's currently closed for renovations (2026) but I think will be open next year. There's a short interpretive trail behind it too. *there's a fire ring and picnic table outside.

  Cons (there aren't many!) *I think being separated from the main campground is both a pro and a con, depending on your personality. If you like solitude then it's perfect. If you enjoy being where everyone else is, then it's a con.

  • the cabins are kinda close together, but there's trees and shrubs between (although several fewer than there were earlier this week 😭) so it does kinda feel private. But the noise can travel (there were people two cabins down my first night and I did hear them just a little bit).
  • there's not much cell service. I heard Verizon does best. I had t mobile and depending on where I was standing I either got zero bars or occasionally up to 2bars (usually I didn't really get much though). That's kinda annoying especially during situations like the storm that happened (thankfully I was not harmed, my car wasn't harmed, and the cabin didn't get damaged from the tiny tree that fell right on it).

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• J

  Jennifer P.

  Traveler

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Everett Park

  Quiet and Serene

  The spot was stunning, private, and well-maintained. The host was curt and cold. My husband: “What a beautiful spot!” Host: “Yeah. Keep it that way.” So much for hospitality.

• 

  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Bear Paw Campground — Itasca State Park

  Less private than pine ridge, seems better for rvs

  Note... For some reason instead of uploading the video I wanted, it uploaded a completely different video from a different camping trip at a different campground. I don't know how to remove it without taking down the entire review. Sorry!

  First of all I rate the state park in general the highest rating you can think of! My favorite state park by far!

  My friend and I stayed at one of the cart in campsites thinking it would be private and quiet... But it wasn't. Even in the cart in sites (at least the one we were at) you can see your neighbors right next to you. The site itself was fairly large. Bathrooms clean. There is access to the lake, which was great for watching sunsets.

  Overall, this campground isn't terrible, just like the other one better!

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• 

  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 12, 2026

  Pine Ridge Campground — Itasca State Park

  Best camping!

  This campground is better than the bear paw one because they have sites that are bigger and more private.

  *pine loop and poplar loops are best if you want private camping sites.

  *site 211 is the biggest! That's where we stayed.

  *there are two bathroom buildings which have flush toilets and showers. It's less than a five minute walk from just about anywhere in the campgrounds. Also multiple vault toilets.

  *I had some cell coverage (t mobile) and so did my friend (Verizon). Usually when did, she didn't, and vice versa. I'd say a good portion of the campground doesn't have service, you may have to walk around a bit to get a bar or two. No wifi in the campgrounds (except where you purchase wood) but there's wifi in the visitor center.

  *we saw a bear sighting almost every night. He was not aggressive and pretty skittish, just making noise scared him off. But beware you'll need to keep a clean campsite.

  *lots of stuff to do here. The Mississippi headwaters is a must! There's a fire tower, museums, hiking, swimming, kayak rentals, and more! Also the park hosts events too. We went to one on the history of the headwaters and one for archery! Also the wilderness drive is a must!

  *there's places to eat in this park too! There's a restaurant (didn't get to try bc it was closed at the time) and a little cafe next to the headwaters. It was delicious, they had sandwiches, pastries, coffee, etc.

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• 

  Crystal R.

  Guide

  Jun. 11, 2026

  Devil Track Lake Campground

  Rustic off grid camping

  I thought it was a very nice campground! Be aware it's fairly rustic. No electric sites, no water, no flushing toilets. Just a vault toilet. Also I had no service anywhere in the campgrounds (t mobile) and my friend didn't either (Verizon). But many of the sites have views or even access to the lake. Most are fairly big. It's not reaervable, so first come, first serve. My only complaint is the ground was mainly rock. So putting in my tent stakes was very hard. My canopy ended up blowing over because I couldn't stake it down. So beware.

• S

  Scott S.

  Scout

  Jun. 9, 2026

  El Rancho Manana

  Run down with buildings in disrepair.

  Just spent 4 nights here with our popup and disappointed in how poor the place has been kept up. Only one shower worked out of 3 in the mens and womens bathroom and the light was out in the one that did work. Hardly any water came out as well. Same for the hand washing sinks in the mens, only one had water coming out. The laundry building mens bathroom had a faucet the wasn't even attached to the counter top so I had to hold it down to move the lever to turn the water on. The gravel roads have a lot of washed out areas so ruts and potholes everywhere. Definately not worth the price and won't be staying here again. The only two positives that I can say is that the staff is freindly and the lake is very clear for June compared to other lakes in MN. Caught quite a few nice sunfish off the dock and even a few sm bass. The old west show area does look nice but nothing went on there the weekend we were at the campground.

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