Join the fun near Dakota. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Dakota is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Dakota camping trip.
"The cart in sites all have a fire pit with a grill, picnic table, and are a short walk from the primitive toilets. There is a water spigot in the parking area."
"I enjoy camping away from the hub bub of the family campground and opting for the backpack or cart in sites. Luckily, Great River Bluffs has some of the nicest cart ins I have encountered."
"It was spacious and very well kept, with a great view of the lake. Wry easy to back in and get set up, almost level and took very little adjustment to get our spot in order."
"The site are all level, have a fire pit and picnic table. They are pretty open, so you’re close to you neighbors and little shade or privacy."
$30 - $40 / night
"Water, fishing, tubing, bar, pavilion, kid and animal friendly, showers, toilets, fire pits, water/electric sites, easy booking."
"There is a bar and restaurant within walking distance. A lot of people camp there, the sites are small we still managed to have a good time. We had four campsites next to each other for our group."
"Drinking water had already been turned off for the season, but the bathroom still had running water and flush toilets in mid-October. Easy access to hiking trails."
"Site 53 was close to the showers and water spigot and it was a big enough spot for 2 tents while being private. It was a 10-20 minute walk to anywhere else."
$30 - $46 / night
"Located on the Root River. Cliff View has very clean bath houses. Lots of sites to choose from. 50 amp service, sewer hook up and of course water. If your close enough to the office wifi available."
"Situated right along the Root River next to the bike trail. They offer kayak, canoe and tube rentals and shuttles. They also have bike rentals.
This facility is clean and very well kept."
$20 - $40 / night
"Clean bathrooms with hot water. Shed with dry wood for purchase. Electricity, potable water connections, sewer."
"Esofea campground has a shelter, several ponds and streams, and some nice hiking trails.
The camping options range from full hookups to tent camping."
"NOTE; Google maps makes it look like the campground and landing are near each other. They are not."
"Very cool secluded walk in sites, pet friendly, awesome trails."
"Situated within short distance of the Mississippi surrounded by trails and kayak friendly rivers."
"We were told to go straight to our site and setup and they will check on us later. By morning there was a marker on the pole."
"Our site was very large, which was nice as it gave us more than enough room to set up our tent, leaving space between us and the neighboring sites."
"It was located right on the Root River Trail System which we liked for biking and running."
TravelerOverall great experience! Located on the Root River. Cliff View has very clean bath houses. Lots of sites to choose from. 50 amp service, sewer hook up and of course water. If your close enough to the office wifi available. Some sites are tight for large motor homes, 5th wheelers and tavel trailer. If your a bicyclist, campgrounds on great paved trail. They like their grass, no rugs or carpet on the grass. I take this as a positive. Dogs n cats are welcome. Lots of seasonal sites. Camping during the week is quite!
GuideNice park for everyone’s type from tents, cabins and all size RV’s. Electric only at the camp sites but have water and dump station on site. Clean bathrooms and showers. Best value I’ve seen for fire wood. Has many walking trails that you can take your dog on and just a couple that you can’t.
GuideDrinking water had already been turned off for the season, but the bathroom still had running water and flush toilets in mid-October. Easy access to hiking trails. My site was close in distance to adjacent ones, but was on the edge by the creek, so it was pretty quiet. None of the cart-in sites were vacant the night I stayed, but those looked lovely as well.
TravelerThe cart in sites all have a fire pit with a grill, picnic table, and are a short walk from the primitive toilets. There is a water spigot in the parking area. They have 4-5 wheelbarrows to use as carts to get your stuff to the site. Each site could comfortably hold 3 to 4 tents. They are on a path for an out and back hike so expect some passers by. Cart in 1 and 2 are fairly close to the parking area and are less secluded from each other. 3 and 4 are more secluded. Site 3 offers more shade and 4 looks to have recently had some trees cut down and is fairly open air. Overall the trails are well maintained and accessible from the cart in area. They provide some nice views of the river and you can easily hike the area in a day. It’s by no means a secluded area if you’re looking to get away from road noise or other people. All in all it makes for a nice weekend getaway.
ScoutChester Woods is a county park just east of Rochester, MN. It has a campground and man-made lake (created when Bear Creek was dammed for a flood control project) with hiking trails, a horse trail, picnic shelters, a beach, and a playground. The campsites have nice, soft ground for tents, and electrical outlets are available. It can get noisy on the weekend, but the sites are nice along the edge of the campground.
The lake offers the opportunity to fish for panfish, catfish, and bass. There are a lot of submerged trees from before the Creek was dammed that provide good habitat in deep water, and there is also good shoreline structure and weed beds. There is a fish cleaning house next to the campground which has electric lighting, but no running water.
TravelerWater, fishing, tubing, bar, pavilion, kid and animal friendly, showers, toilets, fire pits, water/electric sites, easy booking.
GuideWe stayed for 2 nights at Whitewater State Park with a group of 4. Site 53 was close to the showers and water spigot and it was a big enough spot for 2 tents while being private. It was a 10-20 minute walk to anywhere else. We hiked up chimney rock for some great vistas, swam at the sandy beach, bought ice cream sandwiches at the nature store, and enjoyed talking with the visitor center staff. There were a lot of picnic spots, pavilions, and fire pits for day trips. There were a lot of fresh black berries all around the state park which were fun to gather and eat. The Elba Firetower was a quick 3 miles down the road by car and was a nice little outing. Whitewater was a bit spread out for our liking and unfortunately the woman's shower/bathroom had toilets that were pulled off the entire weekend so you could see and smell raw sewage. Once they fix the bathrooms it'd be a 5 star knowing you'd have to walk a bit. We would stay again at 53, but sites 62, 63, 64 or the walk in sites looked awesome since they were along the river. They are expanding the state park camping which will be a welcomed update and addition.
LegendWhat's Appealing?
This campground is nestled in the woods above the Mississippi River. There's a beautiful view from King's Bluff Overlook which is about a 2.5 mile roundtrip from the parking area. You could make it about 5.5 miles if you hike from campground. There are also short walks to a few other overlooks.
We were just spending the night but I'm not sure there's anything else to do. The information sheet says there are 7 miles of hiking trails, but there really isn't anything interesting other than the overlooks. It was a quiet place for a one night stay.
I think fall would be the best time to visit after the mosquitoes are gone and when the leaves have turned. Winter would also be good. There are 9 miles of groomed X-country ski trails; you need a MN Ski Pass.
The Basics
There are 31 pull in/back in sites (38 is the highest number but some numbers are skipped), 4 cart in sites, and 5 sites for bicyclists (off the Great River Road bike route below the campground across from the Mississippi River). The sites are spacious and shaded and have a picnic table and fire pit.
Very Basic Campground
There's a bathroom with toilets, showers, and sinks. The showers are push button so you get no heat control and the water shuts off after about 30 seconds. There are also pit toilets that may be closer to your site. Drinking water and trash dumpsters are near the bathroom.
Cost
It's $19 plus the $7 MN state park fee. There was no camp host on site, but I saw a ranger drive through. We have a MN parks sticker on our window and paid online the day we came in because the office was closed. There was no online reservation fee when we paid online on the day of our stay.
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GuideWhitewater is by far one of the top state parks in Minnesota. Their camping facilities are clean with running water and free showers. The campsites are quite spacious but not too wooded. They have a few walk in sites but they go fast.
The best part about whitewater are the trails and views. It is located in a carved glacier valley and is surrounded by limestone. I recommend moderate to experienced hikers due to the intense climb to get to the popular views. It’s worth the visit!
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Dakota, MN is Great River Bluffs State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 25 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 31 glamping camping locations near Dakota, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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