Best RV Parks & Resorts near Dawson, MN

Very nice pull through cement pads. Easy full hook up’s, and quite. Very clean and up to date facilities. Will stay again.

What an amazing little gem of a place! A former resort, now home to just 12 full hook up RV sites, a couple of cabins, and an amazing supper club that opens at 5:00 daily. On the shores of Big Stone Lake. A nice beach and a boat landing. There are normally no open sites, we are told, as they are all rented for the season. We got lucky because there was a site available, said Elmer. So we showed up and we’re greeted by the super- friendly residents who helped us into our site. At five we went down for supper- enjoyed a cocktail, a fantastic steak, then another drink while we watched the sun go down. Just perfect. If you can’t camp here, check out the state park - then come over for dinner!

We stayed here during a deployment for work. We were one of many work campers staying at this RV park. They have the basic amenities as a bathroom and laundry room. The sites are roomy and well maintained as the owner mowed the sites often. The campground is near a river so beware of the mosquitoes. We will stay here again when in the area. Also you can get 50% off with passport america pass!

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Lots of space between sites. There are not many trees so not much shade. Sites are gravel and relatively level, not much leveling required. Variety of sites, from group camping, primitive (no hookups), electric only, full hookups (water, electric, sewer) as well as cabins and tent only areas. Limited hiking trails connected to campground. Surrounded on two sides by farm fields and Lac Qui Parle Lake on another. There are two loops in the campground. One loop has view of the lake. Boat/canoe launch is in lower campground about 10 minutes from Upper Campground. Recycling and garbage dumpsters on site. Dump station near entrance. Verizon cell signal is poor. Pit toilets available. Bathhouse is centrally located, includes private showers. No laundry on site. Nearby attractions in Montevideo include Talking Waters Brewery/taproom, Jake’s pizza and Java River cafe (with outdoor seating, dog friendly).

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. I do believe there were 2 or 3 cabins that I saw. Unsure if there is a group camp with this campground being so small as it is. Firewood is available at the check in/office building. There is a bathroom/shower building in the loop with the electric sites. The electric loop and primitive loops both have vault toilets. Each loop also has a few water stations to fill containers with potable water and each loop has a dumpster for disposing of waste. Not sure if there is a dump station for RVs as I typically use a tent when camping. Nice state park in Rural central Minnesota

Recommended!

We had a full hookups with 50 amp service. Our site was next to US-12 and had no noise issues. The Chippewa river flows next to the camp and the adjoining river bank is woodlands. We had no insect issues. There is a super dog park and grocery just east on US-12. Found great coffee and scones in Benson at Go Set Ready Coffee.

Our site had a great camp fire pit made from a half sphere about 40 inches in diameter. Looked like the bottom of a buoy or end of a 250 lbs propane tank. The proprietor is an arborist and sold us a large bundle of hard wood that made great smores.

We picked Benson because of its close location to Glacial Lake state park and the Glacial Ridge Trail. Just take MN-29 north.  The topology change in terrain from the farm lands around Benson to the rolling hills and lakes north on MN-29 is great. Continue on MN-29 to Starbuck for a sizable lake. Take some time and explore the back roads on and around the Glacial Ridge Trail. There are many hills, forests and lakes you can explore east up to New London. 

We had an encounter with a pair of swans on the side of the road next to a lake. These are large beautiful birds! We stopped in the car, kept our distance, watched from inside of the car and enjoyed them before the slipped back into the lake.

Vibe: Almost empty on Monday night. Quiet natural lake setting. 

Cleanliness: Exceptional. 

Facilities: Updated and well maintained. 

General spots: Good size, good spacing, ok privacy. Lots of trees 

Our site: 20. Across from our site was a little trail down to the lake. In the evening we saw tons of fish and an otter. The electric hook up is pretty far from the picnic table/fire ring area. Have a long cord. 

Noise: Only 4 sites were occupied out of 30 or so. Completely quiet all evening. 

Cell signal: Good (Verizon)

Other: Spectacular sunsets and sunrises. Cell phone pictures do not do it justice.

This was a nice little find! Two small loops in the campground with some sites along the water. Only electric on the inner loop. We stayed at site 2, which was nice; had enough room for our RV and a tent. Short walk to some green space with a large sandbox, the boat launch, and swim beach. We also saw a deer walking through the campsite too! Fun to watch all of the birds and pelicans!!

We tent camped in the non electric sites in the Lower Campground. They were shady thank goodness, but not very flat or large. Your tent will be on rocks, not grass. 

When we were visiting, the shower house was closed due to Covid, so no review of that. The vault toilet was stocked with TP and fairly clean. The portapotty was near full and smelled awful. Didn’t look like it had been emptied all summer! Gross.

The lake was really high when we visited, which led to a useless campground fishing pier and a boat dock that you had to swim to to use. There was no beach, but there may have been if the water level was normal. Watch out for biting sunnies in the swim area and enormous snapping turtles stealing the fish off your hook at the fishing pier near the swim area.

We did go into Starbuck which is 5 miles away. Very impressive beach, groceries and a DQ all an easy drive away.

We had a lovely weekend overlooking Lac Qui Parle from our campsite. The lack of mature trees on the upper campground bluffs is a plus. A gentle breeze keeps the bugs down and allows for nice views. We have a 26’ travel trailer and got 2 bars of T-Mobile 5G service.

We camped here in July and it was a great experience, but apparently it is spectacular during the spring and fall migration seasons, because this area is a major stopover on the Red River/ Minnesota River flyway fir migrating birds and waterfowl. During migration, the thousands of birds convening on the headwater lakes of these two rivers makes it sound as though the lake itself is speaking up in its own voice, hence the french furtraders name of “Lac Qui Parle”. The state park here has two sections, a lower part in the forested lowlands on tbe west side, and an upper section on an open prairie bluff on the east side. We camped at the upper camprground, where the sites were open but nicely spaced from the neighbors. The sites were surrounded by blooming prairie and had an exquisite view over the lake, especially at dawn and sunrise. There are also several really nice park camper cabins if you would rather not camp out. The park has lots to explore but is also close to a huge national wildlife marsh refuge that is great for birdwatching and paddling. The park has good facilities eg water and restrooms etc, but is pretty far off the beaten path in terms of access to groceries and supplies, so stock up before arriving and come prepared. This location is close to some interesting Minnezota history sites, too, as well as being a great destination for natural history and outdoor recreation

This is a very small campsite with only 6 electric sites. The rest of the sites are non electric. The sites are good sized and spread out giving you privacy. There is about a mile and a half of trails which are not difficult to walk. There is also a boat launch at the campground too so you can take the boat out and go fishing.

Great family campground. Lots of shade cover. 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. Canoeing, fishing, paddle boards. Great hiking trails. Loop for kids to bike on easily. Easy to get to.

For those using the dump station it’s on a hill and tougher for bigger rigs to use. No flushing station. But water throughout park. Firewood at the station. Small number of electric sites in the first campground but sites are closed together and less privacy/shade. Bathhouse is in first campground.

Pretty nice campground with water and electric. Bathhouse, walking trails, fishing and beautiful lake views. Some sites are a little difficult to get into but not impossible.

We booked our stay at the Lower Campground on a whim as it was one of the only campsites available in MN on a two week notice during Covid. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise! The park is perfect for a short weekend trip. Campground was well maintained with easy access to the hiking trails and a nice view of the lake. There was enough exploring to fill a day or two. The sites are close side-to-side, but trees line the outside sites and there is good back-to-back space between the inner sites. Not all sites have hammock trees though. We got very lucky with the August weather as the bugs were completely manageable both at the campground and on the hikes. The Lower Campground is the only one with electric sites, but the Oak Ridge had nice shade and space. Preferred sites in Lower Campground would be 7 for non-electric for privacy and lake views, and 14e, 16e, and 18e for electric. Bathrooms were not open for use when we came. Also, the water fill and dump stations are on the opposite side of most campers which was the only downside. There was not water supply at the dump station to rinse out the tank. But overall, it’s nice trip that’s only two hours from the Twin Cities. We enjoyed the prairie views and the lake. Will be back!

The upper campground was open and I found a level campsite for the evening. Very few trees. Bathroom faculties were ok. Cell phone coverage is good