Are you planning a tent camping trip to Dawson? We've got you covered. The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Dawson, Minnesota's most popular destinations.
Skalbekken County Park amenities include shelters, restrooms, water, picnic areas, rustic camping areas, plus horse trails and camps with horse ties and manure bunkers. Skalbekken became Renville County’s first park in 1967. The original deed belonged to Ole Skalbeck. Skalbeck’s log home, originally built in 1868, was moved to the park in 1974.
$20 / night
Legend
This park has trails and is bordered on one side by a river. The other side of the river has a municipal water park and golf course. Several state parks close by for additional hiking opportunities. Sites have water, sewer, and electric. Fire ring provided. Showers and bathrooms onsite as well.
Scout
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ScoutReally a nice little park! We have been camp hosts here for the summer. Had never been here before, didn't know it existed. 30 back in sites with #30 being host site.
Traveler
Hard surface parking with grass surround and gravel picnic table area.Newer power 30 and 50 amp. Good att cell signal but no satellite view in most sites. Current RV rate is $22. Fairly level sites.
Guide
Very nicely maintained campground and facilities. Mid week stay so nearly empty.
Ranger
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).
Scout
Beautifully maintained and quiet Park with a couple of trails to walk the pup on.
Guide It’s a lovely campground sites. One through seven are first come first serve eight through 13 are reservations which you can get online big mature trees close to the river nice spaces clean the restrooms were really clean and the shower was great except it wasn’t very hot. The camping fee for RVs is now $20 a night
GuideNice set up, some shaded sites, some open, would be great for a group stay. No issues is hookups. Very helpful camp host.
Guide
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.
ScoutNice park. Water and electric hookups at each site. Each site had plenty of space. We happened to be the only one in the park all weekend, which was awesome. Close to neighboring towns for any essentials that were missed. Hidden gem!
Guide
RV park and some tent sites located next to the public pool and softball field. Amenities are good. WiFi is shared with the public pool so it's very slow.
GuideReally new campground, with a terrific view of the river.
Very accessible walking paths
Be sure to get an outer edge by river location
Traveler
Some of the spaces are small. We had site 3b which was good sized. Beautiful stream. Only complaint was showers aren't the greatest. Dingy and the shower head is really low on the wall. We'd come here again. Our next reservation is for a smaller spot. We'll see how it goes. Internet service is very spotty.
Legend
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
LegendThe park and campground are nice, but the mosquitos weren't! Stayed right after a mosquitos hatch sadly. Lake views from the campground and lots of hiking nearby!
Guide
We were here for a night in pouring rain but it looked very nice.
ScoutRoad tripping and hammocking. Not so great for hammocks but we managed to hang two in site 10. Half of the site require reservations. Clean facility- large pads- electric & water. Across from river- 3 minutes from town but you’d never know it. One pull thru. Great fall visit.
TravelerVery nice pull through cement pads. Easy full hook up’s, and quite. Very clean and up to date facilities. Will stay again.
Guide
Denise, the town, and camp grounds are so welcoming. Clean, well lit, and surrounded by beauty. Bath house modern and spotless. Would visit again and for longer.
ScoutRecommended!
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.
GuideGuideWe spent two nights tent camping at the Upper Campground of Lac Qui Parle State Park in May 2022. This is a prairie setting, essentially a very large grassy field without trees or shrubs to provide privacy from neighbors or protection from winds. The campsites are well-spaced, so that provides some cushioning distance. There are many young trees planted, but it will be years before they mature. While the campground lacks privacy, its wide open skies provide wonderful stargazing on clear nights. The openness was also great for watching groups of large birds (geese, turkey vultures, pelicans) wheeling overhead.
There was one trail we could hike from the Upper Campground, and we enjoyed its grassy, rolling hills, trees, and lake views. The main parts of the park (lower campground, picnic area, beach, trails) were inaccessible due to recent storms that caused flooding and tree damage. We plan to revisit the park when it is restored and active again.
Guide
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.
GuideThis was a nice campground but the upper section is open with little to no trees. There is a nice view of the lake. This had some hiking trails. When we stayed the lower campground was closed, this would be more private and tree covered.
ScoutThe campground is shady, quiet, and clean. The bathroom is remodeled and was very clean. There is a new pavilion and playground with a small Zipline. The last 2 sites around the corner are very priivate. The Grinder is recommended for an excellent breakfast sandwich and roomy feminine place to hang out in bad weather
TravelerBathrooms were really dirty campsites where also dirty
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Dawson, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dawson, MN is Skalbekken County Park with a 3.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
