Looking for the best options for tent camping near Detroit Lakes? Find the best information on tent camping near Detroit Lakes, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Minnesota camping adventure.
On the NCT - Laurentian Chapter Maps (LLC-006)
Swim, fish, paddle, and picnic surrounded by rolling, forested hills here at Maplewood State Park, a name synonymous with stunning fall color. An extensive network of multi-purpose trails winds around eight major lakes and many ponds.
$22 / night
This campsite is located on a very large Flooded Woods. To get to the campsite, go to the Elbow Lake Road Trailhead and hike south. Flooded woods always seem really creepy and murky, and this one is no exception. The campsite itself is really nice with grassy tent pads and a nice campfire area.
On the North Country Trail in MN - Laurentian Chapter - NCT map LLC-004
Since 1949, we've been a family-operated resort & campground on Swan Lake in Fergus Falls, MN. We offer lakeside cabins, tent camping, and full hook-up, pull-through RV sites. Here, there is time to slow down, room to breathe, and lots to explore.
Soak up the sun on the sandy beach, hike through the hidden trails, and take the pontoon out for a cruise. Be sure to turn the tech off and challenge a rival to ping pong, crack a cold one, and explore the water on stand-up paddleboard. Bring the little ones and get messy at the arts & crafts table, catch a sunfish off the docks, and indulge in s’mores around the campfire. Don’t forget to show us what you got on the volleyball court and savor an ice cream at the camp store. Curl up in a hammock and get lost in a good book, smile at the flowers and gaze in awe at the night sky. Just be.
$35 - $300 / night
$14 - $24 / night
$19 / night
Legend
park features fishing in Whiskey Creek, (stocked with rainbow trout, crappies, and sunfish), picnic area, children's playground, semi-enclosed shelters, campground area with full hook-up and tent sites, two camping cabins, softball fields, frisbee golf, volleyball area and a children's zoo, which includes buffalo, whitetail deer, peacocks, and golden pheasants. Site had picnic table and fire ring.
We thoroughly enjoyed the frisbee golf and the zoo!
ScoutThis is a beautiful quiet place to park it for a while. There is everything here from 43 ft Class A rigs to tents. We were the only ones for about four days when we got here and now the campground is completely full. It’s the middle of September, and you wouldn’t know you were practically in the middle of the city with all the foliage. The only downfall is you have to unhook to go dump every so often. Thankfully the dump site is inside the campground
Scout
Simple beautiful park with the fall colors, plenty to due and see. Amazing fishing both trout and bass! Well maintained facilities in the park and friendly staff!
Guide
Lovely campground with sites along the river and in an area closer to the office and showers. That area is rather tight, but adequate.
Good walking trails.
GuideThis would be a decent campground if it wasn’t for the other city park visitors in the camping area. It’s supposed to be for registered campers only but they allow non campers to fish the river and they abuse that privilege and park their vehicles in front of campers and some even set up a bbq in vacant campsites. There were a couple of teens selling chips and walking through campsites. We felt uneasy about non campers wandering around Most sites are uneven, it’s ok for a one nighter
GuideWe opted for what the staff person told us were more level sites instead of those overlooking the river. Although our site was level, the spaces were closer together. Fine for an overnight stay. Have not checked the bathroom facilities yet, but they do stay locked, a plus.
Scout
Lots of amenities, $60+ /night, guest fees. More open with less “trees and camping” feel so not for everyone but we liked it.
Scout
Heiberg Park near Twin Valley, Minnesota, is a gem for anyone seeking a peaceful and well-maintained spot to unwind. The park offers a few modern pieces of playground equipment, making it a great place for families with children.
One of its highlights is the serene stream that runs through the park, adding to its tranquil atmosphere. The park also has a picnic shelter that’s perfect for gatherings; it’s just a roofed area without walls, designed to provide shade for those enjoying a meal outdoors. The lawn is always kept in top shape, with the grass trimmed neatly, and you’ll rarely, if ever, find trash littering the ground, which speaks volumes about the care taken to maintain this space.
For those interested in fishing, the park borders the Wild Rice River, and while some have good luck with their catch, my experience hasn’t been as successful—but that hasn’t diminished my enjoyment of the setting.
The park is a quiet retreat, perfect for anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle for a while. Whether you’re there for a picnic, some playtime with the kids, or just to enjoy the outdoors, Heiberg Park is a lovely choice.
Guide
The primitive campsites were very spaces but surrounded by poison ivy. An outhouse was nearby and water accesses well. Shows were clean and staff extremely friendly.
Scout
We were scheduled for 5 nights, but extended to 8 because it was such a great spot. Don and his wife were very nice, and super helpful. We checked in late, and Don even helped us set up camp. Nice pool too. Showers and bathrooms are very clean. Laundry is nice. Highly recommend if you can snag a spot.
Scout
I recently camped at BP4, on Desoto Lake. They have maybe recently added bear boxes to these two sites (3&4), I didn't see that mentioned in any reviews or the MN park website. The trail was a bit swampy and horrible with mosquitoes but the camp sites themselves were not bad at all. A very nice spot, secluded and beautiful.
LegendThe convenience and price can’t be beat. For $35 a nice asphalt pad, big grassy site right on the river. Sure there’s some road noise but $35! Very clean bathrooms that are for the overnight campers only, big playground, ball fields, plenty of space to roam and walk. A beautiful city park. We were in town the same night as a street fair down town so we took an $8 Uber and had a great time shopping hundreds of local vendors and food trucks. Pretty awesome Fargo experience all around.
Scout
Coldest shower ever other than that nice place quiet
GuideFor established camping, this park is lovely and spots are spacious. The place is bumpin’ with people but trees provide some sense of privacy but large, louder group was definitely in our vicinity—we couldn’t enjoy the birdsongs as we’d have liked (over 150 species can be found here). Staying at Grass Lake, we might have been able to launch our paddleboards from our site, but would have been a little tricky. Energy was better spent on keeping a fire tended with onslaught of unavoidable mosquitoes. Also, park doesn’t permit burning of found woods in the pits…
Traveler
This will be our 4th time up here. Great Place to stay at. Lake is beautiful and good fishing. Has a boat dock and parking. Site we were in is kinda smaller but we made it work. Facilities are clean and well taken care of.
Traveler
Friendly family owned, will definitely be back!
Scout
I stayed for 2 nights. it was beautiful and serene. There is a bear box which was helpful to store food and supplies since I was Hammocking. Great trees for Hammock. I was also able to get internet so I was able to see a big storm coming. The birds and insects were suddenly silent and the clouds came in fast. I was able to check weather apps and go to the shelter a mile toward the parking lot and wait out the storm.
Traveler
Very nice area with a water access, fire pit and outhouse. About a 10-15 min drive from main road and there are more campsites to find further in
Ranger
This campground is incredibly peaceful. Even with kids and most spots full, it’s just quiet. Lake is beautiful. Things are clean.
RangerMany bike and walking/hiking trails. Well maintained park. Many Campsites are level and we just backed in and set up.
Men’s bathroom is cleaned twice a day! Showers are clean and water is hot!
Drinking water is good.
Great trails to hike. Super nice Visitors Center with great interactive displays to learn about the park.
View from the fire tower is spectacular! Beautiful wild flowers blooming along the trails. Took many pictures of loons on Mary’s lake.
Legend
Camped at site #7 on Oct 10-11, 2023. Beautiful wooded state forest campground along Hungry Man Lakes. I was able to bank fish right from the campsite. Dirt surface campsite with table and metal fire ring. Trash containers along campground road. Two clean vault toilets with tp & air freshener. Two hand water pumps. Some sites are not level; #7 was level and pretty large. The campground can accomodate a truck camper and smaller; would not recommend larger rigs. A gravel road looped through the campground, offering a pleasant walk through the pine forest. Can not reserve a site here. Had to use the Yodel app to pay. Loved camping here.
Traveler
Wonderful office staff, very kind and helpful. We intended to stay at the tent site but when we arrived we saw a lovely cabin overlooking the lake and decided to give ourselves a treat. It was very clean and comfortable. You can tell they work very hard to make the interior inviting and the kitchen well supplied with nice kitchenware. Highly recommend.
Traveler
Take the Maplewood church road into the site. There is enough room to park 1 (maybe 2) vehicles. The walk is an easy walk. There is a nice fire pit and good area for fishing right at the site. Also there is a picnic table and a vault toilet. Surprisingly there was toilet paper there!
Scout
Never visit pelican rapids park or the town. Ther is ppl in the park with hand radio like the police ther acting an impersonation of law. 1 short person 1skiny tall ,1 wanabe kid posing as a firefighter an 1 fat girl acting like she owns an like she is model.. ther ppl hiding in normal clothing.. Too all be careful not to catch a felony charge over dum. Ppl
LegendThis campground(CG) was easy to find. Because it was a Tuesday during the off-season, the check-in gate was not open, so we proceeded back to site 24, which was electric only(50/30/20 AMP) for our two-night stay. This small state park has many trees, but with the road being wide enough, the trees weren't in the way, and with no ditch this was an easy back-in. The sites here are also nicely spaced. A park ranger came by later and gave us our post and vehicle tags. There was highway and train noise. There are mature trees in the CG, but we were able to get enough north sky for Starlink. On Verizon, we got 3 bars. There is potable water at the dump station, which is at the park entrance. The shower/restroom facility was in good shape and clean. We enjoyed the trails, some interpretative, around this state park. As the nights were cooler, we opened our bedroom windows and noticed that trains ran almost continuously through the night. Overall, we had a good visit and would consider staying here again.
LegendWe wanted to explore the cool town of Fargo, but it was too hot to stay at one of the free parking options in town, so this campground just outside of town would have been perfect. Per the online reservation system, there was only one spot left, B10, so we drove over to the park to snag it. Luckily the ranger in the office advised us that we may want to check it out first before paying for it, because of the odd shape. And she was right. We probably could have fit, if we backed up far enough, but the slope of the site was just way, way too steep. Pretty much all of the sites here at this campground were just too steep to be able for us to get comfortable in our 26ft class c. There was a class c with its front end completely on the lifts and the front tires about 2 ft in the air.
So, sadly we passed and kept moving. It seems like a really nice campground, very green, nice park like setting. There’s a bike rental, a pond, a huge playground, just a lot of fun things to do with the family. Some of the sites share a little entry driveway so watch for that if you want to camp with friends, or if you want to avoid being overly close to a neighbor.
LegendGood state park campground with everything you need. You can make your reservations online once you get there, and it’s nice because there’s no online transaction fee. But watch out that you pay the $7 daily state park entry fee as well as the camping fee, because otherwise you'll get a friendly visit from a ranger!
There are two loops, one slightly larger one with 50 and 30 amp power (no water or sewer) for $34, and one smaller one with no power for $24. We stayed in a power site because we couldn’t handle the heat anymore, otherwise the smaller one looked a little nicer and quieter and we would have stayed there.
Showers were nice and clean and free. Bathrooms were nice.
Very nice walking trails all around the campground and throughout the park as a whole. Trash dumpsters here as well as an assortment of segregated recycle bins. Good cell reception with Verizon and ATT. Firewood available at office for $8 and ice for $3.
Group camp is off from the main campground a ways, but connected via a little walking trail. There is a dump station and potable water fill at the campground exit.
No drinking allowed at any Minnesota State Park campground!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Detroit Lakes, MN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Detroit Lakes, MN is Glendalough State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 13 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Detroit Lakes, MN?
TheDyrt.com has all 25 tent camping locations near Detroit Lakes, MN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
