Best Campgrounds near Empire, MN

We love Lebanon Hills! Close to home and an oasis in the middle of the Twin Cities. Sites with full hookups or more remote sites with electric that are more tucked away in the pines. Great hiking.

General: Smallish (38 sites plus four walk-in sites) Army Corps of Engineers campground. Some (see below) have electric hookups but no water or sewer hookups, however, there is a dump station. 

Site Quality: All sites are gravel/dirt (except for the ADA-accessible site), and most are very generous in size. Our site (7) sloped down but leveled out with plenty of room for our campervan at the bottom. All sites are wooded with trees providing separation/privacy between sites. Completing the site are a metal picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook. 

Bath/Shower House: Sites 28-38 only have vault toilets (but you could trek to the other campground loop). Sites 1—27 have flush toilets and showers. They were very clean, and I especially appreciated the fact that they were cleaned daily before 6 am, a shout out to the camp host! The shower was great– warm water and great flow, although our friends (who arrived two days before we did) had cold showers when the campground was full.

Activities: Several short hiking trails. I give this campground 4 stars instead of 5 because Eau Galle Reservoir (Lake George) is about a 10-minute drive from the campground. Most Corps of Engineers campgrounds are located right on the water. There are no amenities (rentals, etc.) offered at the lake but it is small and beautiful, and we enjoyed a peaceful paddle. We saw a couple of people fishing on the lake and there is a small swimming area. At the campground, there was an interpretive center, but it was locked when we were there. There is also a nice, modern playground. 

Aside from the plentiful bugs (in August), we enjoyed our two-night stay at this campground!

The cabins in the woods are great in winter with snow on the pine trees. I would probably prefer the prairie cabins in the summer, especially with mosquitoes. The prairie cabins have significantly less privacy though with trails on either side that have good views into the heavily windowed cabins.

The cabins are well-built and heated. The wooded cabins have what seems like full-sized mattress bunk beds built into the wall. Each bunk has its own reading light. The storage in this place is amazing. Storage under the bed, one counter with ample storage under it, and even the windows are so deep that I was able to store most of my food on the sill.

The biggest downside is the middle-of-the-night trek to the bathroom. The bathroom is heated and open year round. There are two year round showers as well, but don’t plan on a long shower to unwind unless you like cold water. There was maybe 2 minutes of hot water. Basically enough to wash your body quickly, it was easy enough to avoid getting my hair wet. The shower room is also set to a cool 58 degrees in the winter. I do suspect that the floors are slightly heated though. You will need to dart across to the bathroom to blow dry your hair if you’re washing it in the winter. 

You can use a slow cooker and a coffee pot in the cabin. Otherwise you can cook over the fire as well. They have potable water in the bathroom for washing your dishes in the cabin with.

Close enough to town if you need something, far enough away for peace and quiet.

This is a smaller Corps of Engineers park, lots of primitive sites and lots electric sites too. A smaller lake but no gas motors. Cell service with Verizon was ok.

I stayed four nights. I would have stayed longer but ran out of water. There isn't any potable water on site. During a hot day, I took my two dogs and we hiked to a nearby river. We cooled off and enjoyed the peace and quite. The only downside is no potable water and lots of mesquites.

I'm spending three nights here. I'm writing my review after my second day. The campground is kept up very well. It has garbage cans and porta pottys. When I got here it was empty. Nice open spots and a good amount of tree cover.

Lots of activities for kids and teens. Teen social on Fridays to help them meet friends. Nice pool. The campground is on a hill if you have mobility issues. Many spots along the river.

We stayed at this koa because it was our only way to watch softball tournament. We stayed 5 days and it was fairly nice. People that were working were very helpful and nice. Lost power a couple hours twice because of branches falling g from trees.

Good vibes it’s a magical place when u go hiking down the hill to the hidden creeks trails and absolute peace being one with nature..

Stayed here while visit our son. Picked it because it was close. We were very surprised at the privacy of our site. We were in the east loop with just electric.

This was a great experience overall. The sites are spacious and far enough away from others to feel like there was enough privacy.

The one negative thing was that some neighbors watched a movie each night — starting just after quiet hours. We could hear their movie from across a road and through some trees (and tents).

But overall it was great. Good hiking and geocaching.

We would go back to this campground.

Lots of RV campers, but none were obnoxious. T-mobile service is almost non-existent depending on location. The showers and bathrooms were spotless. Firewood is available at several roadside stands just outside the entrance.

I have stayed at Bunker a few times in site 33 and one of the walk in sites. Site 33 is very large and also very wide open. The walk in sites are a lot more secluded but not totally private. Really enjoy camping here, just wish it wasn't so expensive. It costs more than staying at a state park.

Went early in the season in the afternoon and had no problems getting a good spot with electric hookups. Better for someone with an RV, and more seemingly a weekend spot for the family.